BRAZIL: p03 On the road to 2014: Curitiba sets out the challenges and the legacy of the World Cup
PROFILE: p07 March 25th – April 08th 2013
Drum & Bass with Bossa Nova: Fernanda Porto returns London, where her style was born
LONDON EDITION
www.brazilianpost.co.uk • Issue n. 83
BRAZIL IS HERE
Brazil and Russia meet each other in a football match that certainly will transform London into one big Brazilian party. The Brazilian Post brings together David Luiz, Ramires and Oscar this edition for an exclusive interview and to welcome everyone who loves our way of playing the beautiful game. Photo by Darren Walsh
Read more on pages 2, 11, 12, 13 and 14 >>
02 |
March 25th – April 08th 2013
Front Page BRAZIL IN FOCUS
The countdown to two years of Brazilian glory
CEO Marcelo Mortimer marcelo@brazilianpost.co.uk Editor-in-chief Ana Toledo ana@brazilianpost.co.uk English Editor Kate Rintoul
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By Shaun Cumming
hese are exciting times - not just for The Brazilian Post but also for Brazil. This week, the Brazilian National Team is playing against Russia in London, and we feel this marks the beginning of a countdown, and hopefully a return to winning days for Brazil. For the last three years or more, the world has been talking about Brazil’s booming economy. Things might have slowed down a little recently, but there are two great global events that have the opportunity to show the entire world all the amazing things Brazil has to offer. Brazilian nationals, the Brazilian government, and all the people who love Brazil need to capture this opportunity and share the word. Here in London, that’s exactly what The Brazilian Post hopes to achieve. While the Brazilian national team is in London, 50,000 or more football fans will be at the game. Many will be Brazilians who live in London. Many others, however, will be those who have always been fascinated by Brazil’s footballing skills, but have never taken the next steps to learning more about the country. And that’s exactly why we have put this special edition together. Our team will be distributing many papers to supporters at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium before the game in a display of our wider aims to provide a window to
Mortimer, Marketing & Media LTD
Portuguese Editor Guilherme Reis Cool Hunter Zazá Oliva Entertainment Ricardo Somera Econommy Christiano Holanda TECHNOLOGY Rafael Cabral Food Saulo Caliari
Brazilian lives for Londoners. Perhaps, when reading the paper, you will learn a bit more about our amazing country. Did you know, for example, that the first person to take football to Brazil was actually British? Find out more on page 18. In 2014, the World Cup takes place in Brazil, and the whole world will be watching and in 2016, the Olympics is also being hosted in in Rio de Janeiro. We hope that both these once in a lifetime events mean that as many people as possible will become more interested by the country’s fantastically diverse culture. The action of the World Cup is taking place in many cities across Brazil. As well as Rio, there is Curitiba, Florianopolis, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Brasilia, and, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, Manaus. What do you know about these
cities? If the answer is not much, and you are picking up The Brazilian Post for the very first time, why not start picking up a copy every two weeks from our stands throughout London? In preparation for these wonderful events we will do our very best to fill our paper with all the information you need to know about Brazil. In the 12-months running up to the beginning of the World Cup next June, we will be covering all the best things about the host cities, starting with Curitiba in Parana state. As well as reading our newspaper over the next year, we’d like to ask another favour. If you are interested in what you read in our paper, are excited to see what Brazil has in store for the World Cup and Olympics and want to find out more, book yourself a plane ticket and come see for yourself.
