P.V.Anandpadmanabhan

At the world cup football final a special closing ceremony involving around 1,000 people celebrated  the greatest values of the globe’s most popular sport as the tournament neared  its climax at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday,

Soccer titan Germany met  South American contenders Argentina in the showpiece fixture of the competition in Brazil, before the football kicked  off and the champions were decided, an 18-minute show inside the stadium paid  tribute to the game and its key symbols.

Began with an on-pitch expression of the sport’s values through four characters – Freedom, Solidarity, Passion and Diversity – the ceremony subsequently included representations of all 32 teams who had participated at this World Cup, with particular focus on the two finalists: Joachim Low’s Nationalmannschaft and Alejandro Sabella’s Albiceleste.

Set to a soundtrack of samba music, incorporating a cast of 400 people and featuring GRES Academicos, the Brazil 2014 closing ceremony concluded with a spectacular combination of music. Shakira and Carlinhos Brown performed  “Dare”; Alexandre Pires, Carlos Santana and Wyclef Jean provided  a rendition of the World Cup official anthem, “We Will Find A Way”; plus, a medley of Brazilian songs courtesy of Pires and Ivete Sangalo.