LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - World champions
Brazil will field a team against Exeter City next month as part of the
English minor league club's centenary celebrations.
Exeter, the first professional team in the
world to play Brazil on a tour of South America in 1914, will host the match
at their St James Park ground on May 30, the club announced on its official
website on Friday.
The Brazilian team, however, will be made up
of veterans of their 1994 World Cup victory, the fourth of their five titles,
a club spokeswoman told Reuters.
The club declined to give further details
such as whether Romario and Bebeto, Brazil's strike partnership in the 1994
victory in the United States, would play.
Bebeto has retired but Romario, 38, is still
playing for Fluminense and 36-year-old midfielder Mauro Silva is with
European Champions League semi-finalists Deportivo Coruna.
It was at Fluminense's ground in Rio de
Janeiro that Exeter City and Brazil drew 3-3 on July 21, 1914.
The Exeter website said the visiting team
will be called the Brazil Masters.
"Having been instrumental in helping to
establish football in Brazil, we met the CBF (Brazilian confederation) with
a view to discussing proposals for a match," Exeter managing director Ian
Huxham said.
"Now, it is reality and we are incredibly
excited about this marvellous occasion."
Exeter, who almost went bankrupt last year,
are trying to win promotion from the Conference league back into the English
third division. |