Fifa World Cup 2014 - South China Morning Post

China marks 20 years since reaching its only Fifa World Cup with long wait for return set to go on

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 06:56:35 +0000

On October 7, 2001, China’s 44-year wait for a ticket to the Fifa World Cup finals ended with a narrow 1-0 win over Oman in the second round of the Asian Football Confederation qualifiers. Tianjin Teda midfielder Yu Genwei’s 36th minute goal ensured that China were on the plane to the Japan and South Korea World Cup, ending a barren run since the country had first tried to qualify back in 1957. Entering the qualifiers for the 2002 Fifa World Cup, jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea, the...

On this day: China qualified for its only Fifa World Cup

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 07:18:25 +0000

On October 7, 2001, the Chinese men’s national football team made history. That was the night China took on bottom side Oman at Wulihe Stadium in Shenyang. The hosts knew that a win would secure them a place at the 2002 Fifa World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Oman were winless in their group, while China were unbeaten in five games, and it went to form despite the hosts missing their top scorer, Qi Hong, who was booked against UAE days beforehand. A 36th-minute goal from midfielder Yu Genwei...

Hong Kong broadcast rights for Tokyo 2020 and 2022 World Cup up in the air

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 04:00:18 +0000

At a little after 1pm last Sunday, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder touched gloves ahead of the biggest fight in heavyweight boxing in two decades. Hong Kong’s fight fans were watching, with bars in Wan Chai busier than they have been in months despite the coronavirus battle gripping the city. Those who stayed away were watching from the sofa but they were not watching on Hong Kong’s television channels. None of them picked up the rights for the fight, forcing fight fans to the pub or to illegal...

Xi Jinping’s World Cup dream, tattoo bans and Carlos Tevez: Chinese football in the 2010s

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 07:00:14 +0000

As statements go, saying you want China to win the Fifa World Cup is as big as they come. That was what then-vice president Xi Jinping did in 2011, when he announced his three dreams for Chinese football: to qualify for, host and then lift a World Cup. Everything since has been framed inside those dreams, even if the dreams themselves have changed after being put down on paper. The dreams seemed even further off at the start of the decade. The decade began with a corruption scandal that saw...

‘May 19 Incident’, ‘Maracanazo’ and ‘Battle of Old Trafford’ head football matches that have gone down in infamy – and inspired Escape to Victory

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 08:08:23 +0000

Given how often teams play each other per season and how that has mounted up over the years it is perhaps surprising how few specific matches are known by deliberate names. Some scorelines do the job, although “the 5-1” could easily refer to England vs Germany as it does to the 1989 Manchester Derby at Maine Road. Then again, Spurs fans would point to the semi-final win over Arsenal on their way to winning the League Cup in 2008, while Barcelona supporters would be glad to remember their Clasico...

Does China crashing out of the Fiba Basketball World Cup make them the worst sporting hosts ever?

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 00:00:06 +0000

Home-field advantage is an accepted truth in the sporting world, but it does not always come to pass and China’s men’s basketball team are the latest to find that out the hard way. After losing 72-59 to Venezuela on Wednesday night, the hosts of the Fiba 2019 Basketball World Cup moved on to the 17-32 place draw, missing out on the second round and the knockouts beyond that. Instead, China move on to the wooden spoon group with South Korea, Nigeria and Ivory Coast in Guangdong. They don’t even...

Pep Guardiola was desperate to coach Brazil at World Cup but FA was scared, says Dani Alves

Wed, 08 Jul 2015 02:23:46 +0000

Pep Guardiola wanted to coach Brazil at last year’s World Cup but local football officials were afraid that fans wouldn’t like having a foreign coach in charge of the national team, Barcelona defender Daniel Alves said Tuesday. “Pep said he wanted to make Brazil a World Cup champion and had an entire strategy to make us a world champion,” Alves said in an interview with ESPN Brasil. “But they didn’t want it, because they said that they didn’t know if Brazil would accept a foreign coach.” Alves...

Sport raises housing stakes in Brazil

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 21:15:00 +0000

After successfully staging football's World Cup, Brazil has something else to offer: property. However, will time ever be called on a bull run that has seen house prices almost double since 2008? Fitch Ratings kicked off the conversation with its report in February which suggested not - at least not this year. The pace of price increases has slowed since the end of 2011, the Fitch report conceded, but decreases "are not expected because of demand-supply imbalances". Many have equated surging...

