::[OFFICIAL] FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 Thread:::

That pitch looks awful... :x

This will be the pitch that Italy vs England plays on this Saturday & US vs Portugal June 22nd... :smh:


Manaus pitch raises fears ahead of England's World Cup 2014 opener against Italy

Alarm at poor condition of playing surface at Amazonia Arena just three days before England play Italy there, with work still going on outside and inside the stadium

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There are fears over the pitch at Manaus's £173m Amazonia Arena after pictures emerged of it in poor condition only three days before England play their first World Cup match there against Italy.

The playing surface is noticeably dry and sandy and particularly bare around one of the goals, with large yellowing areas of turf.

The rest of the stadium is not completely finished, with naked power cables dangling from the walls of the changing rooms and workers still applying a final coat of asphalt outside the ground. Several security doors are also waiting to be fitted at the stadium where a construction worker died last year after falling from the roof.

Roy Hodgson's England team are due to travel to Manaus on Thursday ahead of Saturday's game and will be worried to hear about the state of the pitch. There are already concerns about how the English players will handle the stifling heat and humidity deep into the Amazonian rainforest.

Specially constructed for the 2014 World Cup, the 46,000-capacity Amazonia Arena had been held up as an example, having been one of the first new stadiums in Brazil to break ground.

However, the pitch has been undergoing emergency repair in recent months due to seriously undernourished grass following the excessive use of fertiliser on the new playing surface. It is considered difficult to maintain a good playing surface in Manaus because of the extreme weather conditions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...ands-World-Cup-2014-opener-against-Italy.html
 
^ The period before any WC always starts with a high level of optimism... It's like Christmas Eve... :smokin


A nice feature on Brazil, the WC, & the protests from Vice News.
 
of course, when I click the link it starts off with obesity rate 
laugh.gif
 
Seriously tho lets talk about England & Wayne Rooney for a moment...

Is he not the most overrated & overpaid player since David Beckham? It's always an Englishman btw. I seriously think England's starting XI should exclude Wayne Rooney. Think they'd be a better team.
 
Para los Colombianos & for the Wankers...


http://niketalk.com/content/type/61/id/1019728/width/500/height/1000[/IMG [/quote]

Repped homie. Thank your cousin for me my portchop amigo lol.

#COLOMBIA baby!!!! ::dickie V voice::
 
Group A:
Brazil
Mexico LOL

Group B:
Spain
Netherlands

Group C:
Colombia
Japan

Group D:
England
Italy

Group E:
Ecuador
France

Group F:
Argentina
Iran

Group G:
Germany
USA

Group H:
Belgium
Russia


you dont like us we get it :lol:





but yall aint winning either face it :wink:
 
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[h1]The Atlantic[/h1]

http://[h1]Brazil Prepares for the World Cup[/h1]
JUN 10, 2014 |4

Thursday will be the opening day of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The widely-viewed event will bring together 32 national football teams to compete in 64 matches in facilities in twelve cities across Brazil. Billions of dollars have been spent since Brazil was named host nation in 2007 -- on new stadiums, upgraded stadiums, improved transportation facilities, new hotel space, and broad security measures. Many Brazilians are unhappy with the expenditures during a time of social hardship, and have been vocal in protests for years. Hundreds of thousands of fans will soon make their way to Brazil -- the opening match is on June 12, the final match on July 13. Collected here are images of recent preparations for the 2014 World Cup. [40 photos]

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A Brazilian football fan plays with a soccer ball on a beach in Rio de Janeiro on June 8, 2014. The 2014 World Cup starts on Thursday, June 12.(Reuters/Eddie Keogh) 

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An aerial view of the Maracana stadium behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, on May 13, 2014.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File) #  

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Two children walk along a street decorated in the Brazilian national colors in Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro on June 9, 2014.(Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images) #  

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A policeman observes a screen displaying Maracana stadium during a media tour at the security center for the 2014 soccer World Cup in Rio de Janeiro on January 22, 2014. (Reuters/Marcelo Regua) #  

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A demonstrator shouts slogans against FIFA during a protest against the 2014 FIFA World Cup, at a bus station in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 27, 2014. Brazilians are protesting against the huge amounts of money spent by the government on the upcoming World Cup.(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) #  

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Workers stand on scaffolding outside Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 6, 2014. (Reuters/Tont Gentile) #  

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A supporter from Colombia kisses a replica of the World Cup with Rio de Janeiro in the background, on top of Sugarloaf Mountain on June 9, 2014. (Reuters/Paul Hanna) #  

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Members of the Brazilian Army, Navy and Air Force attend a presentation of defense and security personnel and equipment that will be used during the 2014 World Cup in Brasilia on June 8, 2014. (Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino) #  

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Members of the Brazilian Army, Navy and Air Force stand at attention during a presentation in Brasilia on June 8, 2014.(Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino) #  

