The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Brazil

  • Argentina must improve to succeed in Russia – Messi

    Argentina must improve to succeed in Russia – Messi

    Argentina captain Lionel Messi believes they need to improve if they are to stand a chance of winning next year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

    Argentina, who reached the final in 2014, struggled during qualification for Russia, going through three coaches before securing their place at the tournament.

    And it was all thanks to a Messi hat-trick in a 3-1 win away to Ecuador in the final qualifier.

    Messi’s side will kick off their World Cup campaign against Iceland on June 16, before facing Croatia and Nigeria in their other group stage fixtures.

    Next year’s tournament may be the last chance for the 30-year-old Messi to win a major trophy with Argentina and the FC Barcelona forward is already concerned.

    He says they need to make changes in order to overcome more fancied countries.

    “We had a difficult time (in qualifying), but we had our moments,” Messi said.

    “But it’s true that we need to improve if we want to be world champions. Right now we’re not far off, but there are better sides than us, such as Brazil, Germany, France and Spain.”

    As well as losing to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, Argentina were also defeated by Chile in successive Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016.

    Messi, however, believes they should have celebrated at least two victories.

    “I never went back over the finals (we lost). We deserved to win them, in spite of not playing that well. We still had the best chances, both in the World Cup and Copa America,” he said.

    “I’d have to watch them again to see what we didn’t get right in order not to win them. But right here I believe we should have won at least two of them.”

    Messi and his team mates have had a tumultuous relationship with the Argentine media, boycotting them 12 months ago due to what the national team perceived as unfair treatment.

    He said that media criticism has created a culture of fear within the squad.

    “Criticism went above and beyond what is normal and became personal,” he said.

    “The bitterness we feel is because we know what’s coming if things don’t go well for us. People want results and if they don’t get them, they want to see fresh blood. We don’t feel that way.”

    NAN

  • Brazil vs England: FIFA site goes into meltdown

    Brazil vs England: FIFA site goes into meltdown

     

    More than one million football fans tried to purchase tickets for Wednesday’s Under-17 World Cup semi-final between England and Brazil in Kolkata, leading to the meltdown of FIFA’s online ticketing system.

    A decision was made to switch the highly-anticipated semi-final to Kolkata after the two teams refused to play on the heavily waterlogged pitch at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.

    With over 1,000km between the two cities, the vast majority of fans who had purchased tickets in Guwahati were left cursing the torrential rain that ruined their chance to see the spectacle.

    But it was a bonus for fans who lived in Kolkata, with the Salt Lake Stadium set to stage its ninth game of the tournament on Wednesday lunchtime UK time.

    However, many who logged on to FIFA’s ticket portal to buy one of the 66,000 tickets placed on sale at short notice were to be left disappointed.

    FIFA have confirmed that over one million fans logged on to attempt to buy tickets when they went on sale on Monday, with many confronted with messages saying they were behind as many as 100,000 in the queue.

    Tickets went on sale at 8.30pm Indian time but by 8.40pm, over 95,000 – more than the overall capacity of the stadium – were waiting in line.

    It proved a game of patience for fans, with some sticking it out for hours and eventually obtaining their tickets as others logged out of the queue.

    A crowd of 66,613 attended the Brazil vs Germany quarter-final last Sunday, within touching distance of the capacity of 66,687 for this tournament. Brazil take on England in few hours with the winner to face winner in the second semi final tie between Mali and Spain.

  • Brazil names costa, drop Luiz against Japan

    Brazil names costa, drop Luiz against Japan

     

     

    Brazil have called up Juventus winger Douglas Costa and left out Chelsea defender David Luiz for their international friendlies against Japan and England next month.

    Brazil will play Japan on November 10 in the French city of Lille, and four days later face England in London. All of the teams have qualified for the World Cup.

    The priority was to test midfielders and forwards like Costa and still keep the team’s identity, coach Tite said in a news conference on Friday.

    ‘We called Costa at times in which he had physical problems, and that did not give him the chance to perform well,’ Tite said.

    ‘In the latest games we watched, he is going back to his level.’

    In place of Luiz, Tite said he was trying out Monaco’s Jemerson. The coach also said he will rotate the captaincy, even during the World Cup.

