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Brazil, Still Hurt by 1950, Now Can Start Plotting Path to Maracana Redemption
Published: December 6, 2013
Brazil’s loss to Uruguay in what was effectively the final of the 1950 World Cup (albeit back then, the tournament was decided by a final group stage) is a tale that has often been told.
With the hosts only needing a draw to lift the trophy, and around 200,000 fans enthusiastically filling the Maracana stadium awaiting a joyous coronation, Brazil went 1-0 up but somehow went on to lose 2-1 to their South American rivals—seeing the tournament slip through their grasp and, by some accounts at least, sending the country into a shell-shocked slump that it took decades to recover fully from.
"Everywhere has its irremediable national catastrophe, something like a Hiroshima," as the playwright Nelson Rodrigues wrote of an event that would become known as "Maracanazo". "Our catastrophe, our Hiroshima, was the defeat to Uruguay in 1950."
The 23 men who will make up the Selecao’s 2014 World Cup squad will not just have to deal with the pressure of being clear favourites to win the tournament then, but also the nagging memories of 1950—a gnawing uncertainty and fear in the fans (and perhaps some of the less self-assured players) that will not truly be washed away until the World Cup trophy is lifted.
Back at the Maracana on July 13, the hope is fans will see not just a celebration but an exorcism, too.
"Brazilians have mixed feelings about the Maracana," as author Alex Bellos wrote for the Guardian. "It is the spiritual home of Brazilian football, but it is also stigmatised by that fateful match more than six decades ago."
There are many ways to deal with any fear, with two particular approaches at either end of th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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