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Members of the the Civil Police's Core (Coordination of Special Assets) unit train in a mock favela set up in Rio de Janeiro on December 3, 2013. (Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images) #  

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A Brazilian Navy sniper participates in a mock hostage rescue drill in Rio de Janeiro on May 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano) #  

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Brazilian Army soldiers take part in a simulated explosion of a radioactive device during a safety drill outside Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia, on June 9, 2014, ahead of the FIFA World Cup. (Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty Images) #  

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Rescue workers in chemical protective gear, aid a man playing the role of a victim during a simulation of an attack in the subway, as part of the 2014 World Cup preparations, in Rio de Janeiro, on May 31, 2014. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) #  

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Firefighters and soldiers conduct a chemical contamination simulated training exercise, in preparation for the FIFA soccer World Cup, in front of the National Stadium in Brasilia on June 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) #  

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Laborers work on the construction of the Arena de Sao Paulo Stadium, one of the venues for the 2014 World Cup, in the Sao Paulo district of Itaquera, on March 15, 2014. (Reuters/Paulo Whitaker) #  

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An aerial view of Estadio das Dunas on November 14, 2013 in Natal, Brazil. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images) #  

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Workers put tiles on a wall at the Tancredo Neves International Airport, ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on June 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano) #  

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Aerial view of Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) #  

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Employees make stuffed toys of Fuleco the Armadillo, the official mascot of the FIFA 2014 World Cup, at a factory in Tianchang, Anhui province, China, on January 6, 2014. (Reuters/Stringer) #  

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An employee adjusts outer panels on a soccer ball inside the soccer ball factory that produces official match balls for 2014 World Cup in Brazil, in Sialkot, Punjab province, Pakistan, on May 16, 2014. When Pakistani factory owner Khawaja Akhtar felt the roar of the crowd at the 2006 World Cup in Germany he set a goal of his own: to manufacture the ball for the biggest soccer tournament on the planet. Last year he finally got his chance - but only 33 days to make it happen. (Reuters/Sara Farid) #  

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Belgian entrepreneurs Fabio Lavalle (left) and David Dos Santos pose with the "diabolica" trumpet in Mons, Belgium, on May 16, 2014. Ear-splitting vuvuzelas were an ever-present backdrop to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. Four years on, two Belgian entrepreneurs hope to fill stadiums in Brazil with the high-pitched noise from plastic trumpets dubbed "diabolica".(Reuters/Francois Lenoir) #  

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A man exchanges stickers for the official 2014 FIFA World Cup sticker album at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City June 7, 2014. Italian publishing company Panini has issued the sticker album for every World Cup since the 1970 tournament in Mexico, and hundreds showed up on Saturday for the chance to fill their 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil editions, local media reported. (Reuters/Bernardo Montoya) #  

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Brazilian soccer fan Marilza Guimaraes da Silva, 63, plays with a ball, dressed in one of her many outfits matching the colors of the Brazil's national flag at her home in Brasilia on May 27, 2014. (Reuters/Joedson Alves) #  

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Cintya Mello laughs as she stands among large puppets in the likeness of soccer players during a break in a campaign against hepatitis parade featuring puppets of soccer stars and other celebrities on June 8, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) #  

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Brazilian sex workers Cida Vieira (left) and Cida da Silva, both members of the Association of Prostitutes of Minas Gerais, listen to teacher Igor Fuchs during an English class in Belo Horizonte on May 12, 2014. A group of sex workers are taking English classes once a week in preparation for the World Cup. They hope these lessons will help them communicate better with soccer fans coming to Brazil who might use their services. During the classes, they not only learn basic vocabulary like the days of the week, but also sexual words and phrases that they use on the job. (Reuters/Pilar Olivares) #  

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A worker helps construct a hotel with rooms to be available for tourists in time for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in the Cantagalo favela in Rio de Janeiro on May 1, 2014. A shortage of hotel beds in Rio has led to demand for alternative housing around the city and many tourists will opt to stay in some of Rio's slums in order to save money. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) #  

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Activist Sara Winter poses for the picture during her anti-World Cup protest on Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach, on June 9, 2014. Written on her body is the phrase "While your team is relaxing, Brazilians are dying". Winter walks the beach talking to foreign tourists telling them that Brazilians are suffering from neglect. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) #  

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Military/security staff shelter from the sun in the shadow of a stadium wall as they watch the Netherlands training session at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, held at the Estadio Jose Bastos Padilha Gavea on June 8, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro.(Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) #  

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An aerial view of England's national soccer team training session in progress at the Urca military base near Copacabana Beach on June 9, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E) #  

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A military police officer takes position during an operation in the Mare slum complex, ahead of its "pacification," in Rio de Janeiro on March 25, 2014. Elite federal police and army troops have been sent to the city to help quell a wave of violence in so-called "pacified" slums. Recent attacks on police bases in the favelas is raising concerns about an ambitious security program that began in 2008, in part to secure the city ahead of this year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) #  