Ombudsman Allyson Leandro Profile Rômulo Seitenfus Sport Tico Silvério What’s on Cibele Porto Graphic Design Roman Atamanczuk Public Relations Roberta Schwambach Commercial Department Leonardo Altomar | 074 66 92 67 82 Support El Ibérico Distribution BR Jet Emblem Group Ltd Published by Mortimer, Marketing & Media LTD 34 Quixley Street, London | E14 9PU 020 7093 1413
EDITORIAL “The curtain opens and the show begins, Brazil fans,” Fiori Gigliotti, a legendary Brazilian commentator that have been in ten World Cups, would say this moment. Our team has prepared this special edition of The Brazilian Post just for you, our readers, to coincide with Monday’s match between Brazil and Russia at Stamford Bridge. David Luiz, Ramires and Oscar, players here at London’s Chelsea FC are also all part of the Seleção Brasileira (Brazil national team), talked with journalist Shaun Cumming in an
exclusive interview for TBP. Find out what they had to say on pages 12 and 13. And to get even more in the mood for the game, check out our preview on page 14 of the so-called ‘Cachaça versus vodka’ match. Continuing with this sports theme, on page 3 you will find an article written by councilor Peter Paul of Curitiba, who was in London this month representing the Municipal Council at the Embratur event, Goal to Brazil. We will be returning to do a feature on Curitiba soon, as the city prepares itself as one of 12 host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
On page 4, we feature TBP’s recent event with Birmingham City University, and the presentation of the project through our partnership Connecting Information. Turning to music, for those interested in drum and bass, bossa nova, contemporary Brazilian music and all that’s in between, Fernanda Porto is interviewed in this issue with photos and text by Romulus Seitenfus on page 7. Do you agree that cities drenched in colour and imagination can make a trip more fun? Well, a list of the most
colourful places on the planet is revealed in TBP’s Travel section. Hopefully, the ‘road-to-Brazil’ will be a yellow-green one, started with victory tonight. Until the next edition! Keep in touch! Ana Toledo ana@brazilianpost.co.uk Editor in Chief
Brazil | 03
OPINNION
World Cup 2014: Challenges and legacy to Curitiba
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By Pedro Paulo Costa* mbratur (Brazilian Tourism Institute), were in London in March for the 10th edition of the Goal to Brazil, where I was representing the city of Curitiba. The event, held at the London Film Museum, was an excellent opportunity to present Brazilian cities that will host matches of the FIFA World Cup 2014 to the world’s tourist operators. According to Embratur, the UK occupies the 11th position in the ranking of number of of tourists to Brazil, 149.564 million British tourists visited the country in 2011. Curitiba was featured in this event as one of the hosts and it was a great opportunity to show journalists, tour operators and other guest, the qualities and attractions of the city. A city that is already to welcome the thousands of tourists who will head to Brazil, anxious for good games and curious to know more of Brazil’s people, nature and culture. I have been following the preparations for the World Cup and what it means for Curitiba, from the beginning, my interest reinforced by the certainty that this event is one of the most significant opportunities for public and private investments (which are already in progress in the area of urban mobility, especially) and development of public policies for the Brazilian people. I am optimistic about the impact of the World Cup, but from the outset I pointed out that it takes total concentration of public power and the ongoing dialogue with the public for the duration of this process. I say this because the news has not always fostered debate on the socalled “legacy”, the positive legacy that will be left by the tournament. Major things remain to be discussed at length, for example, the so-called sport education - how to strengthen the sport in networks of public and private education. Logically, the optimism we experience should not lessen our vigilance regarding the challenges and the real difficulties that Brazil still has in this preparatory stage. These challenges are positive, because Brazil has definitely entered the global stage of major international events and will be able to prove we how to organise them. Besides the World Cup, the realisation of World Youth Day (WYD), the inauguration of the first Latin American Pope, the Confederations Cup this year and the Olympics in 2016 are major events and show the world the natural beauty of the region and the Brazilian way of fondly welcoming their visitors.
The secretaries of state affairs for World Cup 2014, Mario Celso Cunha, and Tourism, Jackson Pitombo participate in London’s 10th edition of the Goal to Brazil, an event to promote Brazilian destinations abroad During Goal to Brazil, the conversations I had with Brazilians, living and working in London confirms the great expectation of the world felt with the FIFA World Cup 2014. “Brazil is the country of the moment”, is a sentiment repeated a lot in England, those living here assured me. The Executive Committee of the 2014 World Cup, created by Mayor Gustavo Fruet, will now address the many opportunities and challenges of this process, all require a lot of effort and work. Among others, the committee is responsible for maintaining and fine tuning the major public and private actions already underway. In addition to investments that will improve the lives of our people, the expectation is that Brazil is a beautiful setting for the games and that people from around the globe will be welcomed here by Brazilian people, who are the planet’s most affectionate. Let’s get to work, Curitiba! *Pedro Paulo Costa is alderman of the city of Curitiba, a member of the Workers Party (PT) and was in London representing the capital of Paraná in the event organised by Embratur.
