A wall of sound met Brazil and Japan’s national sides as they walked out at Brasilia’s Estadio Nacional for Saturday’s Confederations Cup opener.
Brazil are under pressure to deliver as they use this event as the springboard for next summer’s World Cup — also on home soil.
And the country as a whole is desperate to show it can organise major events with the Rio Olympics to follow the two festivals of football in 2016.
A good-natured crowd milled around the stadium from the late morning before making their way inside the new 80,000 capacity venue, also named after 1958 and 1962 world champion Mane Garrincha, who along with a teenage Pele was an instrumental figure in capturing the first of Brazil’s five World Cups.
Many home fans whistled as the stadium announcer pointedly bade them welcome to the 475 million-dollar arena — one of six hosting the event compared with the 12 which will host the World Cup — using the Garrincha name whereas officials generally refer to the Estadio Nacional.
Fans were greeted by an array of posters — some gently reminding them that if they wanted a beer then please would they purchase it … before the 70th minute of the game.
Many among the Japanese contingent professed to be supporting both sides, given that a large swathe had made their way from Sao Paulo, home to a large Japanese community.
Some danced and sang in rather more exuberantly Brazilian fashion than might be expected back in Tokyo, Osaka or Sapporo.
“Brasil, Nihon, Brasil, Nihon,” a group chanted as they alternately showed their support for both sides.
“Well my loyalties are not so much divided as double. My family is Japanese, but I have lived in Brazil all my life,” 28-year-old salesman Takashi beamed as he made for the entrance after skewering a platter of Brazilian beef with rice at a cafe outside the venue.
The easygoing nature of the fans was in stark contrast to the disturbances of earlier in the day and Friday when urban reform protesters and disaffected health workers had demonstrated against the cost of staging the event and the World Cup.
Those protests came hot on the heels of sometimes violent demonstrations in Sao Paulo and Rio as citizens vented their anger at rising public transport costs.
Inside the stadium, 800 dancers dressed in folkloric dress representing the eight countries involved — Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Uruguay, Nigeria and little Tahiti — in this gathering of continental champions.
Samba dancers, de rigueur in Brazil, were also on hand to inject some rhythm before the likes of Neymar were called on to do the same with the ball at his feet.
Neymar sparkled straight away with a fine opening goal inside three minutes.
The protests apart, a sour note was struck when FIFA President Sepp Blatter took the microphone to a storm of boos after entering the VIP area alongside Brazil President Dilma Rousseff.
“We are all united for a true fiesta of football in the land of the five-times world champions,” said Blatter, who pointedly asked fans to show the spirit of fair play.
But the jeers only grew louder as Rousseff made her own address, declaring the competition open.
Brazil’s vocal protesters believe that a country home to visible extremes of richness and dire poverty — which Rousseff and her predecessor President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva have vowed to tackle during the past decade, with a degree of success — should spend more money on social policy rather than some 15 billion dollars on top sports events.
Wall of sound and fury greets Brazil, Japan