Germans give world champions heroes' welcome in Berlin

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 15:52:07 +0000

Germany coach Joachim Loew on Tuesday told hundreds of thousands of jubilant fans gathered at the Brandenburg Gate celebrating his team's World Cup victory that they shared the title with his players. "We are all world champions," he said at the massive street party after their arrival from Rio de Janeiro. "Of course, we are all overjoyed now to be with the fans," he added, as the crowd at the venue behind the landmark symbol of national unity waved black, red and gold German flags. Captain...

Happy days for Fifa, but foul play lurks in the rules

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 14:15:36 +0000

After putting on what was widely considered the best World Cup, Fifa is unlikely to make wholesale changes to the way the game is played, but at the professional level there are issues that need addressing. Football's authorities are proud of the fact that the sport's 17 laws have remained fundamentally unchanged for more than 100 years but, in reality, there have been regular adjustments and shifts of emphasis that have altered many aspects of the game. The definition of foul play is the same...

Fifa president Sepp Blatter hails 'special' World Cup in Brazil

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 14:04:49 +0000

Fifa president Sepp Blatter lavished praise on the World Cup in Brazil, saying it had been a "very special" event. "What makes the World Cup so very special this time is the quality of the football, the intensity of the games," said Blatter, adding Fifa gave the tournament 9.25 out of 10. "This World Cup on the field of play was exceptional." It's more than emotion and passion - it is a drama Sepp Blatter Blatter saluted the passion and intensity of the 32 teams in the event, which...

World Cup Final: I can't believe it, says Germany hero Mario Goetze

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 23:47:24 +0000

World Cup final match-winner Mario Goetze said he felt “unbelievable” after scoring the extra-time goal that gave Germany a 1-0 win over Argentina on Sunday. “It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said the Bayern Munich forward after etching his name into World Cup legend at the iconic Maracana. “I don’t know how to describe it. You just score that goal and you don’t really know what’s happening after that. “It’ll be a party with the whole team and the country. It’s a dream come true to win the World...

World Cup Final: Lionel Messi still an all-time great, insists Argentina coach

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 23:20:51 +0000

Lionel Messi’s failure to win the World Cup with Argentina on Sunday does not affect his status as an all-time great, according to coach Alejandro Sabella. Messi was bidding to emulate his compatriot Diego Maradona by inspiring Argentina to victory in the final in Rio de Janeiro, but instead the four-time world footballer of the year finished on the losing side as Germany prevailed 1-0. The 27-year-old Barcelona superstar squandered a glorious chance early in the second half when he shot wide...

World Cup Final: How baby-faced assassin Mario Goetze rose to the top

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 22:19:45 +0000

Pint-sized midfielder Mario Goetze wrote himself into German folklore by scoring the winning goal in Sunday’s World Cup final that earned his country’s fourth world title. The baby-faced 22-year-old’s superb chest and volley from an Andre Schuerrle cross on 113 minutes sealed Germany’s 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium. Stunning Mario Goetze volley wins title for Germany in extra time Goetze came on for veteran striker Miroslav Klose just before the start...

World Cup Final: Five key moments that sent the trophy to Germany

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 22:06:23 +0000

Germany won the World Cup for the fourth time on Sunday with a 1-0 win over Argentina thanks to Mario Goetze’s extra time goal at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. Here are five moments which swung the match in the Germans’ favour: Higuain chance - 21 minutes After a cagey opening, Argentina were handed a glorious chance to open the scoring when Toni Kroos’ misplaced header put Gonzalo Higuain clean through on goal. However, the Napoli striker pulled his shot horribly wide of goal to let Kroos...

World Cup Final: Stunning Mario Goetze volley wins title for Germany in extra time

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 19:57:46 +0000

A world-class Mario Goetze volley in extra time fired Germany to a fourth World Cup crown with a 1-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday, leaving the South Americans and their captain Lionel Messi heartbroken. The thunderous clash between Germany, Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final conquerors, and their bitter rivals had seemed headed for penalties until Andre Schuerrle escaped down the left after 113 minutes and sent in a cross that substitute Goetze controlled on his chest before slamming past goalkeeper...

