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| June 09, 2006 | Friday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 12, 1427 |
Champions raise Cup ambiance to fever pitch
OFFENBACH, June 8: Brazil raised the World Cup ambiance to fever pitch as they brought out the crowds in this southern city, some 25,000 people turning up for Thursday's training session just for a glimpse of the five-times champions.
Offenbach is usually an unheralded industrial suburb of Frankfurt but it looked more like something out of the Rio carnival as the hordes arrived to see them in the flesh.
“When I watch Brazil play I am happy,” said 18-year-old Niro Sivakumar, clad in a Brazilian shirt emblazoned with the name Ronaldinho.
That's a feeling clearly shared by many others.
Aware that there was a chance of getting in to see the 'auriverde' train at the ground of second division Kickers Offenbach he decided to skip school along with friend Luis Ballich, also 18.
“We got here at ten in the morning, the official time to get a free ticket but they had already been handed out. So we bought some for $25,” he explained.
Niro, German-born but of Sri Lankan parentage, and Luis, also German-born but whose father is Ukrainian and mother Czech, said that they “detest German football. Germans don't like technique. They always want to stop the ball, they play in too physical a style. But Brazil...”—AFP
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