Bangladeshi fans' support amazes Brazilian journos

Journalists from the sports unit of TV Globo, Brazil's leading television channel, were overwhelmed to see the support for their national team among Bangladeshi fans during the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

The journalists came here on June 15 to capture the love and passion for football in Bangladesh and to give Brazilian viewers a glimpse of what happens here during football's showpiece event.

Although the Bangladesh national team are light years away from the World Cup, the fans here celebrate the greatest show on earth with fervour. Flags of different nations are hoisted all around while fans parade the streets with jerseys of their favoured nations and arguments break out in homes and offices alike over allegiances.

"It is an immense pleasure for us to be here. We have been to Chittagong and Manikganj over the past two days and what we saw in those places was beyond our imagination," said reporter Clayton Conservani, who has been with TV Globo for 22 years, at a press conference at a city hotel yesterday.

"Today we went to Manikganj which felt like home. People are cheering for Brazil by painting colours on their cheeks, asking about the players and even having matches among themselves. It was very nice to see the craziness and patience of the football fans."

The three-member crew is expected to visit Narayanganj tomorrow to see the 'Brazil House' -- a multi-storey building painted in the colours of Brazil's flag -- and watch the Brazil-Costa Rica match along with around 1,000 Brazil fans. The story is expected to be aired on July 1 with an expected audience of 30 million.

"I have travelled to a lot of countries but have never seen such support and appreciation towards Brazil. We hope to have a few more spectacular days in Bangladesh," added Clayton, who believes Brazil get less support in other countries compared to their following in Bangladesh.

Joao Tabajara de Oliveira Junior, the ambassador of the Brazil Embassy in Dhaka, explained the journalists' tour by saying: "We had the idea of making our country's relation closer to Bangladesh as nothing can unite people like football. So, we had the idea to show Brazilians how Bengali people support the Brazil team."

Oliveira Junior also informed that they are in discussions to bring Zico, one of Brazil's greatest footballers, to Bangladesh although nothing had yet been finalised.