- Title: BRAZIL: THOUSANDS CELEBRATE WORLD CUP SOCCER WIN
- Date: 1st July 2002
- Summary: (W7) RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JUNE 30, 2002) (REUTERS) TRANSVESTITE IN IN UNUSUAL COSTUME, DANCING PEOPLE DANCING AND SINGING TWO PEOPLE KISSING, THEN JOINING IN CELEBRATIONS, TILT UP TO FLAG MAN WEARING TEAM COLOURS AND DANCING WITH FLAG WOMAN IN RED COSTUME, DANCING AMONGST OTHERS WAVING FLAGS AROUND HER MORE FLAGS BEING WAVED / MORE DANCING AND CELEBRATIONS MAN WEARING BRAZIL FLAGS ON HIS HEAD ANOTHER TRANSVESTITE IN RED COSTUME MAN WAVING BRAZILIAN FLAGS IN DANCE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 16th July 2002 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASILIA AND SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVACFRGX60IKF6QW9VWOO0ZYDBKX
- Story Text: From the beaches of famed Rio de Janeiro to the streets of Sao Paulo and historic Salvador do Bahia, thousands of Brazilians have been celebrating their 2-0 victory over Germany for an unprecedented fifth World Cup soccer title.
A sea of yellow and green washed over Brazil on Sunday (June 30, 2002) as the country took to the streets, dancing, singing, shouting and drinking, after winning an unprecedented fifth World Cup title.
Cars draped in the colours of the South American country's flag filled Sao Paulo with the blare of their horns, and dancing broke out in the streets of Rio de Janeiro to the shouts of "Penta Campeao," Portuguese for "five time champion."
"We are champions for the fifth time, and we deserve it,"
one exuberant fan said in Rio de Janeiro.
"My heart is going to explode from the happiness."
For many Brazilians, the country's 2-0 win over Germany helped wipe away Brazil's 3-0 loss to the French at the last World Cup four years ago, a nightmarish defeat which triggered a fit of self doubt over their long-time dominance in the sport.
Indeed, after a string of embarrassing defeats against second-tier teams in the pre-Cup qualifiers, Brazilians were sceptical they could become five-time champs.
But beer quickly substituted for the normal breakfast fare on Sao Paulo's main strip, Avenida Paulista, where Brazilians of all income and ethnic groups congregated for the day-long festivities.
For many Brazilians, the win was also sweet relief from a financial crisis that has gripped the country the past month, pushing its currency, the real, to record lows against the U.S. dollar and unnerving investors ahead of October's presidential election race.
President Fernando Henrique Cardoso congratulated players and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, known as "Big Phil."
"This is the first time there has ever been such national unity," Cardoso said.
"This is our victory, because of our great coach and our great players who took us to victory."
Brazil, home of soccer legends like Pele and Garrincha, has excelled in the sport since teenager Charles Miller brought a soccer ball back from his studies in Britain a century ago.
Together with the Portuguese language and the Catholic religion, soccer has helped bind together the melting pot of 170 million Europeans, blacks, native Indians, Asians and Arabs living in a nation larger than the continental United States.
Brazilians speculated that Cardoso would decree a public holiday on Monday (July 1), but - even without an official day off, revellers might not be too productive.
Dressed in flamboyant costumes and wearing the national team's colours, Rio's gay community also took to the streets in full force on Sunday to celebrate the National Day of Gay Pride.
Their celebration grew to larger numbers with fans already celebrating throughout parts of the country. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
