It is not only those of us down on the ground who
are keeping tabs on the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Astronauts on the
International Space Station are also caught up in the football
craziness, it seems.
United States astronauts Reid Wiseman and Steve Swanson and German astronaut Alexander Gerst were
cheering on their teams and following their progress in the World Cup.
Then it was time for the match between the US and Germany and that is
when the fun really began.... read more
São Paulo law enforcement authorities said Friday
that during the opening game of the World Cup in that city, a police
sniper asked permission to open fire. He had reportedly seen an armed
man approaching Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and other officials.There were more than 60,000 spectators in the Itaquerao Stadium on June 12, waiting to watch the first World Cup match. When the
sniper saw the armed man approaching President Rousseff and other
officials, he became concerned and asked for permission to shoot.... read more
When people imagine Brazil, they think parties, sandy beaches,
gorgeous weather, but for tens of millions of ordinary Brazilian people,
the situation is far different. To bring awareness to their plight, a
Graz man has built a realistic "favela" (the Brazilian word for slum) in
his café for his clients to watch the World Cup. Tens of
millions of Brazilians survive on less than the cost of a cup of coffee
per day and Gernot Saiko, owner of Café Luise im Kunsthaus, decided it
was time to bring peoples' attention to the incongruity of supporting a
country that spends almost $14 billion on a sporting event, while around
22 million of its poorer inhabitants have less than $1.60 per day... read more
Orphaned baby elephants at the David Sheldrick
Wildlife Trust in the Nairobi National Park in Kenya also love "the
beautiful game," it seems, and according to Julius Letoiya, staff keeper
at the facility, they even have a few football tricks up their sleeve.Barcroft TV,
who published the above video, cleverly describes them as "Pele-phants"
as they enjoy their playtime, kicking the ball around and using
back-heel tricks in an attempt to slow the game down. Apparently, they had a visit from a superstar from Manchester City last year, and midfielder Yaya Toure gave them a few tips... read more
The mascot for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil
is a three-banded armadillo, which was the perfect choice, as this
fascinating little critter is able to roll itself into a ball when it
feels threatened. And threatened it is, indeed. The tatu-bola or ball armadillo, as it is
known locally, is in some serious trouble, as it only exists in small,
isolated populations in Brazil and is currently on the very edge of
extinction... read more
According to a study run in the country by a price
comparison website, it is not only the football-crazy fans that will
lose out as Spain was beaten by Chile in the FIFA World Cup. Shops, bars
and restaurants are set to lose out too. Kelisto.es, a price comparison website, reckons that the
country's retail industry is set to lose out on a whopping 600 million
euros ($818 million) as Spain loses against Chile and returns home in
shame ... read more
As many of our favorite teams let us down during the 2014 FIFA World
Cup, it is interesting to note that a football-crazy dog in Japan could
actually show these guys a move or two. This eight-year-old,
football-crazy pooch has been named "Purin the Super Beagle" and her
favorite hobby is playing ball in her local park in Shibuya, Tokyo,
Japan. With her spectacular ball skills, Purin is rapidly
becoming an international hit during the World Cup, currently running in
Brazil and it certainly looks like she could show both the UK and Spain
a trick or two.. read more
