This is Goleo VI, the official mascot of the World Cup '06. And his sidekick soccer ball, Pille. (Where'd they come up with that name?!)

"According to FIFA, Goleo was born in Botswana in 1985. He experienced serious trauma as a child when he was discovered by poachers who caught him with a net. He was freed later on but, to this day, he is petrified by all sorts of nets and -- above all -- fishnet stockings."

Sadly, Goleo hasn't been as popular a mascot as everyone hoped. But one can't help noticing that "Goleo... is not exactly what you'd call an attractive fellow. He could easily pass for an out-of-wedlock child of mumbling Star Wars monster Chewbacca and US 1980s sitcom teddy-bear starlet Alf. And now, it turns out, nobody wants to hold him, hug him, and call him George."
Check out this funny article for the background on this poor excuse for a lion. (Sorry, Goleo, but it's the truth.)