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A hot air balloon in the likeness of Brazil's Christ The Redeemer statute, wearing the colors of Australia's soccer team, floats through clouds over the Melbourne, Australia, skyline on June 10, 2014. (AP Photo/sportsbet.com.au, Dave Callow) #  

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An Indian artist gives the finishing touches to clay models of football players inside a workshop prior to delivery to a local football club in Kolkata on June 10, 2014. Football fans in the eastern Indian city are gearing up for the upcoming Brazil FIFA World Cup 2014 and decorating their clubs with football-related paraphernalia. (Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images) #  

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Otter "Arashi" acting as goalkeeper, saves a soccer ball hurled by a sea lion, left, during a show at Aburatsubo Marine Park in Miura, near Tokyo, Japan, on June 7, 2014. The aquarium began staging the event on Saturday, during the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) #  

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A demonstrator wearing a jacket that reads "FIFA Go Home" spreads her arms open during a protest against the 2014 World Cup, in Sao Paulo, on March 13, 2014. An estimated 1,500 protesters gathered to march the streets of downtown Sao Paulo to show they are against the World Cup and against the costs associated with Brazil's hosting the sporting event. (Reuters/Nacho Doce) #  

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An Indigenous protester in traditional headdress prepares to fire an arrow against military police during a protest against the FIFA World Cup outside the National Stadium in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 27, 2014. Protesters in traditional headdress squared off against Brazilian police mounted on horses in the nation's capital, just outside a new soccer stadium that will host World Cup matches.(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) #  

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People play soccer on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro on June 4, 2014. (Reuters/Sergio Moraes) #  

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Ivory Coast's national football team goalkeeper Boubacar Barry stretches on the crossbar as he takes part in a team training session at Aguas de Lindoia on June 9, 2014, ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. (Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images) #  

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Caique wears a Brazilian national soccer jersey in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, on June 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) #  

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Chile soccer fan Cristian Uribarri holds up his replica of the World Cup trophy as he decides whether he should take it and where to put it in his trailer, which he built from scratch, as he packs for the next day's journey with four friends to Brazil from Santiago, Chile, on June 5, 2014. The shiny contraption they call their "Lunar Vehicle" has air conditioning, a stove, an LCD TV, a Playstation and a queen-sized mattress. Using the mini-home on wheels will save them on lodging and meals. (AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo) #  

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A boy controls the ball as he practices on Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, on May 7, 2014. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar) #  
 
Seriously tho lets talk about England & Wayne Rooney for a moment...

Is he not the most overrated & overpaid player since David Beckham? It's always an Englishman btw. I seriously think England's starting XI should exclude Wayne Rooney. Think they'd be a better team.

:stoneface:


I see you dont know much about this stuff.

Rooney is awesome. He is one of the few players who can take the team on his back
 
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You have to stop making predictions for the sake of your country because you've been wrong all year. You may jinx them. Careful. :lol:

So i should be like you.

"Oh my team needs X...my team needs Y...if we had X we could have won"

Then when you win you say "Man i had faith".
And when you lose you say "ive been saying we lacked X. We did not deserve to win"

Ive been hearing your same spiel with Real and Portugal's ups and down.

I aint like that. I aint jinxing anyone. Im just a fan.

And how was I wrong all year? Barca beat Real (2 wins 1 loss) and they had a chance to beat Atletico for La Liga. Doesnt seem crazy for someone to say they would win La liga
 
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Seriously tho lets talk about England & Wayne Rooney for a moment...

Is he not the most overrated & overpaid player since David Beckham? It's always an Englishman btw. I seriously think England's starting XI should exclude Wayne Rooney. Think they'd be a better team.

He is. BUT I still don't believe becks was overrated.

Call me a stan but yeah.
 
Group A:
Brazil
Mexico LOL

Group B:
Spain
Netherlands

Group C:
Colombia
Japan

Group D:
England
Italy

Group E:
Ecuador
France

Group F:
Argentina
Iran

Group G:
Germany
USA

Group H:
Belgium
Russia
you dont like us we get it :lol:





but yall aint winning either face it :wink:

:stoneface:

I think the Mexicans in the US are the fanatical ones that cant take criticism. The ones that report on TV Azteca and Mexicans like David Feitelson are the ones with their feet on the ground.

Who said i dont like mexicans? I just watched Rudo y Cursi last night...pretty funny mexican soccer movie by Cuaron and Garl Garcia
Rocking the River jersey
View media item 1020639

Im realistic about my team. The best case scenario has us reaching the final. Worst case scenario we lose to ecuador/france/swiss. It 11 vs 11 anything can happen.
 
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lol nah man i know what what you trying to saying, dont give that we cant take take criticism cause we criticize our own team. we made the world cup by a miracle and i honesty dont know what to expect. Yall in the same position tho, how many world cups since yall reached the semis???........ just saying im trying to enjoy this great sport without much expectations from my team
 
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