Brasilia "has been one of the focal points of the World Cup," but there "will not be much football for the country's capital to look forward when the tournament leaves town following the third place match on Saturday," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. When the Brazilian championship re-starts later this month, the federal district "will be represented by just one team, Brasiliense, playing in the regionalised fourth division." The glistening new Brasilia national stadium, popularly known as Mane Garrincha after one of Brazil's greatest players, "is likely to go unused by the local side as Brasiliense stage their matches in a more modest arena, popularly known as the Alligator's Mouth." Brasiliense coach Marcos Soares: "It's a stadium for 20,000 which is sufficient for what we need." Local side Brasilia coach Marquinho Carioca, however, said that the new stadium, "criticized by many as being a white elephant, would act as an inspiration." He hoped that one day, Brasilia, which played at the old Mane Garrincha before it was demolished, "could play in the ground regularly." Carioca: "I think it was money well spent because it motivates football in Brasilia, having a stadium like that motivates the athletes, you feel the atmosphere" (REUTERS, 7/7).
