Home May Not Be An Advantage For Brazil

[Folami David]

It took the Maracana crowd 12 minutes to lose patience and jeer one of their own players and when coach Luiz Felipe Scolari made a substitution early in the second half, he was greeted with a resounding chorus of "donkey, donkey".
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Brazil's 2-2 draw with England on Sunday was a warning for next year's World Cup hosts that playing at home could be more of a hindrance than a help as they aim for a sixth world title.
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Sunday's match, which finally re-opened Rio de Janeiro's Maracana after a $500 million refurbishment, also suggested that Brazil's real fan culture will not be witnessed at next year's tournament.
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Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke tweeted about the "excellent atmosphere" but it was nothing like the fireworks, ticker tape, samba drums and flagwaving of a Brazilian club match.
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Sunday's ban on musical instruments seemed to confirm the suspicion that a side effect of next year's World Cup would be the gentrification of Brazilian stadiums.
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Instead of the raucous reception which greets teams at important matches, the 66 000 crowd took photos on their mobile phones and banged together inflatable plastic seats.
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Parts of the game were played in near silence but the real worry for Brazil was the reaction of the fans when things did not go their way.
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The first boos were heard after only 12 minutes when forward Neymar sent a shot high and wide of the goal. The crowd heckled and whistled his fellow striker Hulk for most of the match and chanted the name of Lucas, making it clear they wanted the Paris St Germain player to take his place.

[Shola Sholaz]

Brazil is always a good host in whatever competition so I still believe there would be some level of home advantage.