Barigui Park will receive Fan Fest in 2014 The Barigui Park, in Curitiba, will host the call Fan Fest during the World Cup 2014. The choice was made by FIFA. The Fan Fest is part of the official program of the World Cup since the 2006 edition in Germany. The goal is to bring people together to view the matches on big screens, in addition to offering cultural attractions and leisure infrastructure. In the 2010 World Cup
in South Africa, more than six million people attended the festivities during the 31 days of World Cup. The event is free. The Barigui Park was one of three options indicated by the Municipality of Curitiba organiser of the World Cup. The other options were Tanguá Park and the Botanical Gardens.
Brazil | 04 |
March 25th – April 08th 2013
DOUBT
Brasilia could replace Sao Paulo for World Cup opening
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he National Stadium in Brasilia (Brazil’s capital) appears as strong a candidate for the opening match of the 2014 World Cup, which will feature the Brazilian team. This is due to an impasse over Sao Paulo’s stadium, which was set to host the first match but is now under doubts, according to O Estado de São Paulo. The future arena of Corinthians has faced financial problems in its construction due to conflict between Central Bank of Brazil and Odebrecht, the constructor, in negotiations to allow them to receive a loan from BNDES (Brazilian Development Bank Socio Economic) to complete works. Former Corinthians president, Andres Sanchez, has said several times that the work may be paralysed. According to the newspaper, the federal government held a meeting with leaders of Corinthians, the state government of Sao Paulo and the city
council in a last ditch attempt to save the project. The publication says, however, that the federal government has been working with the hypothesis to replace Sao Paulo for Brasilia at the opening of the World Cup if the impasse is not resolved. The arena of the Brazilian capital has all the requirements imposed by FIFA and will be inclusive of the opening stage of Confederation Cup in June this year. “Brasilia has given clear signals that it is ready to assume the role of opening the World Cup,” said an official of the tournament. The Corinthians’ arena can to stay out of the World Cup. The Corinthians have already received about 90 million reais (around £30 million) in tax breaks for the construction of the stadium with the assumption that it would be used in the tournament. If the arena were ruled out of the World Cup, that money would have to be returned.
National Stadium: how it will looks like
ART
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Major gallery dedicated to Latin American Art raises Rio’s cultural status
io de Janeiro won a contribution to its cultural weight with the inauguration of Casa Daros (House Daros) in the neighbourhood of Botafogo. The new space comes during a period of cultural vigour in the city, which began with the opening of the Art Museum of Rio two weeks ago. There are also other important museums set to open in the coming years, as the Museum of Tomorrow and the new Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) in Copacabana, south zone. However, according to curator of Casa Daros, Eugenio Valdés Figueroa, the space promises to be much more than just a venue for exhibitions: the proposal is to promote and strengthen the Latin American contemporary art, with education as the backbone of the project. “We want to create a space to disseminate the voices of the artists who will feed the work of education. We will also give much emphasis to teachers, who can be multipliers. The name Casa is precisely because
Casa Daros: Latin American art house
we want here is a place that enables the Latin American dialogue with the world and itself.”
The organisation have also planned workshops, courses, seminars, publications and other activities
alongside the exhibition, with the close collaboration of artists from the exhibition that will participate in lectures and workshops, among other activities. Inside the great programming and events there is the Art Education program, which consists of meetings for schoolteachers and pupils, especially public, and also to the families at the weekend. Curator, Bia Jabor said the project also grants the resident artists and a school programs to conduct resident education involving experimental and unique approaches. “It will be a school that goes along with us researching new processes and ways of working with education and art,” she said. Protected by the municipality in 1987, the imposing neoclassical building, from 1866, covers more than 12 thousand square meters. Besides the immense space reserved for exhibitions, there is a library, with prior appointment, which already has more than five thousand titles, an auditorium for 100 people, a restaurant, café and shop.
05
Community COOKERY
Pão de queijo, UAI!
