Brazilians emotional about World Cup penalties, Nigerians emotional about moneys

On day 17 of the World Cup we learned that you have to be careful what you watch with Brazilians, the Nigerians were worried about bonuses and the screens are now up at Brasilia airport.

Brazil's goalkeeper Julio Cesar (top R) celebrates with teammates after Chile's Gonzalo Jara (unseen) misses the decisive penalty shot Reuters

• Don’t watch a penalty shoot-out involving Brazil with Brazilians. Not the smartest move the daily review has made. But it was all done as part of our
  

• multimedia duties. Saw the Brazil v Chile game at a bar in Campinas with members of a samba band that the daily review has befriended. It was edgy stuff. Could have been better for all of us if Brazil had followed the script and won within 90 minutes. We asked the band leader – dressed in compulsory yellow shirt of the national team – what sort of music he’d play if Brazil lost. “There’ll probably be no-one here,” he mused. “But we have a contract.” What a trooper.

• Watch a penalty shoot-out with Brazilians. Of course, if Brazil win a shoot-out then you get to know people. Everyone goes huggy and claspy. Problem was that the game made so many people sweat, getting touchy-feely in those circumstances isn’t on the top of our list. But we can’t stand around being odd. Besides, this is how things are done round here.
• Day 16 was a day of rest for the tournament. Amen to that. But, while some footballers may have been putting their feet up, others were fretting about bonus payments. The Nigeria squad left their team hotel in Campinas, southern Brazil, bound for the capital Brasilia having sorted out their tiff with the football federation over cash due to them for reaching the last 16. The players are worried that they might not get their hands on the lolly that Fifa is sending to the Nigeria federation for its team’s success. Naturally, this row has the potential to distract them from their last 16 encounter with France on day 19. If they lose they’ll squander the chance to earn even more money. It seems brains were also asleep.
• Airport experience triple whammy. Good taxi driver from Campinas to the airport – plane leaves and lands on time. That’s 5-2 to the good experience and a calm taxi driver the other end in Brasilia.
• If you set them up, they will come. Avid followers of the daily review – and we know there are a few – will perhaps know our predisposition to reworking famous lines from films. Actually it seems to be the same line from the same film. However. readers may remember our shock and outrage that there were no screens at Brasilia airport the last time we surged through. Happy to report that on our whirl along the terminal on day 17, we saw that a big one had been put up and indeed there were people watching it. Amazing that. Perhaps there would have been a riot if travellers had not been able to see the national team doing their thang. It also gave the terminal a more logical glow. We salute the sensitive airport administrators.