Brazil is expected to come to a standstill as the national soccer team takes to the pitch against Croatia in the opening match of the World Cup on Thursday June the 12, 2014, the usual day for Valentine’s Day celebrations in Brazil.
This has encouraged the romantic and the soccer mad to get the best of both worlds by celebrating the day in advance.
A number of motels and other businesses have thrown their weight behind the “Movement 11” campaign – offering 11 per cent discounts to the “early bird” Valentines in a bid to ensure that Brazil’s passion for football doesn’t cut into profits.
Some businesses that rely on Valentine’s Day for a surge in profits are complaining that soccer has trumped romance and sales have dipped significantly this year.
“It got in the way. For business, it really got in the way having Valentine’s Day and the World Cup on the same day makes things very complicated.”
Other business owners said there is no room for romance when the World Cup is taking place.
Some others have found a uniquely Brazilian solution to the agonizing question of whether soccer or romance comes first as a man was sighted buying a his and hers Brazilian soccer shirt so that both can revel in the soccer action on Thursday.