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ome time ago while in a Brazilian restaurant, a Spanish culinary journalist was telling me that Spain has the best food and chefs in the world, and, according to him, Brazil has the worst. For him, Brazilian food is not elaborate enough. As he spoke, he ordered his second plate of Feijoada, a 100% Brazilian dish, which he ate till the last bean sucking the bones. I offered no response to his comments. For unknown reasons, Brazilian food is not well known in the world, but look at it this way; Brazil has 26 states, and each one of them has a varied and unique culinary influenced by its indigenous inhabitants. The indigenous, the slaves imported from Africa, the European immigrants, and even Arabs each brought their own recipes. Their culture blended to make our Brazilian culture and we are very proud of it. Pão de Queijo is another one of our traditional recipes. Translated directly, this means ‘cheese bread’, although it’s much more than that. Like Feijoada, Pão de Queijo was invented by the slaves, but in Minas Gerais state in the 17th century - around 1600. A process on agricultural land involving the storage of manioc left a fine white powder in the big wooden bowls (gamelas) after extracting out the manioc flour. So the slaves managed to scrape this white starch off the gamelas, make small balls and bake them. These manioc starch balls had neither cheese nor milk in it, just plain manioc starch, and became popular among the slaves. More than 200 years later, cattle farms became widespread in Brazil and slaves (that were being freed by that time) gained access to better food such as milk and cheese. So they began to increment the baked balls with milk and ultimately cheese. When Brazil abolished slavery, their culture began to spread among the rest of the population. Pão de Queijo became popular in Minas Gerais and after that in the rest of Brazil. Pão de Queijo has a unique and delicious taste. Eddie Souza is one of the owners of Pão de Queijo UAI, one of the few successful companies producing homemade pão de queijo. Ed has been a chef in London for 13 years, and he has spent three years preparing his recipe. “If you ask any Mineiro (people from Minas Gerais) which is the best pão de queijo, they will say their mother or Nan’s recipe, and that is really true,” Eddie says. “To recreate the homemade conditions, the process of freezing, storing and distributing is as vital as the recipe, and ingredients to assure the utmost quality of the pão de queijo and requires massive investment and good
installations. That’s why few companies succeeded in this market and that’s why it took me so long before having
the ‘whole recipe’ done. Taste our pão de queijo and tell me if I am wrong in pursuing quality.”
By the way, ‘Uai’ is a Mineiro slang, a slang pronounced ‘WHY’. As a matter of fact it really means why.
Community | 06 |
March 25th – April 08th 2013
. http://hilarious-consequences.blogspot.co.uk http://www.steaknightcomics.com/ steaknightcomics.com/RRR_BOOKS.html
OMBUDSMAN This is your chance to let the Brazilian Post’s team know what you think. Send your feedback and get involved! Send your emails to contato@brazilianpost.co.uk
“No one will lose money if the government does not change the rules whenever it feels like it. Much still needs to be revised because it is not enough to simply reduce the electric bill. Instead, it needs to reform tax legislations, and that’s what matters to big investors. The main ports need to be reformed to be flowing with greater levels of traffic and efficiency at both entrances and exits. I find this all too much to make-up, and no real change is likely.”
- Júnior Muniz, São Bernardo do Campo | São Paulo
Community| 07
PROFILE
Fernanda Porto and her very own style
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Text and Photo: Rômulo Seitenfus he famously combined a grand piano with electronic music at the Skol Beats Festival in 2002 and revolutionised music in Europe and Brazil, mixing drum and bass with bossa nova and MPB (Popular Brazilian Music). With seven albums released, including original songs and covers of legendary tracks from Brazil’s rich musical history (including Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque and Tom Jobim), Fernanda Porta has formed a legion of fans across several countries. Born in Serra Negra (SP) and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s enfant terrible, Maria Fernanda Dutra Clemente adopted the stage name Fernanda Porto, as her parents didn’t want their daughter to be a musician. Porto said there were several last names to get to this, which she found “cute”. At four years old Fernanda already played flute brilliantly. Her music teacher wanted to write the first melody for the prodigal child but it was only after 37 years that the artist saw her first hit released. Fernanda did not want to make a record before finding her true style, it was then that she decided to leave the country for inspiration and create a concept for herself.
