The entrance to the Mineirão stadium – the familiar branding of the World Cup was omnipresent
THE PLASTIC CUPS, BRANDED WITH THE MATCH DETAILS, BECAME COLLECTABLES THAT PEOPLE TOOK HOME RATHER THAN DISCARD
In Sao Paulo we had FA tickets for the
Uruguay match, so we were sitting with all the other England fans. The tier above us was a temporary addition for the World Cup and some fans preferred to stand at the front of the lower tier rather than occupy their seats in the upper tier. We noticed at several matches that
fans often stood. This is something future organisers could consider in terms of stadium design. Being able to stand, dance and celebrate added to the atmosphere and carnival nature but should not be at the expense of fans who want to sit. It should be safe standing rather than the uncontrolled movement of fans that we witnessed in Sao Paulo.
DREAM QUARTER FINAL Had England managed to qualify for it, they would have met Brazil in the quarter
finals. Instead, Brazil played Columbia. Our travel arrangements were already in place and we hoped we might still be able to buy tickets. As it turned out, because Brazil were in the quarter final, interest in the match was huge and tickets – if you could find one – were trading for thousands of dollars. Instead we recreated England v Brazil on the beach, invited by the locals to take part in five-a-side in the 32C heat. Back heels and volley’s being the only acceptable way of scoring a goal!
THE FINAL After a brief stop in Rio – just long enough to sample the magnificent views of Rio from Sugar Loaf Mountain and the bohemia of Lapa – we started our departure by setting ourselves up in Sao Paulo to watch the final. Sunday is also market day and there's a great antiques
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 3 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
market under the Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo building, which was designed by Lina Bo Bardi. Walking around the market felt just like a regular Sunday. Sao Paulo is just such a big city it was impossible for every part of it to be affected by the World Cup and Avenue Paulista was full of flaneurs and cyclists as usual, who were benefitting from the freedom of the bank-sponsored traffic lane closure. Come Monday (the day after the final), the German team had been crowned World Champions and the incessant traffic was again roaring down Sao Paulo’s inner city dual carriageways as life got back to normal. So was it the best ever World Cup?
Perhaps. What I’ll remember most were the people we met – the fans and most of all the smiling and welcoming Brazilians who made it such a special experience. l
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