"WorldCup" news and stories

As it gets ready to host the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, Rio de Janeiro is cleaning up its beaches by forbidding the sale of coconuts.

The city decreed that coconut husks, tossed aside on beaches by locals and tourists alike, are a nasty eyesore and as of Dec. 1, sale of the fruit is banned on the sand, AFP reports.

"Go on Ipanema beach at the end of the day and you'll see a mountain of coconuts that people have left on the sand. What attracts rats most to the beach are coconut husks," Jovanildo Savastano, the official in charge of the beaches, told AFP.

He said up to 30 tons of empty coconut shells are found each day.

Supermarkets and offices are going all out to grab a slice of the estimated £1.25 billion World Cup beer market.

There are innumerable money saving deals on all major beer and lager brands in Tesco, Asda Wal-Mart, Sainsburys and Morrison's, sparking a price war that the retailers hope will encourage consumers to stay away from pubs and drink at home. There has also been a marked uplift in wide-screen and high-definition TVs.

The country's second largest grocer Asda is offering a 20-can pack of Stella Artois, Carlsberg, Fosters, Kronenbourg or Budweiser for £9.98, a discount of £4 on the usual retail price. Two packs are even cheaper at £16, with each can costing just 40p each.

In another World Cup tie-in, Asda has launched a range of World Cup crisps, debuting flavors like French Garlic Frogs' Legs, German Sausage, British Vindaloo and Brazilian Salsa to capture fans' attention.

 

Source

I like this cake on multiple levels. First of all, it perfectly fits in with the fact that the 2006 FIFA World Cup is going on this right now and even has the pattern of the official Adidas Teamgeist match ball down perfectly. When the cake was presented to its intended recipient, after being made by special request , it included tickets to the finals, as well! The cake was posted at Food Chronicles, who actually fulfilled the cake order. She did a beautiful job recreating the suitcase and ball. The only thing that would be better than looking at the cake - besides the US making it into the finals - is getting to taste it. Although I can't say that I'd mind getting a pair of finals tickets, either.

Source

The first English match of the World Cup apparently brought a mad panic to the shops before an eerily quiet couple of hours while the (frankly, lackluster) game was played.

Source

For those outside the US the only topic of conversation - apart from me boring the pants off everyone about Italy - is of course the world cup. Marketeers have jumped on the band-wagon like never before.

For example how about a World Cup Beer Balloon; a product you never knew you needed. The marvelous Beer Balloon holds and dispenses 6 pints of your chosen beverage be that beer, a cocktail (Oh, yah, lets have a World Cup Cocktail Party Tarquin) or soft drink. Unsurprisingly it has a football shaped 3 litre reservoir slotted into the base and can be rotated 360 degrees - Lazy-Susan style - so that everyone gets a go! Quality long-lasting stuff too being made from high density food grade plastic (PET) and has an inbuilt and removable ice container keeping your beer or favourite beverage perfectly chilled.

Cost is £29.99 on Ebay only.

The world cup starts today with Poland (hurrah) v Ecuador and Germany v Costa Rica.

 

 

Source