Football Lust

Well - I thought the English had the world topped for football craziness, but I think the Brazilians have got them beat as of today. We are nearing the end of the Brazilian football season here, and the underdogs (the Corinthians) have pretty much got it in the bag. Now football is a political sport in Brazil. Something a little different from the UK. In the UK, if you're posh, you play rugby or polo. Football is definitely for the masses. But here in Brazil they ALL get involved. From the directors of multinational corporations right down to the street kids. What team you support means everything. The Corinthians are for the people. Their supporters travel the country to cheer them on and dance through the games. They are passionate, obsessive, and manic team supporters. The descendants of the Italian immigrants to Brazil have their own team (Palmeiras ?) and the upper well educated classes are wont to support a team called Sao Paulo. There is no better pleasure than walking into a cocktail or office full of up-themselves Brazilians and letting your preference for a team called Corinthians be heard loud and clear. And the best way to do it is through an innocent. Jasper is now a proud supporter of both Liverpool (Red is for Liverpool) and the Corinthians (Black and white is for Corinthians!). Amen!