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What’s the story?
During the quarterfinal clash between Brazil and Germany in the ongoing FIFA U17 World Cup, the entire city of Kolkata came to a halt and supported Brazil. It was a massive turn around at the Salt Lake stadium and the attendance figures surpassed that of all the other stadiums.
Every second Bengali is a Brazilian supporter and the huge number in the gallery was expected. After seeing this, FIFA and the local authorities are taking some strict steps to avoid any unfortunate incident during their FIFA U17 World Cup semi-final against England later today.
In case you didn’t know...
The attendance was 66,613 when the Ronaldos and Ronaldinhos of the future faced Germany. There were yellow flags, jerseys everywhere in Kolkata and inside the stadium. After Paulinho’s brilliant strike which sealed the match for Brazil, some people had misbehaved which made FIFA think, although the Brazil team felt that they were playing in front of their home crowd and their coach was delighted when the semifinal shifted to Kolkata from Guwahati.
The heart of the matter
FIFA has asked the Brazil team to stay away from the galleries during celebrations since water pouches were hurled after Paulinho struck the 77th-minute winner on 22nd October. Paulinho went very near to the gallery to celebrate his goal. The number of police personnel has also been increased inside the stadium. Police will use body cameras for constant monitoring of the crowd today.
What’s next?
There is no doubt that the gallery will be full again in the semifinal, although there are contrasting reports coming in as well. Although England have played most of their matches here they will feel left out when they face the South Americans. If Brazil win it today, then the final will be even more exciting for the Kolkata locals.
Author’s take
Bengalis prefer football over cricket. It’s a fact and when it comes to Brazil then there is nothing more important to them. This young Brazilian team will remember Kolkata forever, whether or not they manage to win the World Cup in the City of Joy.
