Went up to the Arena be Baixada today. It's kinda finished, but there are lots of people working - on a Saturday. My sense is the stadium itself is OK. It's all the FIFA-mandated crap that is not finished - the 'exclusion zone' and fencing, the special entrances (they are not allowed to use the normal entrances). My favourite thing was seeing the metal detectors and baggage x-ray machines still in bubble wrap.
There is more security around the stadium than at Sao Paulo customs. My entry into Brazil was based on this conversation:
Me: HO-LA [handing over passport]
Customs Agent: [Silence]
Me: [Silence]
Customs Agent: You go how?
Me: Cupo de Mundo
Customs Agent: You know where [to] stamp [on passport]?
Me: Just put it on this page [reaching through hole in glass to open passport to random page]
Customs Agent: Obrigada. Tchau
Me: Thanks
Some important news is that I HAVE NOT MISSED A GAME YET....(although I only caught the second half of Mexico x Cameroon).
Enjoyed Spain getting hammered by Holland. Important factual tidbit: Robin van Persie's son is named Shaqueel. Yep, Shaqueel van Persie. They call him Shaq, obviously.
Looking forward to England x Italy tonight. Look for the following highlights (note, this is all written before the game):
- Gerrard booming 50 yard 'passes' into the stands
- Rooney mis-controlling the ball 9 times out of 10
- Pirlo's beard
- Hart having kittens
- Pirlo's beard
- Glen Johnson looking a little confused by it all
- Lots of sweating
- At least one Everton playing netmegging someone (ideally an Italian player). My money is on Baines sometime in first half.
Hope they bring on Barkley... With Jagielka, Baines, and Barkley on the field how can they lose?
Just about to settle in for Columbia x Greece. Tomorrow we have this event thing at a favela in town. It's becoming a pretty big deal and I'll have photos etc up either tomorrow night or Monday morning. For now, make do with the flyer.
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Hart having kittens...LOL!
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