German Retail Sales Rise on World Cup Spending (Update3) (Bloomberg.com)
July 31 (Bloomberg) — German retail sales rose more than expected in June as World Cup fever gripped the nation and households brought forward purchases to avoid a tax increase.

Soccer Truth & Rumors: July 31, 2006 (Sports Illustrated)
Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo reported this morning that AC Milan tabled a huge offer for the world’s most popular player, Ronaldinho. One hundred million Euros is apparently what the Rossoneri are ready to hand over to Barcelona in exchange for the Brazilian jewel. — Goal.com

Northeast students showcase their football expertise at ‘Mini World Cup’ (New Kerala)
By Aditya Shukla, New Delhi: Though the FIFA World Cup is over but the soccer fever and euphoria in the sports loving youths of the North-East region continues.

German retail sales up in June thanks to World Cup effect (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Retail sales in Germany rose in June, largely as a result of the positive effects on consumer spending of the World Cup soccer championships, data showed.