Brazil left a good impression and good memories in Weggis

It was great to have them here

WEGGIS (Switzerland): Around 7,000 fans gathered to bid farewell to Brazil's football stars on Saturday, with life in the small Swiss town that hosted the team's pre-World Cup preparation gradually getting back to normal.

People dressed in yellow-and-green packed the 5,000-seat arena — and nearby hills — to watch Brazil's last training session in the lakeside resort town here.

Brazilian fans and local residents danced and chanted, as the players practiced ahead of their warm-up against New Zealand in Geneva. Brazil will then head to Germany to defend its World Cup title.

``It was just great to have them here,'' 16-year-old Larissa Hegglin said. ``Everything changed around here just because of them.''

Transformed

Weggis, located by Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps, transformed itself to welcome the Brazilian national team — and the more than 10,000 people who flocked to town each day just to be near the players.

Brazil flags were nearly everywhere, and Portuguese was heard on the streets just as often as the usual German.

``I sill can't believe they were here,'' said 17-year-old Jana Radi. ``We were so lucky.''

Weggis officials estimated the town's financial return ranged from $3.8 million to $8.2 million.

``What is important is that Weggis has become a famous spot for soccer teams,'' town official Josef Odermatt said, adding that French league champion Lyon had already reached a deal to stay in town for its pre-season training in July.

The Brazilian Soccer Confederation reportedly received $1.5 million to have its team prepare in the central Swiss town.

The Brazilian delegation left town a couple of hours after the team's last practice session and some of the nearly 800 journalists covering the five-time world champion had also left. Some of the temporary food shops near the arena — built exclusively for the Brazilians — were closing too.

Brazilian music — usually the samba — could still be heard, but not as loudly as in the past 13 days.

Tickets sold out

All 45,000 tickets put on sale for Brazil's training sessions — which began on May 24 — were sold out despite a price of $18 each.

At one point, additional security guards had to be called after five fans invaded one of the team's practice sessions. One of them, a Brazilian woman, was able to get a hug from star player Ronaldinho.

The Brazilian players gathered midfield to applaud the fans. ``It was all very, very nice,'' Brazil defender Roberto Carlos said. ``Everyone was very happy.''

Home to about 4,000 people, Weggis was chosen as Brazil's training site after many offers from around the world, including from locations in France and the United Arab Emirates.

Brazil will play its World Cup opener against Croatia on June 13. It will then face Australia and Japan.

``We are all off to Germany now,'' the 26-year-old Brazil fan Guilherme Fonseca said.

posted by nscafuro @ 7:18 AM