1966 World Cup finalists to reunite in London

LONDON, Mar 19 (Reuters) The squads from the 1966 World Cup final between England and West Germany will be reunited on Tuesday to commemorate their thrilling match at Wembley.

Eleven members of the German squad will arrive in London to meet up again with seven representatives of the England team for a tour of the new Wembley Stadium, lunch with finance minister Gordon Brown and an evening reception at the German Embassy.

''July 30, 1966 will rank as one of the greatest World Cup finals and one of the great days in sporting history,'' Brown told the Football Association's (FA) official Web site today.

''I hope the memory of 1966 will inspire the current England squad in Germany this summer and I hope it inspires the whole country to get behind a bid to bring the World Cup back to England in 2018.'' Together with the FA, the government has been conducting a study into the feasibility of an England bid to host the 2018 tournament.

More than 3,000 construction workers will provide a rousing reception for the former players from the Wembley stands.

Alan Ball, Gordon Banks, Bobby and Jack Charlton, George Cohen, Roger Hunt and Martin Peters will attend on behalf of England. The late captain Bobby Moore will be represented by his widow Stephanie.

Franz Beckenbauer, Helmut Haller, Siegfried Held, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Willi Schulz, Uwe Seeler, Wolfgang Weber, Horst-Dieter Hottges, Max Lorenz, Gunter Bernard and Hans Tilkowski will represent West Germany.

It is almost 40 years since Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick in England's 4-2 extra-time victory over Germany.

The 2006 World Cup finals in Germany start on June 9.

REUTERS DH KN1703