BRAZIL: SOCCER/FOOTBALL: Brazil stadiums lit up as 100-day World Cup countdown begins

Record ID: 626235

  • Title: BRAZIL: SOCCER/FOOTBALL: Brazil stadiums lit up as 100-day World Cup countdown begins
  • Date: 5th March 2014
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (MARCH 4, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MARACANA STADIUM LIT UP FROM A DISTANCE PEOPLE EXERCISING ON CIRCUIT NEAR MARACANA VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF MARACANA PEOPLE EXERCISING ON CIRCUIT NEAR MARACANA (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) RIO LOCAL, ANGELICA DA SILVA, SAYING: "Having Maracana all lit up on this path that I walk almost everyday is important. It's beautif
  • Embargoed: 20th March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA631D932DP7GOYB8YK5TR7X5Z8
  • Story Text: To mark 100 days until the start of the 2014 World Cup, Brazil's stadiums and monuments were lit up on Tuesday (March 4) night in the colours of the Brazilian flag.
    Rio's iconic Maracana stadium was also lit up in green and yellow.
    Rio resident Angelica da Silva, who passes the stadium on most days, was happy to see the landmark lit up and believes that Brazil deserves to win the tournament.

    "Having Maracana all lit up on this path that I walk almost every day is important. It's beautiful. I think for people from Rio de Janeiro the World Cup is more important since we have the final here and Brazil should be the winner. We deserve this victory after all our struggles," Silva said.
    Another Rio local, Carlos Andrade, was also thrilled with the lighting up of the iconic stadium.

    "I think it is a very generous gesture of the stadium to honour our country with the green and yellow," Andrade said.
    Brazil is currently racing against time to complete stadiums, airports, communications infrastructure and transportation systems as the June 12 opening day approaches.
    One survey in February showed the number of Brazilians who favoured hosting the tournament had fallen to an all-time low, with many criticising it as a waste of money.
    Although not everyone is confident the government and the 12 host cities are prepared, football's world governing body FIFA has said it is confident all will be ready come game day.
    Other landmarks across Brazil were also lit up such as the Sao Paulo Bandeirantes monument, Belo Horizonte's World Cup stadium and the Fortress of the Three Wise Men in Natal.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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