Dutch airline irks Mexico fans
Rio de Janeiro: What was meant to be a joke has turned into a PR blunder for Dutch airline KlM after it angered Mexican soccer fans by taking to Twitter to celebrate the Netherlands’ dramatic comeback victory in the World Cup. Within minutes of the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory over the Tri, KlM let loose on its Twitter feed a picture of an airport departures sign under the heading “Adios Amigos!” Next to the word “Departures” is the image of a man with a mustache wearing a sombrero. The post immediately went viral, with A-list Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal using not one but two expletives in a 140-character Tweet to tell his 2 million-plus followers that he’ll never fly the carrier again. Amid the widespread protest online, the post was pulled a half-hour later without an explanation. “It was meant to be a joke,” KlM spokeswoman lisette Ebeling Koning said, adding that the airline never intended to offend Mexicans, which it serves via a daily direct flight between Mexico City and Amsterdam. KlM issued a formal apology late on Sunday. “In the best of sportsmanship, we offer our heartfelt apologies to those who have been offended by the comment,” said Marnix Fruitema, director general of KlM in North America. For its part, Mexican national carrier AeroMexico is also getting in on the fun, broadcasting on Twitter its support for the country’s soccer team under an arrivals sign. “Thank you for this great championship,” AeroMexico said. “You’ve made us proud and we’re waiting for you at home.”
Fans get robbed amid joy
Rio de Janeiro: Distracted by the World Cup atmosphere, American fan Jack Smith slipped his card into an ATM in a Rio airport. He believes the card was cloned in an instant and, over several days before he discovered it, his account was debited for $12,000, a loss he said his bank would cover. “I’ve probably met 60 people here, and 20 have been hit,” said Smith, of Knoxville, Tennessee. “Of course these were for smaller amounts, although somebody told me they were out $6,000. But I’m scared. I won’t ever use an ATM machine here.” It happened a few days ago, so Smith now laughs about it. “Maybe this is a Brazilian tax of some kind I have to pay.” Crime in Rio de Janeiro was on the rise in the months leading up to the World Cup with muggings in the famous Copacabana area rising 60 per cent. Brazil has 15 of the world’s most dangerous 50 cities on a list compiled by the Mexico-based Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice. Rio state governor luiz Fernando Pezao has characterized Rio’s crime fight as “a war.”
Aussie Teacher makes history
Recife: Ben Williams (in red) sacrificed his salary as a teacher for six months so he could prepare for the World Cup. On Sunday, it paid off. Williams became the first Australian referee to control a second-round match at a World Cup during the game between Costa Rica and Greece. The 37-year-old Williams is usually a teacher at a government school in Canberra, the national capital. He handled two group matches in Brazil. Before the tournament, he told the domestic media that he didn’t mind taking unpaid leave from his day job to chase a dream. “It’s a bit strange to see the fortnightly pay slip come through with all zeroes, but it’s a sacrifice that’s definitely worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Williams told reporters. He had a busy day Sunday, sending off Costa Rica’s Oscar Duarte in the 66th minute, along with seven yellow cards.
1 billion interactions on FB
New York: Facebook has passed the 1 billion mark in World Cup interactions. The company said Monday the milestone was reached over the weekend. No other single event has generated this much activity on Facebook in the history of the social media site. More than 220 million people have posted, “liked” or commented upon what other people are saying about the soccer tournament. The host country is driving the activity. The game generating the most activity was Brazil’s opening match against Croatia, with the knockout round match against Chile coming in second. Brazilian star Neymar has more than 7 million “likes.” Of the 20 most-liked comments by a World Cup athlete, 12 are by Neymar or teammate David luiz.
Brazil spokesman banned
Rio de Janeiro: FIFA has suspended the spokesman of the Brazilian football confederation for one game over a confrontation with Chilean player Mauricio Pinilla on the sidelines during their World Cup match on Saturday. FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fisher said Rodrigo Paiva would be suspended for the quarterfinal match Friday in Fortaleza between Brazil and Colombia. He will be allowed to work for the team in the media briefing the day before. Fischer says “he had received a kind of red-card suspension during the game.” She gave no details of other possible punishment and said the investigation was “on-going.” Paiva and Pinilla got into a shoving match as the teams headed to the dressing room at halftime of the second-round match in Belo Horizonte. Pavia denied throwing any punches. Brazil advanced after a penalty shootout.
Uruguay prez: FIFA ban ‘fascist’
Montevideo: Uruguay’s famously casual President Jose Mujica has tossed some earthy expletives at FIFA over its four-month ban of luis Suarez. Mujica referred to FIFA as “bunch of old sons of whores” as he welcomed Uruguay’s team back from the World Cup on Sunday. He put his hand over his mouth in mock horror at the expletive, but when a journalist for state television station asked, he said, “Publish it.” He also referred to FIFA’s stiff penalty on Uruguay’s star striker as “fascist,” though he said that Suarez could have been sanctioned with a lesser sentence.