FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony Was Marked By Wrong Flag Incident
The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is in centre of controversy for various reasons: prostitution, social protests, poor refereeing during the matches. Another point which should not be left unnoticed is that the organisers mixed up the flags of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Republic of Niger.
* An awkward moment during the opening ceremony of 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The incident during the opening ceremony of the Mundial on June 12, 2014, Thursday, was first highlighted by a Twitter user @lawseyitfc
An image of Niger's flag was projected onto the globe installed in the middle of the field during the colourful show.
Obviously the organisers did not check who exactly qualified to the tournament: Nigeria (44th in FIFA rankings) or Niger (112th on the list).
The incident caused mixed, mainly negative reactions of the viewers:
It could not be ascertainted whether the Brazilian side issued official apologies to the Nigeria Football Federation or not.
It is not the first time the organisers of a major sporting event make a mistake with flags. A similar incident took place during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. In the beginning of women’s football match North Korea and Columbia the South Korean flag was shown by a mistake while introducing the teams. The match was delayed as the North Korean players and refused to start the game.
See the incident on video also (3:15):
Source: Legit.ng
