FIFA World Cup 2014: A month of ecstasy and heartbreak...
This month, the football-crazy south American
nation of Brazil will play host to one of the biggest sports showdowns of
modern history, the FIFA World Cup. National teams from across the globe will
converge on cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre and Manaus to clash in
an epic battle to decide who will lift the World Cup and be crowned the
greatest footballing nation of the next four years.
With
the dozens of teams taking part, hundreds of thousands of loyal supporters and
intrigued television viewers will converge around big screens and big stadia to
take in this mega spectacle that will not only celebrate the majesty of the
beautiful game but also unite cultures, creeds and colours in a festival of footballing fun that
cuts across seas, oceans and international boundaries.The FIFA 2014 World Cup begins on the 12th June (next Thursday) in Brazil, the largest nation on the South American continent. It will be the 20th tournament of the World Cup series and the initial group matches will kick-off on the 12th June. The final between the remaining two teams will take place on the 13th July.
It is the second time Brazil has played host to the Cup and the country was selected by the FIFA governing body virtually unchallenged in 2007, after organisers felt South America should play host this time round. Brazil last experienced national World Cup of this magnitude over half a century ago, in 1950.
National teams of thirty-two countries will arrive in Brazil to play a total of 64 matches across twelve of its biggest cities, which will use special goal-line technology for the first time ever in a World Cup tournament. The winner of the previous tournament held in South Africa, was Spain. However the reds-and-yellows may well be unseated by either the host nation or another great South American team such as Argentina. All of the previous tournaments that were held in the continent were won by teams from it.
In the run-up to the World Cup, FIFA announced that they will be holding a series of special parties, also known as the ‘Fan Fests’ in each of the twelve cities holding the various matches. As Brazilians do enjoy a good party and are wholehearted dedicated to their football, these events are expected to be highly popular with both local and visiting fans.
The 2014 World Cup is expected to be the most expensive in history. The Brazilian government expect costs of $14 billion, while FIFA will spend $2 billion on staging the finals. The bill for building and renovating stadia is likely to be around $3.6 billion, including five new venues built especially for the matches. FIFA are aiming to sell 3,334,524 match tickets, of which 1.1 million will go on sale to the general public and the rest going to corporate sponsors, VIPs and FIFA personnel and team staff.
Official Trophy Logo - The distinctive trophy logo in the Brazilian flag colours of green and yellow is nicknamed ‘Inspiration’ and was created by designers with the marketing agency Africa, based in the host country. The design was based on a photograph of three victorious hands lifting the World Cup trophy to show Brazil’s warm-hearted welcome to the world.
Official Slogan - FIFA’s official slogan for the tournament, which will appear along with the Inspiration logo on branded products like signage, souvenirs and tickets, will be “All in One Rhythm” (Portuguese: “Juntos num só ritmo“).
Official Mascot - The official mascot is an armadillo by the name of Fuleco. He belongs to a uniquely Brazilian subspecies of the creatures known as the ‘tatu-bola‘. Fuleco’s name comes from the Portuguese words “futebol” (football) and “ecologia” (ecology), a way of combining the popularity of the sport in Brazil with the vital need to protect the nation’s unique wildlife and ecosystems.
Official Ball - The official ball of the 2014 World Cup will be the Adidas Brazuca. The name was selected by a public vote that received responses from more than 1 million Brazilian football fans. (Read: The Adidas Brazuca comes into the hands of the World Cup stars!)
Official Song - On 24 January 2014, FIFA and Sony Music announced that the official song for the tournament will be “We Are One (Ole Ola)” by Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte. A customized version of the song “Dare (La La La)” by Shakira, who provided the official song of the 2010 tournament, will be used as a secondary theme song.
Main Sponsors - Some of the main sponsors of the 2014, FIFA World Cup are Adidas, Coca – Cola, Emirates, Sony, Budweiser, Mac Donalds, VISA and Johnson & Johnson.
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