ssmith

In today's World Cup qualifiers, Brazil vs. Ecuador (Beer, heart, thumbs up emojis... my emojis were replaced with "???????")

Also, Friday, September 6, 2024 American football (not soccer or futbol) in Brazil

The team hosting the NFL game in Brazil rejects Packers’ and Eagles’ green because of soccer rivalry.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian soccer club Corinthians, the team turning over its stadium for the first NFL game to be played in South America, dislikes anything green so much that its executives tried to paint the field black about a decade ago.

Players can be fined if they are spotted wearing clothes or shoes of that color, and sponsors need to adapt if they want to be associated with a club that has more than 35 million fans.

It’s all done in an effort to steer Corinthians fans away from any reference to local rival Palmeiras, the team they have been feuding with for more than a century.

On Friday, however, NeoQuimica Arena will be awash in green when the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles play the second game of the NFL season in Sao Paulo.

The Eagles are the designated host team. In an attempt to sway some Brazilian fans to their side, they will wear black helmets, white jerseys and black pants — Corinthians colors.

A Corinthians official told The Associated Press on Sunday that the move came after a request by its president, who claimed green was only allowed for visiting teams. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The Packers will play in their traditional white, yellow and green jersey — similar to the colors of Brazil’s national flag.