In Blumenau, a southern Brazilian town populated by the descendants of German immigrants, many fans suddenly became closer to their European roots as they watched the Mannschaft crush Brazil in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.
“I came here to drink beer and root for Brazil,” said Louise Franzoi Muller, who teaches biology at a local university. “But when I saw how badly Brazil was losing, I decided to switch my allegiance and root for Germany. After all, my husband is of German descent and he is extremely happy with the result.”
Muller was one of about 2,000 people who packed into the Vila Germanica complex to watch the game, drink beer and eat typical German dishes like wurst sausages.
Muller said most people at the special edition of Oktoberfest were resigned to the loss, “but they are dealing with all that by drinking more beer, which helps them realize that it’s no use crying, that life must go on and that Germany played much better and deserved to win.”
Vila Germanica hosts an Oktoberfest every year that attracts upwards of 450,000 people, which Blumenau Secretary of Tourism Ricardo Stodiek said makes it the second-largest in the world, second only to the one in Munich.
German immigrants started arriving in Blumenau in 1850 and today, 30 percent of the city’s 320,000 residents are of German descent, Stodiek said.
“We in Blumenau attach a lot of value to the culture of our forefathers,” he said before the match. “But like all good Brazilians we will root for Brazil to win the Cup.”
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