Tuesday, June 29, 2010

From our correspondent in South Africa

Reader Armando Tirado sends us these pictures from Johannesburg, during the Brazil Chile.  Apparently he was surprised at the amount of Venezuelan flags or color themed avataras (although in all justice a Venezuelan avatara is not easy to differentiate from an Ecuadoran or Colombian one).

Painted faces to protect the innocent......
This first picture is from a "see you in the Hague" banner, referring to recent leitmotiv launched by Diego Arria hinting at the final destination of Chavez: the International Court of The Hague.  That 50% of the boats seized with drugs in the Atlantic come from Venezuela is not helping his case (UN report).  Armando informs me that that banner was removed after a while, the other banners remaining in place...  You may draw your very own conspiration theory.

The  next one is taken from a banner hanging from the "deluxe" suites, and a very optimist one at that.
Venezuela in Brazil in 2014?  Yeah, right, sure....

And this last one, from Falconianos probably frozen stiff in Johannesburg.  

We shall be looking forwards more pictures from the final games.

9 comments:

  1. Kolya2:23 AM

    I understand spectators waving their national flags when their national team is competing in the event. What I find weird (and a bit pathetic) is to wave your flag when your team is not playing and not even part of the tournament.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Boludo Tejano2:32 AM

    Four of the eight remaining teams are from South America. Good news. I will ignore any friendship or alliance the leaders of those countries may have with Thugo.

    ReplyDelete
  3. kolya

    looks that spectator sports is not your psychological cup of tea.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 1979 Boat People6:36 AM

    Armando J Tirado,

    Thank you very much for the pictures.

    Hope that you are having great times there.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1979 Boat People, Daniel and all:

    It's my pleasure.

    I take my Venezuelan "7 star classic" to every game. Every other national of a non-playing team seems to do so as well.

    This is an incomplete list of the flags seen yesterday in Pretoria: Israel, Bermuda, Mongolia (yes, Mongolia), Germany, Argelia, England, Italy, Canada....plus if you count spectators wearing their team jerseys even if they were eliminated (or even if they didn't make it to the world cup) you can see that "waving your flag" is a widespread custom which is encouraged and expected, and is what makes the world cup something so unique. Isn't that a song?...

    By the way, in every significant match that I go, venezuelans outnumber any other nationality with flags among the spectators (non-playing countries, of course!)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Kolya2:49 AM

    "kolya, looks that spectator sports is not your psychological cup of tea."

    Daniel, if by spectator sports you mean those we go to a stadium to watch, you are probably right. I'm 55 and have to admit that after college I probably went to about ten such games--most of them football (soccer.)

    Wow. I just realized that the first World Cup I watched on TV was forty years ago! That was in 1970 and I was 15. And it was in that World Cup that I watched, together with my parents and my brother, what for me is still the most memorable football match I ever saw. The Germany vs. Italy semi-final. The game went to extra-time and lasted a full 120 minutes. The great Beckenbauer was fouled and fractured his clavicle. But he stayed on playing with his injured side immobilized by a strap and a sling. Italy won 4-3. Brazil won the final. Many claimed that during the final Italy was not at its best because it was burnt out by the long and intense match with Germany. But then that was the Brazil of Pele and several other greats.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 1979 Boat People4:59 AM

    "
    Jabulani ball 'too perfect' to fly straight - scientists
    "

    http://g.ca.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/jabulani-ball-too-perfect-to-fly--fbintl_afp-fblwc2010jabulaniscience.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. I hated that Jabulani ball the moment I saw it kicked for the first time.

    Mr. Tirado says he is following Brazil, so he should be at the game in a couple of hours. I hope you get to see a classic!

    Viva la canarinha!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sometimes you have to blow your own trumpet. I predicted two posts ago (and about a week) to 'watch out' for Holland and Paraguay. Well, we all know what Holland just did; maybe Paraguay will do the same to Spain tomorrow. I also think there's a good chance that Germany will wipe the smirk off Maradona's bewhiskered little chops; that guy is so much like Chavez in his boorish personality that I would like to call him 'Hugo in track suit'; except of course all touchline coaches these days wear their tailored Armanis.
    Only sorry that I haven't wagered any money on my guesses; I could sure use it.

    ReplyDelete

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