THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2014 FAN FERVOR Iran eliminated SALVADOR: Edin Dzeko weighed in with a first-half goal as Bosnia-Hercegovina knocked Iran out of the World Cup with a 3-1 win in Salvador yesterday. Iran had needed to beat Bosnia and hope Nigeria lost to Argentina to keep alive faint hopes of reach- ing the last 16, but Carlos Queiroz’s side came up well short in the Group F clash. A powerful strike by Manchester City star Dzeko gave Bosnia an early lead before Miralem Pjanic added a second just before the hour to settle a relatively dull affair at Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova. The game burst into life in the final minutes as Iran striker Reza Ghoochannejad netted his side’s first goal of Brazil 2014, but Bosnia replied immediately with an Avdija Vrsajevic goal. The result confirmed both teams’ exit as Argentina and Nigeria reached the knock-out stages by finish- ing first and second respectively in the table after the Argentinians’ 3-2 win in Porto Alegre. Bosnia, whose elimination had already been con- firmed prior to the game, are left to rue what might have been after refereeing mistakes contributed to their 1-0 defeat to Nigeria in their previous match. Safet Susic’s side ended on a high to claim third and leave Iran bottom of the group with a single point from their draw with Nigeria. Salvador has now seen 21 World Cup goals in four group games after the Netherlands destroyed Spain 5-1, Germany thumped Portugal 4-0 and France dominated Switzerland 5-2 with a last 16 match and quarter-final still to come in the stadium. Dzeko had the best of the early chances when he fired over after a powerful run into the area, then headed straight at Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi. His much-threatened goal arrived on 23 minutes when Dzeko unleashed a fierce drive into the bottom right-hand corner past two defenders, which gave SALVADOR: Iran’s Reza Ghoochannejhad (left) fights for the ball with Bosnia’s Sead Kolasinac during Haghighi no chance. Iran almost hit back immediate- the Group F World Cup soccer match. —AP ly as midfielder Masoud Shojaei clattered the cross- bar. But for all of Iran’s attacking efforts, Bosnia’s which killed off Iran’s hopes from a defensive error. verted a cross eight minutes from time, although Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Bgeovic was solid A poorly timed pass out of the Iran defence was replays suggested he was offside. between the posts, especially from crosses. snapped up by Tino-Sven Susic who fed Pjanic and Bosnia responded immediately to snuff out any With his side 1-0 down at the break, Iran’s Queiroz the Roma midfielder drilled his shot home on 59 hopes of a fight back as right-back Vrsajevic smashed brought on experienced forward Khosro Heydari to minutes. Charlton Athletic striker Ghoochannejad home his shot after a charging run down the right boost their attack. But Bosnia grabbed the goal finally got Iran’s first Brazil 2014 goal when he con- flank.—AFP World Cup fever in Amazon rainforest MANAUS: Even in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, the World Cup is big news-and big business. The two dozen or so Indians in the tiny village of Tupe - with one cheek cov- ered in ritual tattoos and the other painted in the nation’s green and yellow - are closely following the world’s premier sporting event. They are also warmly welcoming an influx of tourists keen to add a bit of indigenous culture to their World Cup experience-monkeys, vultures, traditional cos- tumes and all. Normally, only two or three groups of intrepid tourists a week head to Tupe, which is located about 35 kilometres (20 miles) from Manaus, the regional capital and host of four World Cup matches. But since the start of the World Cup, the numbers of groups headed to the village-which was established in 2002 and is home to 25 residents from five different tribes-has been rising from a trickle to a BRAZIL: US forward Clint Dempsey (center) takes part in a team training session in Sao Paulo steady flood. during the 2014 FIFA World Cup football tournament. —AFP One day earlier this week-as Brazil took on Cameroon, eventually winning a spot in the final 16 — tourists flocked to Tupe, which is on a section of the Taruma Mirim river, US goes soccer crazy as which flows into the Rio Negro. As one group of visitors waits outside the community, admiring handicrafts and jewelry, others watch a carefully choreographed show-one team eyes second round performed many times. It is a colorful spectacle, geared for maximum impact- the tribespeople are wearing feathered headdresses and LOS ANGELES: Record numbers of football