/ 30 June 2002

Can Germany’s ‘idiots’ achieve World Cup glory?

Germany has been whipped up into a frenzy of expectation as the country awaits the World Cup ”final of dreams” against Brazil on Sunday.

More than 25 million people will be glued to their TV sets to watch Germany’s bid to equal Brazil’s record of four titles, just weeks after writing their country off as ”no-hopers”.

Following a poor qualifying campaign, where they needed a play-off win over the Ukraine to make it to Japan and South Korea, the expectation level of the country hit an all-time low.

At that time, a staggering nine out of ten German’s refused to believe their country would make the final.

But as Rudi Voeller’s men continue to defy the odds, and opinion polls now cite that 54,2% of the country believes in a victory on Sunday, the doom and gloom merchants are eating their words.

”They were the idiots of the nation. Today, they are becoming Rudi’s heroes,” is the message that is being relayed on Berlin’s Inforadio station.

That sentiment is now being echoed throughout the land.

”Even if they don’t arrive at the finish line, for me Rudi’s boys are already World Cup heroes,” insisted German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Saturday’s edition of the country’s biggest-selling newspaper Bild.

Perhaps the country’s police force are the only people not looking forward to the showdown with eager expectation.

Nine of them were injured during the scenes of jubilation that greeted Germany’s 1-0 semi-final win over South Korea on Tuesday.

And with hundreds of thousands of fans expected to take to the streets in each of the country’s big cities to watch big screen transmissions of the game from Yokohoma, police have revealed they are expecting a ”hot weekend”.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, two of Rio’s picture postcard scenes, The Ciudad Maravillosa and Copacabana Beach, will be engulfed on Sunday morning with Brazil football fanatics who will gather round giant screens and get ready to samba ahead of their team’s meeting with Germany.

With the match taking place half a world away in Yokohama, Japan, the supporters of the ‘auriverde’ will have to breakfast early as kickoff is at 8:00am local time.

State tourist organisation Riotur have installed an 18 square metre giant screen with special technology which will ensure fans will be able to follow events even in bright sunlight in Lido square in the bourgeois district of Tijuca in the north of the

city.

Riotur have also signed up a dozen ‘passistas’ or samba dancers and percussion players from the city’s many samba schools to ensure that things go with a swing – and it remains only for the team to do their bit and deliver ‘a penta’ – a fifth World Cup title.

Few of the fans can conceive of any other outcome.

Over at nearby Alzira Brandao street an assortment of baterias or percussion groups will up the tempo – and the volume – as they show off the skills they have acquired in the well-established Salgueiro samba school.

According to Riotur, several foreign television crews will be on hand to record all the agony and the ecstasy of the Brazilian fans.

One team of reporters has set up camp at Bento Ribeiro, from where star striker Ronaldo hails.

Meanwhile, in the historical city centre the Odeon cinema will also open its doors to fans wishing to watch the drama on their screens.

In addition, the traditional ”Cordao do Bola Preta” orchestra which traditionally opens up the musical entertainment at Rio’s larger than life carnivals, announced it is planning a huge concert and fiesta at Cinelandia, the beating heart of the metropolis.

In the capital of Brasilia, similar arrangements are being made – as well as for an expected homecoming party to rival that which the city hosted after Pele’s 1970 team won the trophy for the third time. -Sapa-AFP