Search by style and recognition Fernanda travelled, supporting herself by giving guitar lessons and producing music for theatre. In 1998 she came to spend a six-month season in London. Touring nightclubs in search of the perfect beat, she found herself in love with drum and bass. She began distribute her demos to DJs and formed creative partnerships with big names like DJ Patife. Fernanda was determined to create a style that is mix with bossa nova, and returned to Brazil full of ideas and plans. She started a profound work of composition and spent the year of 1999 preparing the album would innovate music in Brazil and worldwide. A phone call from London brought good news. A Fernanda Porto’s song had broken out on the charts throughout Europe. She hung up the phone without believing it to be real. The track was Sambassim, recorded by her and remixed by numerous DJs. The singer had not realised the impact of this, or that she was being played in most clubs in Europe. It was
only when she was dancing with some friends at a nightclub in Sao Paulo and first witnessed her hit Sambassim sweeping a crowd that she first sang the song live to the music and dance. Thrilled, she still considers this the most striking moment of her life.
What she thinks and feels With a strong personality, the singer is faithful to her ideology and never gives up her desires. She left her first label, Trama, to move to EMI, aiming to record a live CD. I want to go beyond my journalistic curiosity, and try to understand a little more of the psychology that has made Fernanda so unique, unflinching, and successful. I wonder if this union of totally different styles of music is related to something that she had witnessed or experienced in the past. “I think so, my family introduced me to many sophisticated things when I was a child, things like jazz, bossa nova, classical music, but I have to say, I always liked things that were more popular”, she answers. Asked about the pleasure of having recorded with great musicians, she points out the artists that marked her work. “The composer I like most is Caetano Veloso and I loved recording Sampa. To tell the truth I really like Caetano because he has such a good hold of pop. I recorded Roda Viva with Chico Buarque and have shared the stage with him, which was amazing. But musically speaking, as a composer, Tom Jobim is, for me, arguably the most important recording was my cover of Só Tinha de Ser com Você, a song immortalized by Elis Regina, it was a big responsibility for me, it was overwhelming”. Toasting ten years of success, Fernanda Porto is touring Europe, alongside multi-instrumentalist Christiane Neves, mixing old and new hits, with reinterpretations of classic MPB as Refazenda by Gilberto Gil, and Só Tinha de Ser com Você by Tom Jobim. The shows will take place in Italy, Finland and Portugal. After two shows in London in March, Fernanda returns to the British capital on 10 April to close the tour, in the land which showed her with the style that she would go on to make her very own. For more information about the upcoming concert of Fernanda Porto in London, visit www.brazilianpost. co.uk.
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March 25th – April 08th 2013
09
Latin America CATHOLICISM
A Latin American Pope
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By Guilherme Reis
he accession of the Argentinean Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, to the highest position of the Catholic Church has been seen as a very important achievement for the region he comes from. He is the first Latin American in this position; this alone is enough to recognise the importance in the churches choice for him. But, add to it the fact that Latin America have around 40% of the Catholics in the world and you might understand how it was seen as a decision blessed by God. With a huge Catholic influence, mainly from Portugal and Spain, Latin American people are known to be very faithful. They are also known for their fervent support and adoration of those from their region who go on to gain any important global position, which also perhaps says more about our
long years apart of the world political game. A lot of people took to the streets in Buenos Aires to celebrate the new Pope. It was celebrated with the same energy and admiration if Maradona had scored another goal with “la mano de Dios”. In fact, many commentators described that it was as though a World Cup atmosphere had taken over the country. Something similar has happened in Brazil but in an opposite way: many were sad to “have lost to an Argentinean”. These reactions, of course, are not the most important issue that must be analysed, but highlight how the Latin American Catholics, even those who do not go to the church every Sunday, may be very “faithful” when it comes to the new Pope, which is a good sign for the Vatican. The profile of Pope Francis disseminated by most of the conservative media in Latin America was pretty the
standard: he is a man from the people, a humble person who travels to church by bus. It’s quite funny to see how the same commentators who criticises “populist speeches” are now hailing him as “the Pope from the people”. The Catholic Church, or most of it, to be fair, has always defended conservative points of view. I do not say this in regard to religion, but politics. There have been many occasions when we have seen Catholic leaders sitting on the same side of the owners of the power, no matter who they have been, and refusing to change some internal rules to punish priests accused of paedophilia, for example. Pope Francis himself, when in Buenos Aires during dictatorship, is accused of having been too lenient with the military regime. We cannot be silly and expect that Pope Francis can change the Catholic Church’s opinion on gay marriage (he for one is opposed to it). Hopefully, society
can solve that without him, but maybe he can create some other democratic changes within the institution, which remains a powerful presence in the world. As it was remembered by Leonardo Boff, Brazilian theologian, “this absolutist monarchical form of the Catholic Church represents a deviation from the original intention of Jesus, and now Francis should reconsider this in light of Jesus’ intention. It will be a pastoral papacy based upon charity and unity and no longer a legal absolutist power”. “The Catholic Church could become a no authoritative instance of universal values, care for the earth and for life that is seriously threatened, against consumer culture, emphasising solidarity and cooperation against exacerbated competition”, Leonardo Boff wrote. This really would be the best we could expect from Pope Francis.
