The side, which includes a handful of former Brazil national team stars, will play two matches against Fiji, the first of which is taking place tonight at Churchill Park in Lautoka from 6pm.
A press conference to promote the games was held at the Waterfront Hotel in Lautoka yesterday, during which Play Fair Brazil team manager Marcos Grava Vasconcelos expressed his gratitude towards the people of Fiji for the reception the group has been given.
“This is our first visit to this part of the world and so far we are all enjoying our time here,” he said.
“We are here on a purpose to promote the game of football and we will do just that. The results will not matter but we hope we can spread the gospel of the game and help to improve the standard of play.”
The visitors have assembled a talented 17-strong squad for the trip but Vasconcelos says the players have not had much time to gel as a unit.
“We have not been training together but we hope to be able to put on a good show for the fans here in Fiji,” he says.
Play Fair Brazil is a team that travels the world to promote goodwill through football and help raise the level of the game in the respective countries it visits. Its ranks are usually made up of former stars and current professionals and the line-up for the Fiji tour is no different, mixing several ex-internationals with a promising batch of 20-somethings.
The most well-known of the former stars are Mineiro, once on the books of English giants Chelsea, Paulo Sérgio, Zé Carlos, Elivélton and Giovanni.
After showing off their skills at Churchill Park tonight, the Brazilians will head to Ba for the second match of the series on Saturday at Govind Park from 2.30pm.
For more on Fiji football go to www.fijifootball.com.fj

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