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2014 World Cup

2014 World Cup62 posts
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Jun 2014

Traditional food sold in stadiums

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FIFA_traditional_food2014 World Cup organizers allow six vendors to sell acarajé, a deep-fried mixture of black-eyed peas, shrimp, cashew paste and pepper sauce to be sold in the Arena Fonte Nova stadium in Salvador city following a successful campaign by a vendor association against provisions in the FIFA World Cup Law, which covers the World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup, that exclude traditional sellers and allow only licensed products from tournament sponsors to be sold within a mile of stadiums. Eight tapioca sellers are also allowed to operate inside the Arena Pernambucano stadium in Recife city and a restaurateur will offer a local version of fish and chips made with the Amazonian tambaqui river fish in the jungle city of Manaus. Association of Bahian Acarajé Sellers coordinator Rita Maria Ventura dos Santos:

It would have meant that baianas who had earned their livelihoods there for 60 years would have been forced out.

20 Jun, 2014

England fans attacked

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England fans are attacked by hooligans believed to be Corinthians Organizado members. A firecracker is thrown at fans near the Fifa Fan Fest in the downtown district of Anhangabaú Valley, and the perpetrators attempt to escape by bus. Police arrest 15 people in connection with the attack and seize rockets, a dagger, knuckledusters and fireworks, but they are later released without giving a statement.

Court orders cooling breaks

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A labor court orders that 2014 World Cup players be given cooling breaks after 30 minutes in each 45-minute half of a soccer match when ambient temperature – which takes into account humidity, wind and actual temperature – exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). FIFA faces a fine of 200,000 Brazilian reais (about $90,000) for every match where there is no break. FIFA says that if the ambient temperature rises above 32 degrees, the match medical officer will recommend three-minute cooling breaks in each half, but that the decision to apply them rests with the referee.

18 Jun, 2014

Spain loses first two group games

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Spain is the first ever World Cup holder to lose its first two group games and the fifth to exit at the group stage, after Chile defeat La Furia Roja 2-0 with goals from Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aranguiz to send Vicente Del Bosque’s side home. Spain join Brazil in the 1966 tournament, France in 2002 and Italy in 1950 and again in 2010 as titleholders who failed to reach the knockout stage.

Second Maracana invasion

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The Maracana is invadedchile-fans-invade-maracana-00000329-story-top for a second time ahead of the Chile-Spain match. Around 100 supporters, most of them wearing the red of the Chilean national team, breach security barriers and infiltrate an X-Ray zone where media enter the stadium. The fans run past the escalators that lead to the seats and damage the media center, smashing a glass door and knocking over two partition walls and three television sets. A fan sought gaps in security after coming to the match prepared to pay $800 for a black-market ticket and finding the cheapest available is $1,500:

I saw both goals. The crowd was fantastic. I travelled 7000 km by car. I left Santiago and came to Rio de Janeiro because of this Cup. There was no way I was going to miss the game against Spain.

15 Jun, 2014

Fans invade first Maracana game in 64 years

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A group of about 20 fans invade the Maracana ahead of the Argentina-Bosnia game, the first World Cup match to be held at the stadium since the 1950 final between Brazil and Uruguay. Military police estimate around 2,000 Argentina fans are outside the stadium, where scalpers are selling tickets for around $670. Private security guards fail to prevent intruders entering the stadium after pushing and shoving breaks out.

8 Jun, 2014

John Oliver: FIFA pressured Brazil into allowing beer

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John Oliver says on Last Week Tonight that FIFA pressured Brazil into allowing a ban on alcohol sales in soccer stadiums to be lifted during the 2014 World Cup, despite the ban being imposed to curb Brazil’s record of stadium violence, which is the worst in the world.

The amazing thing is here FIFA won. They successfully pressured Brazil into passing a so-called Budweiser bill, allowing beer sales in soccer stadiums. And at this point you can either be horrified by that or relieved that FIFA was not also sponsored by cocaine and chainsaws.

FIFA and the World Cup: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Feb 2014

Jiu jitsu squad patrols Sao Paulo

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FIFA_tropa_do_bracoPolice in Sao Paulo deploy unarmed officers with three months of training in Brazilian jiu jitsu to patrol the city ahead of the 2014 World Cup. 140 officers of the ‘Tropa do Braço,’ or ‘Troop of Arms,’ patrol a 1,500-strong protest that ends in clashes resulting in 282 arrests. The tactic is inspired by French police, who confronted violent protests in Paris in 2005. According to a military police captain:

We want to use less aggressive resources. We hope that physical force alone contains the most agitated protesters.

Jun 2013

Copyright infringements higher

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FIFA_ambush_marketing_2010FIFA finds more instances of copyright infringement related to the 2014 World Cup than it did a year ahead of the 2010 tournament. It says it has taken action against around 100 companies that don’t have permission to use the protected phrases. Most of the cases involve small local companies misunderstanding the rules of trademark use, and don’t require legal action.

A marketing official says FIFA and the local organizing committee have a responsibility to protect the sponsorship rights sold to 20 companies whose combined involvement is $1.4 billion in cash payments and services, such as Coca Cola, which is providing 5 million beverages, and Hyundai, which will deliver 1,400 vehicles to transport officials and teams in the 12 host cities.

Jun 2012

Rousseff signs ‘beer law’

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FIFA_beer_law_ValckePresident Dilma Rousseff signs a law allows sales of beer at soccer matches. The law covering the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup removes a ban on alcohol in stadiums that has been in place since 2003 to combat hooliganism, although state governors may still enforce the ban based on state legislation. Budweiser is a major World Cup sponsor. FIFA Vice President Jerome Valcke on a visit to the tournament host cities:

Alcoholic drinks are part of the Fifa World Cup, so we’re going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that’s something we won’t negotiate. The fact that we have the right to sell beer has to be a part of the law.