BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Argentina fans set up camp in Rio ahead of World Cup final

Record ID: 347902

  • Title: BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: Argentina fans set up camp in Rio ahead of World Cup final
  • Date: 11th July 2014
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JULY 11, 2014) (REUTERS) VIEW OF CAMP SITE TENTS GATHERED UNDER A ROOF ARGENTINA FAN GETTING OUT OF TENT ARGENTINA FANS HANGING AN ARGENTINE FLAG AN OLD BUS TRANSFORMED INTO A MOBILE HOME VARIOUS OF FANS SINGING AND CHEERING FOR ARGENTINA GATHERING OF TENTS ARGENTINA FAN, MIGUEL BRAVO, CARRYING A UNICYCLE FAN LAYING ARGENTINA T-SHIRTS OUT TO DRY ON
  • Embargoed: 26th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAD9OMBYCJJU5QCLD1DEH0SWBZ4
  • Story Text: As Argentina prepare to play Germany in the World Cup final, hundreds of fans have set up camp in Rio de Janeiro to take part in the adventure as they hope to cheer their team to victory.
    Fans camping at Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome said they were not discouraged by the chilly, wet weather that has hung over the city the past couple of days.
    Many have huddled their tents together under roof coverings as they try to keep warm and dry before Sunday's (July 13) match at the Maracana stadium.
    For most, the makeshift camp ground is a cheaper alternative to hefty hotel rates other tourists are forking over.
    Some here are doing odd jobs or working as street performers to pay their way and earn a little cash to pay for food and beer.
    Originally from Peru, Miguel Bravo who currently lives in Argentina, said he came to Rio to be a part of the excitement even though he, like most people visiting the city, doesn't have tickets to Sunday's match.
    Bravo plans to watch the game at the FIFA Fan Fest on Copacabana Beach which is open to the public. He says it makes him feel closer to the players.
    "Here everybody is cheering for Argentina 24-hours a day, 'Let's go Argentina!' I've already got soccer fever," Bravo said.
    In order to pay for his trip Bravo has been juggling and riding his unicycle in the streets asking for donations from drivers and passersby.
    Others have found other means of earning a bit of money, including face painting or selling handmade crafts.
    Another fan, who calls himself Guillermo Pappo Copado, says he is a professional musician.
    He brought with him a handful of homemade CDs to sell and also performs in the street although he says his electric guitar has not been much use to him as he has nowhere to plug it in.
    "I came here to play, to make people happy, because my function in life as a musician is to make happy people, to tell them jokes, to play some blues for them," Copado said.
    The atmosphere here is decidedly Argentine with the air filled with Porteno and other Argentine accents, the sky-blue and white of Argentine flags and you don't have to look far to find a fan willing to share his 'mate', a traditional tea usually drank from a hollowed out and dried gourd.
    Someone even brought an old foosball table, a favourite Argentine pastime common in the bars of Buenos Aires, Cordoba and other Argentine cities.
    Lilen Castorina said she was travelling through Brazil with some friends when they heard about people camping out in the Sambadrome.
    They came to join the fun and earn some money selling bracelets and other crafts.
    "I came to travel around Brazil and am taking advantage of the World Cup. We are here in Rio, staying all together, travelling, selling handcrafts, juggling, playing music. We are enjoying being here. This is a madness. We hope Argentina will be the champions," Castorina said.
    Castorina offers her most expensive bracelet, which she says is worth 50 reais ($22 dollars) for just 30 reais (14 dollars).
    For her smaller pieces she said she can part with for just 5 or 10 reais ($2 to $5 dollars) depending on the selection.
    Her and her friends said they are eating cheaply mostly living off of rice and beans as they try to keep up with the party every night.
    What remains to be seen is if the party will continue on Sunday night or if these dedicated fans will return to Argentina with more sombre hearts.
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