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March 25th – April 08th 2013
Technology EDUCATION
Learning through playing
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By Rafael Cabral
n a day of extracurricular activities held annually at St. Saviours Primary School in Paddington, the traditional storytelling corner, where children usually sit and listen to tales of monsters and fairies, was replaced by a complex workshop of robotics and code, the language by which we communicate with computers. “We wanted them to tell their own stories with the help of technology”, says Lindsey Woodford, the school’s head teacher. During the day, the children became familiar with Raspberry Pi, a credit card sized computer that is deliberately made with its circuits and wiring exposed, allowing a better understanding of the inside of the machine. The pupils also learned how to program with Scratch, software developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to make the understanding of code and robotics accessible for youngsters. Through software and hardware, students from the age of 5 were able to control a crocodile produced by Lego (WeDo). From interpreting their instructions written in
code, the robot would bite anyone who put his finger in his mouth. Students and parents loved the idea, so the school contacted a national organisation for the diffusion of code Code Club (www.codeclub.org.uk) and now offers the course as part of the basic curriculum. Started by voluntary designers and programmers as a pilot project in five London schools, Code Club has expanded and now works in partnership with more than 600 schools and, with the support of ARM (a giant in the semiconductor sector), plans to be teaching programming across 25% of the UK’s schools within two years. Following in the steps of ARM, other major companies in the industry are encouraging code and robotics clubs for school-age youngsters as an investment to create more skilled workers in the future. The manufacturer Dell sponsors Apps for Good (http://appsforgood. org/), which helps students to create applications for smartphones and solve everyday problems through technology. Even Google is following the trend, with executive-president Eric Schmidt donating 15.000 Raspberry Pis to the UK schools to encourage technical learning.
Code for children Digital literacy for children is part of a larger effort to equip society with the necessary skills to better understand the web. Sites like Codecademy (www. codecademy.com) and Udacity (www. udacity.com) have gained prominence in recent years offering free programming and development courses. The idea behind initiatives like these is that, in a world ruled by the internet, understanding and creating code is almost as vital as knowing how to read and write. However, there is also a strong economic reason for the UK’s sudden interest in nurturing future
programmers. Data from the British government has shown that the number of students majoring in computer science has diminished annually, while the demand for highly skilled workers in the technology industry, responsible for 8% of the GDP, will grow 1.6% per year until 2020, demanding 130.000 new workers per year. Ask a five year old what they want to be when they grow up and there are certain answers you almost always hear: fireman, doctor, actress and footballer. But if these incentives have the desired affect we could soon add ‘software developer’ to that.
Children used codes to move a mini-robot
11
Special A MEETING WITH…
London’s three most popular Brazilians
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By Shaun Cumming
here are three Brazilian international football (‘Seleção’) players who also play for Chelsea here in London: David Luiz, Ramires and Oscar. Thanks to some stunning performances by all three for their club and country, they should all be hopeful to play in next year’s World Cup in Brazil. Living and playing here in London for Chelsea, they are very popular among the city’s many Brazilians. Being ‘Seleção’ players automatically grants them with as high a status as it’s possible to get in the eyes of Brazilians. They have achieved the ambition of the entire Brazilian nation, but now also bear the responsibility of performing to this population’s impeccably high standards. And tonight, the boys are likely to feature in the team against Russia – a game played at their club’s home stadium, Stamford Bridge. For tonight’s match, the lads and Chelsea FC talked to us about the delicious prospect of all three playing at ‘The Bridge’ for the Brazilian national team in a special edition interview and feature about the match.
