Spain had "a presence in Sunday's World Cup final" as the field at the Maracaná was maintained by Catalan business Royal Verd, which teamed up with Brazilian partner Greenleaf Gramados to manage the grass at seven of Brazil's 12 World Cup stadiums. Royal Verd also takes care of the fields at La Liga stadiums including Barcelona's Camp Nou, Espanyol's Cornellà-El Prat and Real Zaragoza's La Romareda, among others (AS, 7/13). ... A prank video claiming to be from North Korea "has gone viral, reporting the North Korean football team won their group stage of the tournament." The video mimicking a North Korean news broadcast "fooled the world into believing the story was another example of propaganda used by the state-controlled media." Some media outlets, such as Metro, Bleacher Report and CBC "were among those duped by the parody video" (FOX SPORTS, 7/13). ... About 26,000 armed personnel were deployed "to ensure public safety during the World Cup final." The Brazilian government said that the number "includes police, military troops and private security guards." Brazil Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo said, "We will maintain the standard of excellence for public safety that we have had since the beginning of the World Cup" (XINHUA, 7/11). ... Thousands of football fans were already gathering at the German capital's Brandenburg Gate "many hours before the World Cup final kicked off in Brazil between Germany and Argentina." A heavy rain shower "sent fans scampering for cover early but a crowd re-emerged in greater numbers Sunday getting ready to watch the game in front of giant TV screens." Up to 100,000 football fans "were expected." Other public viewing venues "were also filling up, despite the likelihood of heavy rain across the country" (AP, 7/14).
