How much for a game ball and fries?

JAKARTA (JP): Amidst the World Cup's largely hedonistic football fiesta, an American-fast food style restaurant is carrying out a pricey auction of the event's official FIFA match ball for charity.

"The starting bid is Rp 500,000 (about US$220) and the money will go to the Rotary club which will then use it for helping children with a vitamin A deficiency," said Lucia Clara yesterday, a staffer at the ADA corporation which owns the Happy Day restaurant in JL. Juanda, Central Jakarta.

She said the auction starts today and will go until July 18. She also said that there is already about Rp 600,000 invested for the ball.

It is not clear what kind of a soccer-maniac, philanthropist will pay that much money for what looks like exactly an ordinary soccer ball.

Of course, we shouldn't forget that this particular ball has the label "Official FIFA match ball World Cup 1994".

Lucia declined to project how much money the restaurant is expected to collect at the end of auction.

Instead, she just said, "whatever it is, it will be good for the kids." (hdj)