Colour helps unite
Sao Paulo: It’s not simple to stand out during the World Cup in Brazilian stadiums carpeted by yellow and green. But along the edges of a dam in the southern part of Sao Paulo, Dutch soccer fans have built a camp (in pic) for 500 people, creating a spot where orange is the new yellow. They sunbathe in orange sunglasses and dry themselves with orange towels. All over the sports center-turned-tent site, they have hung orange jackets, T-shirts and even briefs. Some of the most committed fans drove their cars, also orange, from as far away as New York to make it to the fluorescent celebration. “Orange is the color of the national team,” said Juul Ophelders, explaining why she dyed her hair orange for soccer’s biggest tournament. “It was a little bit nicer but the water is different here, so it’s lighter now.” Color is a statement for the Dutch fans camping by the Guarapiranga dam in the southern part of Sao Paulo. More than 400 of them will be heading for the team’s final group match against Chile on Monday at Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo. “It has to be orange if you want to join the party,” said laurens Kraal, who drove with seven other fans from Bolivia in an orange hippie van.
Pitch invader was neo-Nazi
Rio de Janeiro: The man who invaded the pitch during the Germany-Ghana match at the World Cup was a neo-Nazi sympathizer, according to a report that will be delivered to FIFA on Monday. The fans’ anti-discrimination network, Fare, is preparing a report on Saturday’s incident, when a shirtless fan interrupted play. Messages written on his chest and back included “HH”, signifying Heil Hitler, and “SS,” referring to the Nazi paramilitary unit. “There would be no other explanation for it,” Fare executive director Piara Powar said on Sunday. “The question becomes how does one control an individual fan who chooses to mark his body and jumps on the pitch to propagate his neo-Nazi views.” Fare’s report will also refer to fans wearing blackface makeup at the match in Fortaleza with no intervention by stadium security, Powar said. Both incidents are “currently being analyzed by the chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee,” the governing body said in a statement. “We cannot comment any further at this stage.” “We do not respect any discriminatory messages,” FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer told reporters earlier Sunday.
ROAD TRIP
Sao Paulo: A group of seven Dutch men have arrived in Sao Paulo after a 13-day journey from Bolivia in an orange hippie van that dates back at least 45 years. They like to joke that they spent more time underneath the van, fixing the engine, than traveling in it. For the group of friends it was a trip worth making to engage others in South America in the Orange cause. In one of the places the van broke down, they had to ask police officers if they could watch the Netherlands-Australia match last Wednesday at a station in Ribas do Rio Pardo. The town is halfway between Cochabamba, where they set out on their trip, and the city of Sao Paulo, where the Netherlands takes on Chile on Monday. “They said, ‘You just have to be very quiet because there are criminals here who can’t see the match,’” said Udo van Heteren, a 29-year-old from Utrecht.
Redemption for Halilhodzic
Porto Algre: Algeria’s coach had just steered his team to a 4-2 win over South Korea that resurrected its World Cup, its first win in the tournament since 1982. But he said his critics in the Algerian media were so bitter toward him they would have preferred to see the team lose. “You journalists have always criticized me, but the Algerian fans have always been behind us,” said Vahid Halilhodzic (in pic), a Bosnian who took over the national side in July 2011. “It’s a pity for you. I’m sorry for you. Maybe you are sad, but this is how it is.” Halilhodzic has long had a testy relationship with the media and the Algerian federation and has been under intense pressure to win.
In 2nd rd via lotteryIJ
Rio de Janeiro: After three games at the World Cup, it could come down to a lottery to decide which of two teams advances to the second round. Because of their previous results in Brazil, and the quirks of the FIFA tiebreaker system, there’s a possibility that Iran and Nigeria will face exactly that scenario after their last group games on Wednesday. If Iran beats Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 and Nigeria loses 1-0 to Argentina, the teams would be tied with four points and exactly the same number of goals scored and conceded. The teams drew 0-0 in their first game against each other, meaning the only remaining tiebreaker would be a drawing of lots. FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said the lottery would be held at the Maracana stadium 90 minutes after their games finish.