    ‘There is an idea behind this: We all have responsibilities,’ he said.

    ‘In the 1958 World Cup final Sweden scored against Brazil and Didi went to the back of the net, talked to all the players. And he was not the captain, but he behaved like one. Every player has to behave as if he was the captain.’

    BRAZIL SQUAD FOR FRIENDLIES AGAINST JAPAN AND ENGLAND

    Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Manchester City), Cassio (Corinthians)

    Defenders: Dani Alves (Paris Saint-Germain), Danilo (Manchester City), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Alex Sandro (Juventus), Marquinhos, Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain), Miranda (Inter Milan), Jemerson (Monaco)

    Midfielders: Casemiro (Real Madrid), Paulinho (Barcelona), Fernandinho (Manchester City), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Giuliano (Zenit St. Petersburg), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Willian (Chelsea), Diego (Flamengo) Douglas Costa (Juventus)

    Forwards: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain), Diego Souza (Sport Recife), Taison (Shahktar Donetsk)

  • Neymar sings lamentation song over Bolivia draw

    Neymar sings lamentation song over Bolivia draw

     

    Brazil star Neymar has said that his team had to play in “inhuman” conditions during their 0-0 draw with Bolivia in La Paz on Thursday.

    Brazil have already booked their place at next summer’s World Cup but they could have had another win in qualifying had Bolivia keeper Carlos Lampe not kept Neymar and his teammates at bay.

    After the game, however, the Paris Saint-Germain attacker posted photos on social media of the Brazil squad wearing oxygen masks in the dressing room, complaining that conditions in Bolivia were not up to his usual standards.

    “Inhuman  to play in such conditions. Pitch, altitude, ball… everything bad,” he wrote on Instagram.

    “I felt a little tired — it’s normal,” Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus said. “[It’s the] first time I played in altitude like this. To feel it, it’s normal. We managed to play, set the rhythm. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t go in today.

    “It’s [time] to rest so that in the next games we can play another good game and score goals. Physically it takes a lot. Possession of the ball is in relation to the field. That wasn’t nice, but we can’t complain. It’s to enter the field and play, to confront problems.”

    Meanwhile, Brazil defender Thiago Silva picked up a leg injury in the first half and was replaced by PSG teammate Marquinhos.

    Thiago Silva, 33, had to be stretchered off after dropping to the ground with no one near him after 27 minutes of the match.

    “Thiago felt pain in the back of his right thigh,” Brazil boss Tite said after the game. “He couldn’t continue.

    Early evaluations show a possible muscle injury. He will be re-evaluated in Sao Paulo and after we’ll tell you what will be done.”

    Thiago Silva could now miss Brazil’s final qualifier against Chile on Tuesday, while PSG will anxiously await an update on his fitness.

    Any injury lay-off for the PSG captain would come at a bad time for the Ligue 1 leaders, who are due to play five games between Oct. 14 and the end of the month.

    Their upcoming fixtures include a trip to rivals Marseille, a match against Nice — one of last season’s title rivals — and two Champions League ties against Belgian team Anderlecht.

  • Don’t invade pitch, Umar urges fans

    Don’t invade pitch, Umar urges fans

    CP Garba Umar, Senior Security Advisor to the Super Eagles, has urged football fans to be orderly as they throng Uyo to watch the team’s World Cup qualifier against Zambia on Saturday.

    Umar made the appeal when he spoke with a reporter on Friday in Awka on the crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier against the Chipolopolo of Zambia at the Godswill Akpabio  International Stadium, Uyo.

    He said that the team had been talking to fans on the need to be ruly as well as the consequences of field encroachment.

    The Police Commissioner in Anambra said that enough mobilisation of personnel had been done ahead of the game in the light of the high expectations and excitement that would surround the game.

    “We have been working towards a hitch-free game, talking to fans against pitch invasion or encroachment because FIFA is very strict about such behaviours.

    “Our men have been mobilised and are on ground, we understand the nature and tempo of the game, it is a crucial one.

    “And we hope that with the preparations on ground, it will be a very free security atmosphere,’’ he said.

    Contributing, Arthur Ebunam, the Chairman of ex-Rangers International players in Anambra, said that though pressure would be on the Eagles, they would come out triumphant.

    Ebunam, a former Green Eagles player, said they should approach the game with positive minds and attack their opponents and score as many goals as possible.

    He the Eagles were almost World Cup-bound but should play the Zambians as though their qualification depended on the game.

    “Our team is under pressure whether you like it or not; they have almost qualified, people are hoping they win the game; they are at home unlike their opponents who are here to spoil their fun.

    “Technically, they should attack, attack and attack, get many goals in the first half and consolidate in the second half, I am confident we will win,’’ he said.

    A win over Zambia in Uyo will be enough to see Nigeria return to the Mundial after reaching the second round in Brazil in 2014.

    NAN

  • Yusuf says Super Eagles in victory mood

    Yusuf says Super Eagles in victory mood

    Super Eagles’ Assistant Coach, Salisu Yusuf, on Thursday said the players were in good mood and ready to conquer Zambia on Saturday in their World Cup qualifier.

    Yusuf said this in an interview that the Super Eagles were mentally and physically fit to overcome the Chipopolo of Zambia in Uyo.

    The coach said that he had absolute confidence in not just his players but their management because they were on top of the cracker between the two countries.

    “The Super Eagles are in very positive mood for the game against Zambia on Saturday,’’ Yusuf said.

    He appealed for the support of Nigerians, saying it was necessary for the team to be victorious in the match to be played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

    The Super Eagles are ahead of other teams in Group B with 10 points and are followed by Zambia with seven points.

    Nigeria started the World Cup qualification campaign in what many soccer pundits predicted to be the group of death in a blistering form with a defeat 2-1 defeat of Zambia in Ndola to pick their first away win.

    Nigeria is on the brink of qualifying for the 2018 Mundial in Russia with an emphatic 4-0 win over the African champions, Cameroon in Uyo and the reverse fixture in Yaoundé which ended1-1.

    A home victory over Zambia – a side they beat away at the start of the group phase – will be enough to see Nigeria return to the finals after reaching the second round in Brazil in 2014.

    Other countries that could all book their spots at next year’s World Cup in the penultimate round of African qualifiers at the weekend are Egypt and Tunisia.

    That will leave the other two slots to be decided next month.

    NAN

  • Uncertainty clouds Brazil’s new soybean crop

    Uncertainty clouds Brazil’s new soybean crop

    As soon as rains appear in the sky, soybean planting season will kick off in Brazil.

    However, the start of the 2017-18 season in the world’s largest soybean exporter — and probably the entire season — is set to be bumpy and full of uncertainties.

    As of September 16, farmers were authorised to start sowing in Mato Grosso and Parana states, the two main producers in the country. Weather forecasters warn, though, that rains have not arrived yet and may not arrive anytime soon. Cooler-than-average waters in the Pacific Ocean — but not cool enough to characterize a La Niña phenomenon — will make rains irregular during the first fours weeks of the planting period, until mid October. Only on the second half of October the precipitation will normalise and planting will go on properly, according to specialists.

    “It’s not that we are not going to see rains for the next four weeks. It’s just that they are going to happen in scattered regions. After that, they will begin to normalize, starting in the South (Parana) and later in Brazil Center-west (Mato GRosso and other states),” said Marco Antonio dos Santos, an agriculture meteorologist at RuralClima.

    That should be sufficient to allow the Brazilian soybean crop in the correct weather window, so that uncertainty will not last long. Others, however, will stay around for some time.

    Take the example of soybean financials. The operational production cost per hectare in Mato Grosso is pegged 11 per cent higher for 2017-18, compared to 2016-17, mainly due to rising costs related to depreciation and payment of loan interests, according to farmers institute Imea. On the other hand prices are depressed and discouraging.

    Soybeans reached in April the lowest point since February 2015, in nominal values at Paranagua port. Currently they are 12 per cent lower than 12 months ago and 13 per cent below 24 months ago, according to the Esalq/BM&FBovespa cash price index.

    Imea said 2017-18 soybeans are being forward sold by farmers at Real 54.60/bag (60 kg) on average in Mato Grosso. Given an operational cost of Real 2,983/ha estimated for this new season, it will be necessary to harvest 54.63 bag/ha to pay all the bills. Any yield below that would in theory be a financial loss. Considering that average productivity in Mato GRosso is projected at 54.1 bags/ha, it’s not difficult to imagine farmers will be able have peace of mind only when the combines finish their work in Q1 2018.

