Football
Brazilian football ( futebol) is revered the world over and it is a privilege to experience it at first hand. Games are usually enthralling: the mixture of intoxicating attack and clumsy defence which has traditionally marked Brazilian international sides is to be found at all levels of the game in Brazil, which makes for plenty of goals and entertainment. The stadiums are often spectacular sights in their own right, and Brazilian crowds are fantastic: wildly enthusiastic, and bringing along their own excellent live music - a packed Maracana has more drummers than the largest samba schools. The only downside is a recent upsurge of crowd violence, provoked by small but highly organized hooligan groups. It is not a good idea to wear a local team shirt to a match, although foreign team shirts will guarantee you a friendly conversation with curious fans. Football was introduced into Brazil by Scottish railway engineers in the 1890s, and Brazilians took to it like a duck to water. By the 1920s the Rio and Sao Paulo leagues which dominate Brazilian football had been founded, and Brazil became the first South American country to compete in the World Cup ( Copas) in Europe, sending a squad to France in 1938. Brazil is the only country in the world to have participated in every Copa. Getulio Vargas was the first in a long line of Brazilian presidents to make political capital out of the game, building the beautiful Pacaembu Stadium in Sao Paulo and then the world's largest stadium, the Maracana in Rio, for the 1950 World Cup , which Brazil hosted. In that competition they had what many older Brazilians still think was the greatest Brazilian side ever, which hammered everybody, and then in the final, with the whole country already celebrating, came up against Uruguay. Unfortunately the Uruguayans hadn't read the script and won 2-1, a national trauma that still haunts popular memory nearly fifty years on. Yet success was not long in coming. A series of great teams, all with Pele as playmaker, won the World Cup in Stockholm in 1958 (the only World Cup won by a South American team in Europe), Chile in 1962 and, most memorably of all, 1970 in Mexico . Mexico saw the side that is now widely regarded as the greatest in football history, with Pele playing alongside such great names as Jairzinho, Rivelino, Carlos Alberto, Gerson and Tostao. As three-time winners, Brazil also got to keep the Jules Rimet Trophy, the original World Cup. Most also agree that the 1982 Brazilian team built around Socrates, Falcao, Eder and Cerezo was extraordinary, although they lost 3-2 to the eventual winners, Italy, in one of the greatest matches in football history. It took Brazil until 1994 to reclaim the World Cup, deservedly beating Italy on penalties in a dramatic climax to what had been an occasionally dull final. It touched off enormous popular rejoicing, as Brazil became the first country to win the World Cup for the fourth time. This was a triumph built on such un-Brazilian virtues as a combative rather than a creative midfield, and a solid defence. Only in attack, where the genius of Romario found the perfect foil in Bebeto, was the 1994 side truly Brazilian. Four years later, Brazil looked well placed to defend their crown in France, but despite the galaxy of stars they had lined up - including the prodigy Ronaldo - they had an unconvincing campaign, were slightly lucky to get to the final, and then lost to a good but not great French side to whom they were clearly superior on paper. This loss crystallized a feeling of unease at home about the direction of the national side, which was widely felt to have sold out to commercial interests, with stars making their living in Europe and forgetting their roots. There is something to this: the 1990s did see an unprecedented amount of money pouring into Brazilian football, and the fact that the national side did not manage to score a single goal in open play in two World Cup finals would have been unthinkable to the 1970 and 1982 sides. But the favelas and small towns, to whom football offers a glittering exit route, are a permanent conveyor belt of talent, and Brazil will always be a contender at the highest level. The 2002 campaign, when the team will be built around Ronaldo (if fit) up front, Rivaldo in midfield, Roberto Carlos at the back and A.N. Other in goal will be no exception.
Fun Tipsmary says "Bring your inhaler if you have asma." tips for BrazilRobyn says "Dont go it so boring,so dont go " travellingayanda says "can anyone tell me about cheap accomodation in brazil?" Tour Brazil and Argentina On Line (Video + Stills)David Mundstock says "My recent movie, “Tango and Samba Falls”, presents highlights of Argentina and Brazil, starring Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Iguazu Falls.
Tango in Buenos Aires, meet Evita, enjoy Gaucho dancing from the Pampas; and then north to the Argentina side of massive Iguazu Falls, featuring “The Devil’s Throat”.
Across the border to Brazil, for a close-up of the falls from below. In Rio, gaze at the views from famous mountain tops, and look for the Girl from Ipanema at Rio’s beaches. Take in a Samba show, featuring costumes that range from almost nothing to extremely elaborate and colorful. With digital effects.
“Tango and Samba Falls” can be seen on the web, if you have a high speed internet connection. This is a free, non-commercial, streaming video on the Windows Media Player. No ads and no strings attached. I sell absolutely nothing.
With any modem you can view a gallery of Argentina/Brazil still pictures.
There are over 30 of my other amateur travel videos on-line including trips to China, Russia, Antarctica, Italy, Britain, Hawaii, Australia, Bali, American National Parks, Africa, Greece, and Turkey; see lions, whales, elephants, or penguins.
The planet is yours, including my Home Page giant galaxy of still pictures from every continent.
To watch videos or look at the stills, please ask a search engine for: Intrepid Berkeley Explorer"
Your Tip for Brazil
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