Base camps were used by the 32 national squads to stay and train before and during the World Cup tournament. On 31 January 2014, FIFA announced the base camps for each participating team,[33] having earlier circulated a brochure of 84 prospective locations.[36] Most teams opted to stay in the Southeast Region of Brazil, with only eight teams choosing other regions; five teams (Croatia, Germany, Ghana, Greece and Switzerland) opted to stay in the Northeast Region and three teams (Ecuador, South Korea and Spain) opted to stay in the South Region. None opted to stay in the North Region or the Central-West Region.[37] Campo Bahia, the base camp of the eventual champion Germany, attracted much interest.[38]
| National squads' base camps |
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FIFA Fan Fests
[edit]
For a third consecutive World Cup tournament, FIFA staged FIFA Fan Fests in each of the 12 host cities throughout the competition. Prominent examples were the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, which already held a Fan Fest in 2010, and São Paulo's Vale do Anhangabaú.[39][40] The first official event took place on Iracema Beach, in Fortaleza, on 8 June 2014.[41]
Innovations
[edit]Technologies
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In order to avoid ghost goals, the 2014 World Cup introduced goal-line technology following successful trials at, among other competitions, the 2013 Confederations Cup. The chosen Goal Control system featured 14 high speed cameras, 7 directed to each of the goals. Data were sent to the central image-processing centre, where a virtual representation of the ball was output on a widescreen to confirm the goal. The referee was equipped with a watch which vibrated and displayed a signal upon a goal.[42][43][44] France's second goal in their group game against Honduras was the first time goal-line technology was needed to confirm that a goal should be given.[45]
Following successful trials,[nb 4] FIFA approved the use of vanishing spray by the referees for the first time at a World Cup Finals. The water-based spray, which disappears within minutes of application, can be used to mark a ten-yard line for the defending team during a free kick and also to draw where the ball is to be placed for a free kick.[46]
The Adidas Brazuca was the official match ball of the 2014 FIFA World Cup[47][48][49][50] and was supplied by Forward Sports of Sialkot, Pakistan.[47] Adidas created a new design of ball after criticisms of the Adidas Jabulani used in the previous World Cup. The number of panels was reduced to six, with the panels being thermally bonded. This created a ball with increased consistency and aerodynamics compared to its predecessor. Furthermore, Adidas underwent an extensive testing process lasting more than two years to produce a ball that would meet the approval of football professionals.
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