    Want add another layer of uncertainty? That can be the currency, which influences directly the local prices, as they are a combination of CBOT prices, the exchange rate and a small premium or discount at ports. The US dollar has oscillated between Real 3.48 to Real 3.06 in the past 12 months. And the currency nowadays responds not only to macroeconomic factors, but to a volatile political landscape, that changes in a blink of an eye, depending on the corruption scandal that hits the headlines any given week.

    So much uncertainty leads to extreme cautiousness among farmers and that leads to slow farmers sales. In fact, the new season is already open and there is a lot of beans from 2016-17 to be sold. Farmers sales of the old crop are currently at 80 per cent, down from 89 per cent at the same period last season, according to estimates by Safras & Mercado consultancy.

  • Brazil to lift meat trade restrictions- WTO chief

    Brazil to lift meat trade restrictions- WTO chief

    Brazil is engaged in World Trade Organisation(WTO) committee talks aimed at eliminating any potential barriers to poultry and pork exports.

    The meeting is in line with an upcoming summit in December, the next opportunity to advance agreements benefiting its farm exports, the head of the WTO said.

    Brazil has proposed the adoption of scientific criteria related to sanitary standards in the food trade in a WTO committee, Director-General Roberto Azevedo told a conference on Tuesday.

    Brazil and the European Union have an interest in advancing talks to reduce subsidies distorting trade, although no agreement is in sight yet, he added.

    The EU, Brazil and three other Latin American countries introduced a WTO proposal in July aimed at reducing farm subsidies.

    “For it to be possible to reduce subsidies it is necessary that all countries change. Otherwise it is like unilateral disarmament,” Azevedo said.
    The WTO will hold a ministerial conference in Buenos Aires in early December.

    Azevedo’s comments underscored the importance of eliminating protectionist barriers at a time when global trade growth remains weak.

    The WTO predicts 2017 will be the sixth consecutive year of growth in global trade below three per cent, making for the slowest pace of growth since World War Two, he said.

  • Brazil: Court sentences judge to eight years for driving confiscated Porsche

    Brazil: Court sentences judge to eight years for driving confiscated Porsche

    A federal court in Rio de Janeiro sentenced a Brazilian judge to eight years imprisonment on Tuesday for driving confiscated luxury vehicles, local media reported.

    Judge Flavio Souza, who was presiding over criminal proceedings against former billionaire Eike Batista, was removed from office in 2015 after he was caught driving Batista’s Porsche Cayenne in Rio.

    The judge also kept another luxury car confiscated from Batista in his garage, as well as a piano and several Rolex watches.

    They were seized by a court from Batista, once Brazil’s richest man, because of his high debts, the O Globo news portal reported.

    In 2012, Batista had a net worth of 30 billion dollars, making him the seventh wealthiest person in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

    His wealth plummeted due to strategic mistakes, a drop in oil prices, falling stock prices and criminal proceedings following corruption allegations.

    Most of his fortune was made from investments in mining and oil and gas exploration.

  • We are now ready for business with Nigeria – Brazil

    The Consul-General of Brazil in Nigeria, Amb. Maria Figueiredo, on Monday announced the new interest of Brazilian companies in doing businesses in the country.

    Figueiredo, who stated this in Lagos at a Brazil/Nigeria Business Forum, said the companies had realised the need for mutually beneficial business relations with Nigeria.

    The Consul-General said a Trade Mission of 11 different companies were at a one day forum to indicate the new interest of Brazilian companies in the Nigerian economy.

    She said: “We believe that it is about time that Brazil and Nigeria come together again in promoting mutually-beneficial business relations between our two countries.

    “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil and ApexBrasil, a Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency have, therefore, organised a Trade Mission of 11 Brazilian companies to this forum.

    “We really want Brazilian and Nigerian companies to know themselves and begin to do business together, especially now that Africa is asking for the presence of Brazilian companies.”

    According to her, the Brazilian Trade Mission seeks to bring closer Nigerian and Brazilian companies, as well as promote international business and strategic partnerships between the two countries.

    NAN