How big is soccer in Brazil?

[Lukie]

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_yl...ters&type=lgns

SAO PAULO, Brazil, July 1 (Reuters) - Tears flowed as disappointment gripped Brazil on Saturday after its star-studded World Cup soccer team was beaten 1-0 by France, ending its hopes of a sixth championship.

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"This was the worst thing that could have happened -- to lose to France again," said Fabio Santos, 39, a fan in Sao Paulo.

Brazil, which won the previous World Cup championship in 2002 and is the only country to have won five World Cup titles, proudly considers itself a global soccer superpower.

But it lost to France in the 1998 World Cup final and many Brazilians had prayed their team would not be jinxed again when they met France on Saturday in Frankfurt, Germany.

Brazil's team struggled to find its rhythm and a tough French defense quieted Brazilian strikers.

"We're stranded here crying, feeling enormous frustration," said Ricardo Santos, one of the organizers of the cheering section on a Rio de Janeiro street where some 10,000 people watched the game.

Nearby, Julio Gomes, a 30-year-old bank employee, held his weeping girlfriend.
Many Brazilian fans blamed the coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, for not playing more of his young reserve players once it became clear the veteran squad was producing few scoring opportunities.

"Parreira is crazy," said Pepe Roberto, 46, a fan in Sao Paulo.

In Rio de Janeiro, the gymnasium of a top Carnival samba school where thousands of people had gathered to watch the game on giant screens emptied within minutes of the final whistle. Many fans were tearful.

Fans said Parreira should have used younger players like Robinho and Cicinho from the start.

"The only time the team played really well was against Japan with these (young) players, but no, Parreira had to go back to the old scheme," said Aldo Santos, a doorman who watched the game on a small black-and-white TV.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva telephoned [coach] Parreira after the loss to express his condolences.

Despite the sadness, some Brazilians vowed to keep their barbecues and parties going all night.

With tears in their eyes, about 2,000 residents of Recife in northeastern Brazil danced and sang the hymn of Brazil's fans -- "I am Brazilian and I am very proud."

Lots of Brazilians say they will now root for former colonial power Portugal, which defeated England earlier on Saturday to qualify for a semi-final match against France.

Portugal's coach is Luiz Felipe Scolari, a Brazilian who won the 2002 World Cup as Brazil's coach. (Additional reporting by Andrei Khalip and Pedro Fonseca in Rio de Janeiro)


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I mean I know soccer (I'm an american and I refuse to ever call it football) is the biggest sport in the world, and would be comparabable to combining football, basketball, and baseball into one sport over here, but still. As much as I watch and love sports, it's only a game...........

[Toe]

Football is unbelievable, it can produce such intense emotions from such a simple game. For many people over the world football is a way of life, it's their escape.

Brazilians are so into football because traditionally their LEDC status causes football to be the only source of entertainment for children, so they just play it all day long every day, which makes them bloody good at it.

And the reason that coutries like Liberia are shite at it, is because they are so much of an LEDC, that they do not have a ball. :P

[PO$$E$$ED]

football is a matter of life and death

[Lukie]

football is a matter of life and death

yup

[midas06]

[a500lbgorilla]

Steelers rock

[PO$$E$$ED]

is that guy dead or something?
oh well, at least he got to die while playing the bestest sport ever!

[ensign_lee]

You've gotta be kidding.

That's where Carson Palmer got injured for the rest of the offseason in teh playoffs and may not yet return for next year.

That injury is the single reason why the Steelers won the championship. The Bengals were gonna finish off the Steelers, but their star QB went down.

[Miffed22001]

AMERICAN football is unimportant.

Do you see why?

If you dont then you are obviously just a middle aged punk.

[LimpinAintEZ]

people have been killed for making huge mistakes in soccer - americans don't seem to grasp how huge it is to the rest of the world...

the palmer picture is wrong...Lucky ass steelers - Lets talk about how the seahawks got screwed, not how the steelers won...Damn ref had a Steelers jersey underneath his whistle!

[Greedo017]

people have been killed for making huge mistakes in soccer - americans don't seem to grasp how huge it is to the rest of the world...

as much as i personally can't get into soccer, and as much as i understand that the rest of the U.S. isn't really into soccer, I can understand why the rest of the world cares so much.

[ItDepends]

people have been killed for making huge mistakes in soccer - americans don't seem to grasp how huge it is to the rest of the world...

as much as i personally can't get into soccer, and as much as i understand that the rest of the U.S. isn't really into soccer, I can understand why the rest of the world cares so much.

It's because they can't compete at any real sport.

[Phew72]

football is a matter of life and death

'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death.
I'm very disappointed with that attitude.
I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'
-Bill Shankly 1913 - 1981

(I know some of you were probably expecting me to post this quote, well, I'm sorry I couldn't help it. I am a Liverpool fan after all.)

[a500lbgorilla]

US doesnt care about soccer becuase it's hard to fit commerical time into a game so no one airs it. Add into that being years away from having a prestigious leauge and from being competative on the world stage, and people just dont wanna get behind it.

Im sure we'd have no trouble loving soccer if it could find its way onto television.