Liverpool will survive the departure of Luis Suarez, says Brendan Rodgers

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 15:20:47 +0000

Brendan Rodgers insists Liverpool will be even stronger next season despite the departure of star striker and World Cup villain Luis Suarez. Suarez agreed on a £75 million (HK$995 million) move to Barcelona on Friday and the Uruguayan will soon travel to Spain for a medical before officially completing the transfer. The 27-year-old scored 82 goals in 133 appearances for Liverpool and his remarkable tally of 31 in 33 league matches last season helped the Reds qualify for the Champions League and...

Goalkeepers shine on biggest stage of all

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:51:16 +0000

Despite being a tournament labelled as the return of attack-minded football after the caution shown in South Africa four years ago, Brazil 2014 has been a platform for the world's best goalkeepers to shine. The final featured the widely regarded best stopper in the world in Germany's Manuel Neuer, whose sweeper-keeper ability to rush from his goal could lead to a revolution in how the position is played. However, even those less widely recognised at club level have shone in the bright lights of...

INFOGRAPHIC: Why China is the real winner at the World Cup

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 07:39:01 +0000

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World Cup diary: Top five unforgettable moments of an unforgettable tournament

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 04:30:30 +0000

Follow @JamesPorteous Best World Cup ever? Or merely the most memorable? In terms of classic contests, this tournament has been lacking. But the group stage was tons of fun, right from the start with 2010 champions Spain stunned by Netherlands. The knockout stage was far more cagey, but almost every match still had a memorable climax or stand-out moment. Perhaps that is what this tournament will be remembered for more than anything - a collection of moments that seemed hugely significant....

Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari won't quit

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 02:09:23 +0000

Luiz Felipe Scolari has left a decision on his future as coach of Brazil to the country’s federation after the World Cup hosts’ campaign ended in more disappointment. “It is up to the president to decide. We will hand in a final report and then leave it to him to analyse what needs to be done,” said Scolari after Brazil lost 3-0 to the Netherlands in the third-place play-off in Brasilia on Saturday. “I’m not going to discuss [my future] with you. Winning or losing that is what we would have...

Louis van Gaal says Arjen Robben is welcome to join him at Manchester United

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 02:00:47 +0000

Louis van Gaal on Saturday sought to temper expectations among Manchester United fans excited about his impending arrival at Old Trafford – but then suggested Dutch star Arjen Robben could possibly join him at the club. “He knows he’s welcome,” the outgoing Dutch manager said in his last match in charge before joining United. Van Gaal was speaking after Holland’s 3-0 win in Brasilia to claim third place. Robben was involved in all the goals at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium, helping set up...

Brazil 0 Netherlands 3: More ignominy for hosts as Dutch finish third

Sun, 13 Jul 2014 01:45:15 +0000

Brazil’s traumatic World Cup ended with more pain on Saturday as they lost 3-0 to a superior Netherlands side in the third-place play-off at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia. Still struggling to digest their record-breaking 7-1 loss to Germany in the semi-finals, Brazil had a similarly disastrous start against the Dutch, with Robin van Persie opening the scoring from the penalty spot inside three minutes. With injured star Neymar watching on from the bench, Daley Blind then...

Triad rivalry over floating casinos prompts police crackdown

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 21:21:59 +0000

Hong Kong police have launched a crackdown on two triad gangs battling over their efforts to solicit mainland customers to patronise casino ships. Factions of the Wo Shing Wo and Sun Yee On triad societies are at odds over their efforts to attract passengers arriving at the Hung Hom railway station, detectives say. The dispute began when the Wo Shing Wo tried to muscle in on their rivals' pitch on Cheong Wan Road outside the station - one of several locations where gangsters offer free overnight...

Hong Kong sees huge increase in illegal betting during World Cup

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 21:15:00 +0000

Hong Kong police confiscated more than HK$350 million in illegal betting records during the World Cup - a nearly sevenfold increase from the amount seized during the first four months of this year. About 100 locations were raided across the city in a month-long operation codenamed "Crowbeak", with 140 suspected illegal bookmakers arrested. Officers seized more than HK$1.8 million in cash and 100 computers, along with mobile phones, televisions and account books. The HK$350 million is in addition...

