All is set for the
2014 FIFA World Cup, which opens later Thursday at the 65,807-seater Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo, in Brazil.
It’s been long in coming since Brazil first hosted the World Cup 64
years ago, football’s biggest global tournament returning to the country
which has made the ‘Beautiful Game’ its home and given the world some
of the sport’s finest ambassadors such as Pele, Garrincha, Zico, Ronaldo
and Neymar Jnr. Brazil 2014 is going to be a festival of gigantic
proportions not only in the 12 stadia but also in the streets, fun parks
and beaches.
Despite the negative publicity occasioned by massive demonstration by
Brazilians against the massive investment in the tournament, delays in
meeting deadlines for completion of stadia and other organisational
challenges, there is little doubt that the elaborately-planned opening
ceremony will usher in four weeks of global celebration among people who
will converge on Brazil from far flung places, including visitors from
non-participating nations.
With 32 nations chasing one golden prize — the coveted 5kg, 18-carat
gold trophy which is the symbol of world football authority — over four
weeks, Brazil will naturally turn into the world’s capital with global
media focusing on football and related issues.
For a nation noted for throwing the most spectacular carnivals, today’s
opening ceremony is expected to be unusually brief, compared to the
elaborate spectacle four years ago in Johannesburg when the World Cup
was hosted on African soil for the first time.
American pop diva Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo) will highlight a 25-minute
display starting at 6.15p.m. (Ghana time). J-Lo will sing the official
FIFA song, “We Are One (Ole Ola)” alongside rapper Pitbull and Brazilian
singer Claudia Leitte.
The ceremony will take place in the daytime so there will be no
fireworks, but the ‘capoeira’ (a Brazilian martial art that combines
elements of dance, acrobatics and music) will be performed, while
Brazil's 'treasures' are to be represented in the show by characters and
props.
More than 600 dancers, gymnasts, trampolinists and stilt walkers will
perform alongside a 'living' LED ball at the ceremony to be watched by
scores of high-profile dignitaries led by Brazil’s President Dilma
Rousseff and world football chief Joseph Sepp Blatter who will jointly
declare the tournament open.
The ceremony will be the prelude to the much-anticipated opening match
of the tourney. As the world’s most successful team with five World Cup
wins, the Seleção are expected to set the tournament alive with a win
against Croatia in the opening match this evening.
Brazilians are determined to banish the ghost of the 1950 World Cup
when they were defeated by regional rivals, Uruguay, in a tournament
they were widely tipped to win as hosts.
However, they may draw comfort from World Cup history as no host nation has ever lost the opening match.
Nonetheless, Felipe Scolari’s men take to the pitch carrying the burden
of expectation of 201 million Brazilians who always expect the
five-times world champion to steamroll over their opponents like a
juggernaut, particularly on home soil.
With poster boy Neymar Jnr carrying the country’s hopes, it is
important that the Brazilians score first to ease the pressure on the
team and ride on the wave of partisan support, as the talented Croatians
could suffer from the absence of suspended Mario Mandzukic, who was
red-carded in the play-off game against Iceland last November.
The star-studded Seleção start as favourites with an impressive
build-up, having averaged 2.58 goals per game (scoring two or more goals
in 84 per cent of those matches).
In their only World Cup clash, Brazil escaped with a lone goal victory
over Croatia in a Group F encounter at the Olympiastadion in Berlin
eight years ago. And their only other clash came nine years ago when the
two sides drew 1-1 in an international friendly in Split, Croatia.
Scolari is expected to start familiar faces which won the
Confederations Cup last year, with players such as Hulk, Willian and
Fred playing alongside Neymar.
However, Croatia boss Niko Kovac has no such luxuries. Danijel Pranjic
is unlikely to start after he picked up a nasty ankle injury in the
final warm-up fixture against Australia in Salvador at the weekend.
The Panathinaikos defender joins fellow left-back Ivan Strinic on the sidelines.
