Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Brazil's official World Cup instrument under fire
Brazil's replacement for the vuvuzela is giving World Cup organizers a headache.
It wasn't the sound of the caxirola -- a maraca-like instrument not nearly as noisy as the South African vuvuzela -- that attracted attention Sunday during its official debut at a match in northeastern Brazil.
Instead, hundreds of the small green-and-yellow plastic objects were thrown onto the field by fans upset with their team's performance, forcing a brief interruption.
The incident came less than two months before the Confederations Cup begins in June.
Brazil Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said it was "not good news" to see the instruments thrown by fans but hopes it is an isolated incident.
"It doesn't mean that something like this will happen if Brazil is losing a match during the World Cup," Rebelo said.
The protest also came less than a week after Brazil's national team was loudly jeered by nearly 50,000 fans in a 2-2 home tie against Chile in Belo Horizonte.
Created by Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown, the caxirola was presented earlier this month and recognized by the Brazilian government and FIFA as the official fan instrument of the World Cup.
It creates a continuous rattling sound that's softer than the one produced by the vuvuzelas in South Africa.
It wasn't the sound of the caxirola -- a maraca-like instrument not nearly as noisy as the South African vuvuzela -- that attracted attention Sunday during its official debut at a match in northeastern Brazil.
Instead, hundreds of the small green-and-yellow plastic objects were thrown onto the field by fans upset with their team's performance, forcing a brief interruption.
The incident came less than two months before the Confederations Cup begins in June.
Brazil Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said it was "not good news" to see the instruments thrown by fans but hopes it is an isolated incident.
"It doesn't mean that something like this will happen if Brazil is losing a match during the World Cup," Rebelo said.
The protest also came less than a week after Brazil's national team was loudly jeered by nearly 50,000 fans in a 2-2 home tie against Chile in Belo Horizonte.
Created by Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown, the caxirola was presented earlier this month and recognized by the Brazilian government and FIFA as the official fan instrument of the World Cup.
It creates a continuous rattling sound that's softer than the one produced by the vuvuzelas in South Africa.