World Cup Final: Lionel Messi stands one step from immortality

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:15:45 +0000

Argentina's Lionel Messi will never have a better opportunity to prove he is one of the greatest players of all time than in this World Cup final against Germany. For all the breathtaking goals and teeming towers of silverware he has accumulated with Barcelona, it is in the World Cup final that the true greats confirm their legacies. From a 17-year-old Pele in 1958 to Andres Iniesta in 2010, via Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, and Ronaldo, football's biggest personalities have bent the sport's...

World Cup Final: Sabella will step down regardless of result, while Loew reaches for long-term goal

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 17:00:45 +0000

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella is to step down after the final regardless of the result, his agent said. And Sabella, 59, could deliver no better parting gift than winning the World Cup on the soil of their fiercest rivals. "To go at the top is always positive. I believe he gave everything to the national team and that now is the time to give way to another person," Eugenio Lopez said. "Whether they are champions or not, a cycle is ending." You gain experiences, you have triumph and...

World Cup Final: Goal-happy Miroslav Klose and Thomas Mueller united in humility

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:45:15 +0000

Miroslav Klose and Thomas Mueller will bring a grand total of 26 World Cup goals to the final, a staggering tally for two of the most prolific strikers in the tournament's history. Klose is the World Cup's all-time record goal scorer with 16 in four tournaments, while Mueller has 10 in two editions. But the German duo's fearsome reputation on the field masks a good-natured and soft-spoken demeanour off it. The only thing that matters to me is that the team is successful and we'll finally be...

Road to Rio: Heartbreak for hosts means we're heading to the final - for a price

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 16:30:15 +0000

Having watched Brazil's humiliating capitulation to Germany in a remote log cabin in the Chapada Diamantina National Park, it's hard to gauge how the result will change the atmosphere there, but after landing in Rio there's a distinct sense the party's over. Gone are the smiling Budweiser girls giving out free cans of beer at the airport, while the ubiquitous green and yellow bunting we've seen on streets and town squares is conspicuous by its absence. Even the weather seems to be in a funk, the...

What, no beef? FCC averts diplomatic food fight over World Cup menu with German slant

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 08:30:45 +0000

The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) has averted a diplomatic food fight over the World Cup final, less than 24 hours before Germany and Argentina kick off in Brazil. On Friday, the private members' club sent out a pre-match menu that had an overwhelmingly German flavour, offering cold cuts, steamed frankfurter and roasted Nuremberg sausage. But the lack of Argentine dishes on the menu earned a red card from the city's Argentinian community. Showing fancy footwork Lionel Messi would have been...

Luis Suarez to fight 'fascist' ban in highest court

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 03:00:30 +0000

Uruguyan striker Luis Suarez will appeal a "fascist" four-month ban for biting a World Cup rival, his lawyer said. Fifa had rejected an appeal on Thursday by Uruguay and the 27-year-old over the severity of his punishment. We have seen it mattered little to the gentlemen of Fifa that he had confessed and repented Lawyer Alejandro Balbi But now Suarez is going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to try to reduce his sanction for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini in a group D game on...

Olympic Games a silver lining for Brazil after World Cup humiliation

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 20:30:00 +0000

Trust finance hard-heads to find some good in Brazil's failure to win the World Cup, or even reach the final (on Monday Hong Kong time). The traumatic shock to the national psyche of this unthinkable eventuality, so the argument goes, will damage the re-election chances in October of President Dilma Rousseff, whose policies are blamed for stagflation that is weighing on the rise of a new economic power. That would be good for the stock market. The obverse side of this theory is that since soccer...

Neymar rallies troops to rescue Brazilian pride

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 14:15:30 +0000

Neymar has urged his Brazil teammates to rescue some of their battered pride after their humiliating semi-final defeat by Germany by beating the Netherlands in the third-place play-off in Brasilia. It is the one game that no team ever wants to take part in, but the encounter at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium took on extra significance after the hosts' dream of lifting the trophy at the Maracana 24 hours later was ended by their record 7-1 loss against the Germans. Neymar missed that match...

2014 World Cup 'is much better than a trip to the dentist'

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 13:58:48 +0000

From Mexico coach Miguel Herrera's extravagant touchline theatrics to Chile's whirlwind attacking play, the World Cup has shown that football has far more to offer than the staple fare of Champions League, Premier League and La Liga. A disappointing tournament in 2010 led to suggestions that the World Cup had lost its allure and the Champions League, where the world's top players are concentrated into an elite handful of clubs, was now the highest level. "It [the Champions League] is better than...

These charts show how China's Weibo has gone mad for the World Cup

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 10:00:15 +0000

Users of China’s most popular microblogging service, Sina Weibo, have definitely got World Cup fever. The world’s most widely viewed sporting event has been a hot topic on the social network throughout the tournament, despite China’s national team not having come close to qualifying, and a general lack of engagement with users: at the start of the tournament, only two national teams, England and Germany, had official Weibo accounts, according to social media marketing firm Mailman. Offline,...

On the run: Fifa partner executive flees ticket sales arrest

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 02:30:15 +0000

An executive from the World Cup’s hospitality services firm escaped out the back door of his plush Rio de Janeiro hotel on Thursday to avoid arrest on charges of illegally selling tickets, authorities said. Police launched a manhunt for Raymond Whelan, a British director of Fifa partner company Match Services, accusing him of fleeing the beachfront Copacabana Palace Hotel after a judge ordered him and 10 other suspects to be held in detention. “The Englishman fled through the hotel’s back door...

Injured Neymar backs Messi and Argentina, unlike most of Brazil

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 02:00:15 +0000

Crocked Brazilian star Neymar declared he wants Lionel Messi to lead fierce rivals Argentina to victory over Germany as the countdown to the World Cup final began. Neymar, who missed Brazil’s 7-1 humiliation against Germany through injury, said he wanted Messi and Argentina to win the title. “Messi’s history in the sport is so important, he has won a lot of trophies and I will be cheering for him,” said Neymar, a teammate of Messi’s at Barcelona. “He is a friend, he is my team-mate and I wish...

How late Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano could have joined Barcelona

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:15:30 +0000

As many fans pointed out after his death this week, Alfredo Di Stefano helped turn Real Madrid into Europe's most successful football club. But things nearly went very differently. The shady tale of his signing for Real still provokes bitter dispute - especially among those who claim the country's dictator, Francisco Franco, intervened to help Madrid poach the player from their fierce rivals Barcelona. "It was a humiliation for Barca," said the journalist Jordi Finestres, author of a book about...

Gonzalo Higuain: Germany cannot rattle us in final

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:10:23 +0000

Argentina are not intimidated at the prospect of facing Germany in the World Cup final despite seeing them tear hosts Brazil to shreds in the semis, striker Gonzalo Higuain has insisted. "There's no intimidation, not at all. There is respect. They will also be worried that Argentina is in the final," Higuain said after his side beat the Netherlands 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out, following a goalless draw, to book their place in the final. Joachim Loew-coached Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 on Tuesday...

No heroes for Netherlands in second shoot-out of their tournament

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 13:57:23 +0000

Traditional Dutch frailty in penalty shoot-outs again proved the Netherlands' Achilles heel when they lost 4-2 on spot-kicks to Argentina after a goalless World Cup semi-final. Coach Louis van Gaal was forced to use defender Ron Vlaar - who missed - as his first penalty taker and he was also left to rue being unable to send on his expert spot-kick saver Tim Krul for the shoot-out. "I thought Vlaar was the best player on the field and I thought he had a great deal of confidence," Van Gaal said....

Last chance to make this 'Lionel Messi's tournament'

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 13:44:29 +0000

The World Cup can only hope Lionel Messi is leaving his best for last. In the most important World Cup match to date in his epoch-shaping career, football's superstar was neither super nor a star. The four-time world player of the year was a bystander, not a decisive protagonist, for large chunks of Wednesday's semi-final, his first on football's biggest stage. The match dragged on into extra time and then still finished 0-0 in large part because Messi failed to leave his mark on it as he has...

