Monday 30 June 2014

Some of the odd and quirkier 2014 FIFA World Cup news

Various unusual, and not always strictly sport related, stories have come out of the ongoing 2014 FIFA World Cup, and here are a selection of them below for your fun and edication ...

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