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World Cup: Kings, princes and tennis stars on the guest list

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More than a dozen heads of state, four princes, a king, a queen, two princesses and two Nobel Peace Prize laureates are among the guests expected to attend Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands.

Nelson Mandela’s name was not on the list of invited VIPs released by FIFA, but there is still hope that the former South African president and anti-apartheid activist, who has been in frail health, can make it to the match to present the World Cup trophy to the champion.

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Also among those expected to attend is eight-time tennis grand slam champion Rafael Nadal, actor Morgan Freeman, model Naomi Campbell and tenor Placido Domingo.

In addition to South Africa President Jacob Zuma, who has attended a number of matches in the World Cup, other invited heads of state include John Atta Mills, the president of Ghana; Mwai Kibaki, the president of Kenya; Dutch premier Jan Peter Balkenende; Armando Guebuza, president of Mozambique; Zambian President Rupiah Banda; and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe. Nobel Peace Prize winners Desmond Tutu and F.W. De Klerk, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Queen Sofia of Spain and Prince Albert II of Monaco are also expected.

-- Kevin Baxter in Johannesburg, South Africa

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