'Nobody will die ... we will deal with the tsunami,' says defiant Scolari

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 03:00:30 +0000

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari defended his record on Wednesday as the football-mad nation struggled to absorb the World Cup debacle against Germany. A day after Brazil’s hopes of a sixth World Cup had been crushed in a record 7-1 semi-final defeat to the Germans, Scolari awoke to find many newspapers calling for his head. We win and we lose together. There are good and bad moments. I know people feel bitterness and shame Luiz Felipe Scolari But in a combative press conference at Brazil’s...

Nightmare just got worse for Brazil: bitter rivals Argentina reach their Maracana

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 02:30:00 +0000

Brazilians might have thought that their World Cup nightmare couldn’t possibly get any worse – and then bitter rivals Argentina reached the final in their own backyard on Wednesday. Still agonising over their traumatic 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany just 24 hours earlier, Brazilians will now have to watch Argentina and their superstar Lionel Messi battle for the trophy in Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracana Stadium on Sunday. I can’t imagine Dilma giving the trophy to Argentina at the...

Hard work and humility the key, says Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 23:46:52 +0000

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella spoke of his “great joy” after his side beat the Netherlands 4-2 on penalties in Sao Paulo on Wednesday to reach the World Cup final. “It’s a great joy. It was a very difficult, very close match,” said Sabella, whose side will face Germany in Sunday’s final in Rio de Janeiro. “Some of our players are sore, beaten, tired - the results of a war, so to speak. I'm proud to be a part of this group. They are all phenomenons Lionel Messi “I’m happy. We’re in the...

Penalty-perfect Argentina hold nerve in shoot-out to fire Lionel Messi's men into final

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 23:30:45 +0000

Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero saved two penalties in a shoot-out with the Netherlands on Wednesday to take his country through to the World Cup final for the first time since 1990. Lionel Messi’s Argentina beat the Dutch 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after their cagey semi-final in Sao Paulo finished goalless. They play Germany in Sunday’s final in Rio de Janeiro. The drab match was the polar opposite of Germany’s 7-1 annihilation of Brazil in the first semi-final 24 hours earlier. But Romero,...

Impact of Brazil's crushing World Cup defeat to extend far beyond field

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 21:00:00 +0000

Conventional wisdom has been that a Brazil loss at home in the World Cup would be a positive thing for the country's financial markets. A defeat, the argument went, would sour the national mood and prompt voters to oust Dilma Rousseff, a president who has sunk the nation's economy into stagflation. But Tuesday's 7-1 loss to Germany was so crushing that it upends that theory, according to Geoffrey Dennis, the head of emerging market strategy at UBS, who has been covering Brazil since the early...

World Cup diary: Brazil's psychologist has work cut out after team's mental breakdown

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 19:06:58 +0000

Follow @JamesPorteous “Brazilian players often have a different perception of the same situations as other players. It’s a real cultural question, the way they behave and the way they behave differently than others. They are...

Brazil in mourning after 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Germany

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:57:59 +0000

Even for an 84-year-old tournament drenched in history, Germany 7 Brazil 1 - you read that right - will be remembered as one of the craziest World Cup matches ever. Because of the humiliation it inflicted on a great footballing nation, as one of the most painful to watch, too. Brazil, the once mighty Brazil, the Brazil that gave the world Pele, so many other great players and yellow-shirted delight, throwing themselves like a herd of lemmings off a cliff. Not just a team self-destructing, but...

Game marred by culture of denial

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 14:27:47 +0000

For all its exquisite entertainment, excitement and excellence, the World Cup has also shown some ugly facets of the beautiful game. The cause arises from a culture of denial that has spread malignantly throughout the game where most of the stakeholders, including as referees and Fifa executive members, are incapable of accepting the facts and telling the whole truth. The ultimate manifestation of this is the fallout over Luis Suarez's Jaws moment on Giorgio Chiellini. Fifa's disciplinary...

I know how Brazil feel, says Germany's Joachim Loew

Tue, 08 Jul 2014 23:40:37 +0000

Germany coach Joachim Loew said he understood the shock and pain that Brazil were feeling on Tuesday after their 7-1 World Cup semi-final defeat on home soil, recalling how the Germans felt in 2006 when they lost to Italy at the same stage. “We were shocked too and experienced the same thing in 2006,” Loew told German TV. “They were shocked and didn’t expect to fall behind. And after that it was an easy match for us.” Loew, who was Juergen Klinsmann’s assistant coach in 2006 when they were...