World Cup opening to thrill with unforeseen show

Sixty-four years after Brazil first hosted the FIFA World Cup and lost in the final to Uruguay, the Beautiful Game has returned to the Samba country that can rightly be called the football nation. Why not? Brazil is synonymous with football. Name all the great personalities that made the game great and none is bigger than Edson Arantes do Nascimento who is globally known as Pele.

After that sad failure of 1950, the Samba men have gone ahead to win the cup a record five times away from home soil. Yet that ghost of failing at the famous Maracana Stadium has simply refused to go away. Will 2014 help to wipe away that memory? Will skipper Silva Thiago be able to lead his men to another spectacular outing of cup glory? All that will have to wait till July 13 when the final is played again at Maracana that has been pruned down from its original 200,000 seating capacity to 73,531 for the 2014 edition. Brazil's opening game against Croatia today will give the direction of what to expect from coach Felipe Scolari and his men.

But before the kick off, organizers of the World Cup are promising the global viewing football aficionados a spectacle that they will remember for a long time. The opening ceremony, according to the LOC will pay tribute to the treasures of Brazil and climax with Pitbull, Claudia Leitte performing the 'We Are One' smash hit. Jennifer Lopez who pulled out during the week, citing 'production excuses' has returned and is expected to connect with rapper Pitbull. The Brazilians have promised to out-do the South Africans who hosted the opening ceremony of the last edition at the Soccer City in Johannesburg.

There will also be a full-line up of stars to perform the 'We Are One' theme song. The World Cup song is expected to pay tribute to Brazil's three biggest treasures, it's nature, people and football.

The theme song which is to last 25 minutes will also have a cast made up of over 600 people, the majority of whom study at dance or circus schools or at cultural workshops.


/AzerTAc/