FOR ESTONIA, KINGS BRAZIL TOP THE QUEEN OF POP
Gulf Times
12/8/2009August
Tallinn: For football minnows Estonia, today’s friendly with giants
Brazil is about far more than just honing the team ahead of next
month’s 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Turkey and Spain.
"Brazil only has two friendlies this year. They played the first
one with Italy in February and now they’re playing Estonia. We feel
very proud that we’ve got the world’s absolute kings of football in
Tallinn," Estonian federation spokesman Mihkel Uiboleht told AFP.
"Having Brazil here is like 11 Madonnas visiting Estonia all at the
same time," Uiboleht added, referring to last week’s headline-grabbing
concert in Tallinn by the eponymous Queen of Pop.
But Estonia are not blinded by the stars, even though the game has all
the makings of a serious mismatch: Brazil top the 203-team rankings
established by world football’s governing body FIFA, while Estonia
are 112th.
"No doubt if you look at the statistics, Brazil are the strongest
team Estonia have ever faced. But at the same time when I watched
Brazil on TV playing at the Confederations Cup this summer I realised
they are just ordinary people who also get into trouble sometimes,"
coach Tarmo Ruutli told reporters on Monday.
Estonia may be second-from-bottom in the six-team Group 5 of Europe’s
World Cup qualifiers, ahead of Armenia, but they have managed what
for them is a half-decent run so far.
They have five points from six games, and their 7-0 drubbing away in
Bosnia last September contrasts with their holding Turkey 0-0 at home
the following month.
Estonia’s players may not be global names like the Brazilians, but
Uiboleht singled out a trio on whom the team is counting.
He cited midfielder Ragnar Klavan, who plays for Dutch top-flight
side Alkmaar, centre-back Raio Piiroja, of Norway’s Fredrikstad,
and goalkeeper Sergei Pareiko, of Russian club Tomsk.
"Klavan had an appendix operation in July, but can now play,"
Uiboleht noted.
The Brazil game is also a festival marking the 100th anniversary
of competitive football in Estonia-two local clubs first played one
another in June 1909.
Estonia’s international presence in football dates back to 1921,
after the country emerged from the embers of Tsarist Russia.
The country disappeared from the political and sporting map during
World War II, when it was taken over by the Soviet Union, but returned
to the fold in 1992 after the communist bloc had collapsed.
The match is also providing some light relief for fans struggling in
the face of the deepening recession in this nation of 1.3mn.
Ticket-holders for Wednesday night’s game at the 9,300-seat A. Le
Coq Arena-named after an Estonian beer-have been given free access
to Brazil’s training session on Tuesday at the request of the visitors.
Due to the economic crisis hitting fans’ pockets, the Estonian
federation halved its planned ticket prices-which had originally
started at 1,500 kroons (96 euros, $136).