Hair raising Neymar
Brazil star Neymar clearly isn’t superstitious when it comes to his hair. After scoring twice in the opening World Cup win, Neymar showed up with a new style at the squad’s training session yesterday. So did left back Dani Alves, his Barcelona teammate. Neymar’s head was shaved on the sides, with the front dyed blond. Alves’ shorter cut had a greyish tinge to it. Neymar has been known to constantly change his hairstyle during tournaments. Alves also shows up with different haircuts from time to time. Brazil will play their second World Cup match against Mexico tomorrow in the northeastern city of Fortaleza.
Colombia dance craze
Pablo Armero may have scored Colombia’s first goal at these finals but he is more likely to be remembered in years to come for his touchline celebratory jig. The flying Napoli wing-back gave a demonstration of his own personal dance celebration he developed during his days with Brazil’s Palmeiras, known as the Armeration. The frantic jiggle was something Armero came up with in tribute to the dance moves performed by Samba-reggae group Parangole in their hit single Rebolation. Armero adopted his arm-waving waltz in response to a dance performed by the likes of Robinho and Neymar to celebrate their goals for Santos, Palmeiras’s Sao Paulo-based rivals.
Drones bother France
France coach Didier Deschamps has said Fifa will look into claims one of his side’s training sessions was disrupted by a drone flying overhead earlier this week. The incident is believed to have taken place on Tuesday at France’s World Cup training camp in Ribeirao Preto, north of Sao Paulo, as they prepared for their opening match against Honduras in Porto Alegre. “Apparently drones are used more and more,” said Deschamps, who was captain of the national team when France won their only World Cup in 1998. “We don’t want intrusion into our privacy. It’s hard to fight. It’s not up to me – Fifa handles this and has been carrying out an inquiry.”
Angry Croatians
Croatia’s players are refusing to talk to World Cup reporters after photos were published of them bathing nude in the team’s swimming pool, coach Niko Kovac said. Two photographers hid in the nearby bushes and took the pictures which were published by online media. “I can’t force them to be at your disposal after what you have done to them and their families,” an angry Kovac told reporters in the team’s Praia do Forte training base. “How would you feel if someone took naked pictures of you? They are adamant that they won’t speak to you lot anymore and I don’t know whether the silence will end tomorrow or last until the end of our World Cup campaign.”
Van Persie-ing
First there was planking and Tebowing. Now a spectacular goal has spawned “Persieing”. In what is sure to be one of the goals of the tournament in Brazil, Netherlands captain Robin van Persie flung himself at a long pass and headed the ball over Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas to level the score at 1-1 in the Group B opener. The Netherlands went on to win 5-1 in one of the shocks of the tournament. The flying Dutchman’s momentum sent him sliding on his belly across the damp turf of Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova, his arms stretched out to either side. Fans wasted no time photographing themselves – and even their babies – in similar poses and posting them online, giving birth to the Persieing meme.
Ominous silence
France and Honduras streamed onto the pitch as usual, greeted by a massive roar. But as players took their positions, it become clear something was missing: the singing of the national anthems.
The Group E match kicked off at Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre on Sunday without the anthems being played over the stadium speakers. Fifa did not provide an immediate explanation for why the songs weren’t played.
All international football matches, friendlies included, typically begin with national anthems – with French fans always giving a rousing rendition of “La Marseillaise” before the team’s games.
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