Brazilian Prez welcomes Stars, others
The Brazilian President, Ms Dilma Rouseff, has welcomed the participating countries in this year’s World Cup, including Ghana, to a memorable, exciting and brilliant tournament as her country celebrates life and “welcomes football back home”.
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“It is true that football was, indeed, born in England, but we like to think that it was in Brazil that it made its home. So when the World Cup comes back to Brazil after 64 years, it feels like football has returned home,” President Rouseff said in a special message released ahead of the opening of the Mundial tomorrow.
She said the football fiesta, which she had dubbed, “Cup of Cups”, should also be used to promote peace and fight racism and all forms of discrimination, as the World Cup was the only time when everyone became a football fan and could team up to achieve great things.
“The "Cup of Cups," as we affectionately call it, will also be the cup for peace and against racism, the cup for inclusion and against all forms of discrimination, the cup for tolerance, for dialogue, for understanding and for sustainability.
“This is the time for football's largest international festival, but it is also time for us to celebrate, thanks to football, the values of fair play and peaceful coexistence among all peoples. It is an opportunity to reinvigorate the humanistic values of Pierre de Coubertin: the values of peace, harmony and tolerance,” she stressed.
Hosting the World Cup, President Rouseff said, was a source of pride for Brazilians, as it had united the country on and off the field, strengthening their dedication to providing a great spectacle.
“We are the Land of Football because of our glorious history of five world championships and for the passion that every Brazilian dedicates to their team, to their heroes and to the Seleção, our national team. The love of our people for football has become part of our national identity. For us, football is a celebration of life,” she said.
On behalf of the 201 million Brazilians, President Roeseff extended a warm welcome to all fans from the world in general and Ghana in particular and to all visitors who had come to Brazil to share the "Cup of Cups" with her people.