fans in helping turn the tide against soccer detractors. loincloths, and dancing bells on their feet. the United States are bracing for another edge-of- “The popularity of the sport is growing signifi- Village women invite the tourists to take part in the the-seat match today as their team battles to make cantly in the United States among that young audi- dancing, and then everyone poses for the obligatory sou- the World Cup second round-and prove the sport’s ence. We believe that bodes well for the future venir photos-the visitors of course don’t forget first to place growing popularity. Nearly 25 million viewers increase in popularity,” he told AFP. a few coins in baskets set out for that purpose. One detail tuned in to watch their last game against Portugal, “We certainly believe that the US is rapidly doesn’t quite fit with the traditional image-one of the astonishingly more than the NBA finals or base- becoming a soccer nation,” he added. USC profes- dancers is clad in branded Celio boxer shorts. ball’s World Series, mainstays of the US sporting sor Durbin said football is benefiting from a gener- Raimundo Veloso Vaz, a 78-year-old shaman who has landscape along with American football. al trend of increased demand for live televised made several visits to Europe to defend tribal culture, acts Sports bars and pubs across the country were sports, even if the uninterrupted format of games as head of the community and a self-styled “ambassador of heaving with fans Sunday night, when the US team may take time to catch on here. the Indians.” came within a whisker of winning an instant pass “US viewers have been trained to see their “A hotel had just been built nearby and we thought it to the second round, only to be cruelly deprived by sports narratives broken up by constant commer- was a good opportunity for our traditions to be discovered,” a last-gasp Portuguese goal. cial breaks. They’ve been taught by baseball, foot- he explains. “Gradually, other Indians have joined us.” But will the millions of football fans evaporate ball, and ... basketball broadcasts to follow very The village, which includes a school which offers dis- once the US team is out of the contest, maybe as brief and swift chunks of action...” tance learning over the Internet, has two generators that early as Thursday when they take on European “Soccer doesn’t lend itself to this type of broad- hum into the night in order to generate electricity. “People heavyweights Germany? cast,” he said, but added that US tastes are “chang- live a traditional life here and that allows us to keep our cul- Opinion is divided. “I don’t think the spike is a ing as more and more US audiences consume ture intact,” says Vaz. blip,” professor Daniel Durbin, director of the international sports such as soccer and rugby.” “Some are open to that; others less so. We have never Annenberg Institute of Sports, Media and Society Consultant David Carter of The Sports Business forced anyone” to follow a particular cultural path, he at the University of Southern California (USC), told Group was more skeptical, saying US fans are insists, a cigarette dangling from his mouth after the day’s AFP. “Interest is high partially because the US team watching now through patriotism and excitement tourist swarm has left. has had some success. However, (sports broad- rather than long-term loyalty to soccer. “We live off tourist revenue. For some groups, it’s just a caster) ESPN has used all its considerable resources “The massive TV ratings are the result of a com- show, while others are really interested in it. We’d like to do to promote the World Cup and will continue to pelling global event that has captivated casual more to restore our environment, but we can’t touch the flood media with promotion.” fans,” he told AFP. “Diehard fans are sure to remain forest” to develop the area, he says. But blogger Matt Verderame of the SB Nation engaged in the sport once the World Cup is over. “So we have to buy food. I like what I do but I know I am website said the current surge in interest in foot- “However, many that are tuning in now are participating in a system,” he reflects. Quickly, his interest ball-or, soccer for Americans-will likely be short- doing so due to the sense of nationalism and patri- shifts-to the national football team, which the community lived. “I think once the United States is knocked out otism. “These large audiences are tuning in for the watches on their flat-screen televisions. of the World Cup, soccer will go back to being a combination of the sport, the spectacle, national “We support them all the more as we are more Brazilian distant fifth sport in America,” he told AFP.