Oscar, David Luiz and Ramires understands that expectations are high. “There is a lot of pressure. You have 200 million people who want to play for the national team,” he says.
David ‘Sideshow Ramires: Bob’ Luiz – a huge Chelsea’s midfield character of the metronome Ramires is the attacking-midfield glue for game Instantly recognisable by his bushy hair and a striking resemblance to The Simpsons character Sideshow Bob, David Luiz has established himself as a key man in Chelsea’s defensive line. He’s a typical Brazilian player, proving to be as menacing when on the attack (with a wicked accurate shot), as he is an impenetrable wall in fullback position. He was also an influential figure in Chelsea’s Champion’s League winning team of 2012. Luiz is also one of the biggest characters in the Brazilian team – the fans love him. Anyone that follows him on Twitter and Instagram can see this. Tonight is an extra special occasion for Luiz because he can see the stadium from his West London apartment. But he
both club and country. It’s impossible not to be bewildered by his skilful forward runs, his sublime and regular assists to teammates and clinical finishes. He also played a big part of Chelsea’s triumphant 2012 Champion’s League team.
Oscar: following in the footsteps of true legends Oscar is the newest arrival at Chelsea, and also the youngest of the three at just 21. He has proved an instant hit at Chelsea, and also looks to have cemented his position in the Brazilian national team. Oscar was recently given the
No.10 shirt for Brazil, which means he is actually following in the footsteps of legends such as Pele, Zico, Rivaldo, Kaka and Ronaldinho. “To wear the number 10 for your country is a very special thing,” he adds. “This was not only my dream, but the dream of every single Brazilian.” Having three Brazilian internationals within its ranks means that Chelsea is in an unprecedented position in the English Premier League; it has not only boosted the club’s fan base in Brazil, but also boosted ticket sales at home among London-based Brazilians. Meanwhile, the match also marks a return to Stamford Bridge of Seleção manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, or ‘Felipão’ as he’s affectionately known in Brazil. Scolari, famed for winning the World Cup in 2002 as the Brazil manager, also managed Chelsea from July 2008 to February 2009. As one of the masterminds of a Brazilian World Cup title, he is popular at home, and was parachuted in as the best man available to manage the squad towards the World Cup in 2014 following the sacking of Mano Menezes. His first game in charge was the recent 2-1 defeat to England at Wembley, and he will be eager for his team to start winning. Tonight, for the game between Brazil and Russia and this special edition of
The Brazilian Post, London’s very own Brazilian superstars at Chelsea spoke to us about their thoughts on the game and London. Turn the page and enjoy!
David “Sideshow Bob” Luiz
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March 25th – April 08th 2013
DAVID LUIZ With Brazil at Stamford Bridge:
“It is my dream to play for the Brazil national team, it is my dream to play for Chelsea, it is my dream to play at home, and I can unite them all in this game”.
Playing for Chelsea:
“Everybody knows I love to play at Chelsea, I love playing at Stamford Bridge and it is a very special place for me. I like to enjoy all the moments in my life and all the games I have played for Chelsea. I work hard to try to win things for Chelsea and for my country as well.”
Brazilian trio:
“I have a great friendship with them both. They can be more shy than me but, because I know them and I can speak English a little bit better than them, if it is difficult for them to express themselves, I can try to help, and they will try and help me in a different situation, too. So, it is a little family in football”.
Living in London:
“I love London. I love the variety; the entertainment, the restaurants and concerts. It’s different from what we have in South America. I went to watch Coldplay at the O2 Arena, James Morrison, John Mayer...”.
Defeat against England at Wembley:
“The next day at the training ground I tried to kill him [Frank Lampard]. Just joking – Frank is a great player. Unluckily for us, and me, we lost the game, but it was a great match”.
Sport | 13
RAMIRES With Brazil at Stamford Bridge:
“It’s going to be a unique feeling and sensation. It’s the first time I’m going to represent my country at my home ground. Hopefully we will have a good game, and hopefully the knowledge I have about the pitch and the stadium will help Brazil get by in this game. If we win the game, it will be up there with the most special moments in my career”.
Living away from Brazil:
“Obviously the thing I miss the most is the heat, the sun. That’s what we don’t have here all the time. When we have that in Brazil it’s amazing. If we had the sun and heat in England I would stay here for as long as I could”.
Playing for Chelsea:
“I’m so happy to be back wearing the national shirt and I have to thank Chelsea for this because playing for Chelsea makes me a better player which then enables me to be picked by the national team. Hopefully, I will be with the national team for a long time”.
Brazilian trio:
“Every time we have the opportunity we socialise. If it’s someone’s birthday we all get together, or have dinner together sometimes. We try to maintain a close relationship outside the game. It isn’t just the Brazilians at Chelsea, there are Brazilians at other clubs and we try to stay as a family as well [Julio Cesar, QPR, and Sandro, Tottenham]”.
Living in London:
“When I have a day off I try to do the most I can. The other day I went to Madame Tussauds and we try to go to museums too, I went to the Natural History museum recently. We try and see the touristic points like Big Ben, because you never know how long you will be here so we have to take advantage. It’s a very historic and welcoming city”.
OSCAR With Brazil at Stamford Bridge:
“To play at Stamford Bridge for Brazil would be great. To play for the national team is already special but to do it here would be a very special occasion. If I score a goal, I can’t even explain”.
Playing for Chelsea:
“When I play games here, I feel absolutely at home. I love the supporters and how they get behind the team. I love playing for Chelsea and, little by little, I am adapting to life here and playing English football”.
Brazilian trio:
“It was very important for me to have them [Ramires and Luiz] here and my adaptation has been so much quicker because of them. They helped me so much and off the pitch we are good friends. My wife and sister are with me now, so I have been seeing London with them, but I spend a bit of time with David and Ramires”.
Defeat against England at Wembley:
“It was a friendly fixture and this Brazilian team is still quite new so we are still working on ideas together. We need a little bit more time to play together, as well as working hard at our own clubs, so that when we go and play for our national side, we will improve as a team”.
Special | 14 |
March 25th – April 08th 2013
WARM UP
Hulk teammates from Zenit will be lining up against him
Brazil’s secret Russian Spy
H
ulk moved from FC Porto to Zenit St Petersberg last September, and many of his club teammates from Zenit will be lining up against him tonight in London. So what does he think the biggest difference in playing in Russia? “The cold,” he said in a recent interview. Hulk has mixed feelings about his first season in Russia. “[I do not have]
any problems with the fans, I have no relationship with them and I don’t understand their chants in Russian, nor do I read the newspapers. Russian football is more tactical and defensive [than Portuguese], but the biggest difficulty is the cold. I live in the middle of St Petersburg. It’s a beautiful city and I like to visit all the attractions with the whole family.”
Classic encounter between Brazil and Russia
A
Socrates, captain of Brazil’s team in 1982 World Cup
t the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Brazil met tough opposition in the USSR team during the group stages. Brazilian keeper Perez made a terrible mistake to allow a goal for the USSR in the first half. Things were looking back but in the 75th minute, Seleção legend and team captain Sócrates jumped past two opposition players and rifled in a shot from 35 yards right into the top corner. In the 88th minute, Eder scored the second goal that won the game for Brazil.
Hulk is positive about the progress Brazil has made in preparations for the World Cup next year. “People only talk about criminality, violence, because they only want to see the negative side. But we should look for the positives. If those problems didn’t exist in Brazil, Brazil would be perfect, and perfection does not exist. I believe that things will get better.”
His transfer fee to Russia made him the second most expensive Brazilian player everand he should expect to be a part of Filipao’s plans for the World Cup squad. Funny facts: Hulk, real name Givanildo Vieira de Souza, received the nickname from his father who likes the cartoon character, Hulk is his only son with six sisters.
Players to watch – experience versus youth Aleksandr Kerzhakov – Russia’s experienced hitman looks to create space and is always dangerous on the attack. Age: 30 Club: Zenit St Petersberg National Team Appearances: 70 National Team Goals: 22 Neymar – Brazil’s skilful attacker that some have called “the next Pele” but who has yet to prove himself at international level. Age: 21 Club: Santos National team appearances: 28 National team goals: 17
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