Soccer Expo

Ernie and I watched for two weeks as they built another temporary sports venue on the sand in Copacabana. Ernie was looking forward to a week-long championship he could watch during the week while I was at work! Well, it turned out that it was a weekend-long soccer expo, which he and I enjoyed for a bit today.

They had big soccer names from around the world...but they were all retired! It was kind of a retired masters competition. We didn't know any of the players -- Brazilian or otherwise -- but people were happy to see their retired stars! The match was modified; the field was much shorter and there were only six players on each team. The matches lasted about 30 minutes and at one point I thought one of the goalies wouldn't last that long! It was hot and these guys were not in their prime. Still, it was an entertaining morning.

The Brazilian team enters the field. They are playing against...

Yes, Argentina! The two worst rivals on the field. Ernie and I noticed that the players from Argentina looked a bit older than the one on the Brazilian team. We wonder if it was a coincidence...or if they'd been handpicked! Brazil won -- surprise ;-)

(Above) The temporary venue built across the street from the Copacabana Palace hotel; notice the pedestrian overpass they built (below)

Have a look at the cameraman attached to the safety harness: