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Does Rugby Have A Future In Soccer-Crazy Brazil?

Rugby is nowhere close to unseating soccer as Brazil’s national sport. But marketers say there’s potential for growth. In neighboring Argentina, soccer is also king. But fans support their beloved Pumas, the national rugby team.

A rugby match in Brazil
A rugby match in Brazil

*NEWSBITES

The Topper clothing company's new Brazilian catch phrase is a bit of an odd choice for a country where soccer is almost a religion: "Ai, eu sempre adorei o rubgy" -- Alas, I've always loved rugby. The phrase features prominently in a comic television commercial developed for Topper by the Talent marketing firm.

What was Topper thinking? Maybe that Brazilians, as passionate as they are for their "jogo bonito" (the beautiful game), as they call it, could start warming to rugby too. "We sponsor several rugby teams in Argentina and we wanted to try and help the sport grow in Brazil," says Germán Pipet, head of Topper's Brazil operations. By choosing to do marketing campaigns of this sort, "we're betting on the sport's growth potential," he said.

Topper could very well be on to something. In neighboring Argentina, another soccer-crazed country, the participation of Los Pumas – the national rugby team – in the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand tripled jersey sales worldwide. Los Pumas jerseys sell for nearly $100 a piece. Rugby balls featuring the team's logo go for about $60.

A report published in September by the international consulting firm Deloitte -- based on a survey of 700 participants -- showed that rugby has the greatest growth potential in Brazil in the coming years. Still, it may have to wait until after 2014: that's when the country hosts the World Cup. Of soccer.

Read the original story in Spanish

Photo - Henrique Yasuda

*Newsbites are digest items, not direct translations

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

War, Corruption And The Overdue Demise Of Ukrainian Oligarchs

The invasion of Russia has forced Ukraine to confront a domestic enemy: corruption and economic control by an insular and unethical elite.

Photograph of three masked demonstrators holding black smoke lights.

May 21, 2021, Ukraine: Demonstrators hold smoke bombs outside the Appeal Court of Kyiv.

Olena Khudiakova/ZUMA
Guillaume Ptak

-Analysis-

KYIV — Since Russia’s invasion, Ukraine's all-powerful oligarchs have lost a significant chunk of their wealth and political influence. However, the fight against the corruption that plagues the country is only just beginning.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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On the morning of September 2, several men wearing balaclavas and bullet-proof waistcoats bearing the initials "SBU" arrived at the door of an opulent mansion in Dnipro, Ukraine's fourth largest city. Facing them, his countenance frowning behind thin-rimmed glasses, was the owner of the house, the oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.

Officers from the Ukrainian security services had come to hand him a "suspicion notice" as part of an investigation into "fraud" and "money laundering". His home was searched, and shortly afterwards he was remanded in custody, with bail set at 509 million hryvnias, or more than €1.3 million. A photo of the operation published that very morning by the security services was widely shared on social networks and then picked up by various media outlets.

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