With the Socceroos heading to play the five time FIFA World Champion, Brazil, next week, let’s hope that they overcome some of the bad press Australia has recently received there.
When the Channel Nine Today Show decided to celebrate Australia’s recent qualification for the World Cup following super-sub, Josh Kennedy’s 83rd-minute headed winner against Iraq, the presenter asked viewers to help them brush up on their Spanish.
One of the other presenters then disputed this assertion, and said that Spanish was not spoken in Brazil by responding, “Don’t they speak Italian there?”
After asking viewers to send in some Spanish phrases, a savvy Brazilian decided to get his own back by sending in a supposed Spanish phrase ‘do caralho‘ which the presenters were told means ‘amazing effort’.
The problem is that ‘caralho’ is in fact the Brazilian Portuguese word for ‘penis’ and ‘do caralho‘ is a common Portuguese swearword.
The following clip from the show was aired on Brazilian TV, which I am sure you will agree was “not a good look” of Australia, for the hosts of the upcoming World Cup next year.
The ‘Legendinho’, Tim Vickery, the well-known English football pundit, and who now resides in Brazil, mentioned this on the BBC World Football Phone-In programme recently.
Tim, who knows everything there is to know about football in South America, quite rightly, made fun on Australia’s behalf.
Let’s hope the Socceroos make amends for this ‘Faux pas’ (of the type that is sometimes the domain of some ill-informed Americans) and give the Brazilian team, which will field none other than FC Barcelona’s newly signed superstar, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, something to worry about on the field of play.
Brazil has won four of its previous meetings, with the Socceroos earning a famous 1-0 victory in Ulsan (South Korea) over ‘Seleção Brasileira’ (in Portuguese this means the ‘Selected from all over Brazil’) at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in the third-place play off.
The winner in that game was scored by a headed goal from centre-back Shaun Murphy, who jointly top scored with two goals in the competition, and who was on loan to Crystal Place from Sheffield United at the time.
Highlights from that game can be found here:
The Socceroos suffered the pain of yet another failed qualification against Uruguay five months after this game, while Brazil went on to win its fifth FIFA World Cup in the 2002 tournament at Yokohama a year later, beating Germany 2-0 from a brace by the great Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima.
The ninth and 46th FIFA-ranked teams play each other this time at the Estadio Nacional Mané Garrincha Stadium, Brasilia less than 10 months out from the world’s biggest sporting event next Saturday, 7th September.
Alexander
Guest
I find it hard to converse with people like that in everyday life because five seconds into the conversation I know that they're either not listening or pretend they know what I'm talking about by saying 'yep, yep..yep'. Most of their conversations are made up of dumb little jokes and everyday slogans with no meaning. That is why I find foreigners a lot more natural to talk to and I bet most of them know more about Australian history than Australians themselves. Also if I asked a person like that (a bogan) for a favour they'll either pretend they're busy or make me feel guilty later on, whereas with a foreigner most times to lend people a hand it's second nature. Sidetracking here a bit but without these fundamentals of actually caring about people and the world, how can one expect from these guys to even spell out their own name?
Ian
Roar Pro
"Socceroos welcomed like heroes by football-mad Brazilian public ahead of friendly in Brasilia http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/socceroos-welcomed-like-heroes-by-football-mad-brazilian-public-ahead-of-friendly-in-brasilia/story-fnii0fc4-1226713596693
Brian Wallace
Guest
"whats these Channel nine Muppets excuse 40 odd years on in an age of communication at your fingertips?" All of them knew full well that Brazil speaks Portuguese but they were playing to the perceived LOW intelligence level of their 'bogan' audience.
Brian Wallace
Guest
Americans are 'addicted' to war and have acquired the unwanted reputation of warmongers. If Australia isn't more careful of the company it keeps we will get the same label. As the old saying goes - "Lay down with dogs"
Brian Wallace
Guest
And to think, these people are going to vote on Saturday! God help us.
Carlos
Guest
Fair enough.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
you are correct that I am annoyed - I do not understand: - why someone in Australia not knowing what language Brazilians speak is newsworthy or cringeworthy - why someone in Australia falling for a joke is newsworthy or cringeworthy and why the Australian Soccer team must make amends for what amounts to a nothing incident not related to them. The focus should be on the game.
Carlos
Guest
Craig, you are entitled to your opinion, although most of “ you lot” (whatever that is supposed to imply) will probably not agree with you. What is all the more interesting is the tone of your responses which display a revealing level of irritation and annoyance.
Gordon
Guest
Australia Network? Enjoy it before the Liberals give it to News Corp, subjecting Asians to the banality of Fox Sports panels.
Gordon
Guest
Caro Wilson was the one journalist to press about the drugs scandal when others wanted to brush it away.
Gordon
Guest
Maybe Karl isn't so stupid but needs to act like that to satisfy the Channel 9 audience and its pro-Liberal paymasters. Or perhaps after working for Channel 9 for so many years.... Welcome to the Australia of tomorrow.
Midfielder
Guest
Getting closer now... not long to go...
Ian
Guest
"If an Aussie did that to a Brazilian TV show you lot would bag the crap out of him for doing it but say nothing when a Brazilian does it to us." why would us lot do that? how do you know? they deserve it for thinking italian is spoken in brazil. i'm anglo saxon and speak english.
Brick Tamlin of the Pants Party
Guest
They certainly do,I remember them hopping around like kangaroos in Munichs main square before kick off in 06.Definatley had a different attitude after the game I think they knew 2-0 flattered them immensely.Great atmosphere in the city that day will never forget it.
Tom Jones
Guest
Tony Abbot speaks really slowly I notice
Rob Gremio
Roar Pro
Brazilians, like Aussies, love to take the piss, and this was a brilliant piss take. Actually, "do caralho" does mean, more or less, "a good effort", but in a more vulgar form, akin to "f--king awesome", or "that's the shit". So what Diego I think he gave his name as did was simply play on the ch. 9 folks' ignorance, and it was hilarious!
Bondy
Guest
Best news I've had for a month , (http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/mesut-ozil-joins-arsenal-from-real-madrid-20130903-2t1oc.html) we have a little present..
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
I understand that it was a p..take but why are we so worried about the fact that a dumb TV show fell for it. It doesn't show the whole of Australia in a bad light and if the roles were reversed it wouldn't show the whole of Brazil in a bad light. To say the Aus soccer teams has to make amends surely is also a p..take as well by the writer otherwise you are suggesting that our performance on the paddock is related to our collective intelligence and the only way to prove we know what language Brazilian's speak. Give me a break
Titus
Guest
Exactly Carlos, if it was a Brazilian he needs to be bestowed with honorary Aussie status for his deadest awesome p..take.
Carlos
Guest
Craig this was a most wondrful p..take in true Aussie tradition. Had to be an Aussie with Brazilian connections. Very funny indeed.