Safair flies Brazilian football team around Africa

With the FIFA 2010 World Cup count down coming closer to an end, and with the whole world keeping a close eye on South Africa over the next 7 weeks, it was with great pleasure and excitement that Safair was given the opportunity to fly the Brazilian

Arriving by coach and under heavy security to Lanseria Airport on the 1st June en-route to Harare, the team looked every bit like the superstar athletes that were expected. After quickly going through security and immigration, the team was ushered on to the aircraft whereby they were greeted by the whole crew wearing Brazilian shirts. Apparently the team was so happy about this that management provided the entire crew with VIP tickets for the game the following afternoon. After the usual pre-flight checks, the crew, squad and aircraft were airborne and Harare bound. This flight was certainly a once in a life time opportunity for the majority of the crew and they certainly did not waste it. With Anabella Ribeiro coordinating proceedings and having the ability to speak fluent Portuguese, the crew received the chance to mingle and chat to players such as ‘Kaka’, ‘Julio Cesar’,’Lucio’ and many more. With a focus and dedication that would be expected from any team of Brazils caliber, the squad was relaxed and subdued as they prepared for their match the following afternoon. It was no surprise then when the Brazilian team picked apart a gutsy but ultimately weaker Zimbabwean team and the score ran out 3-1 to the travelling team. By all accounts the atmosphere was electric in the stadium where for many Zimbabweans this would be the highlight of a World Cup that has yet to begin. And for the crew, their hike through the jungles of Harare to find their seats in the VIP section will not be something they would forget any time soon. So after the teams brief stop over in Harare, it was back on to the Boeing 737-300 aircraft for the short return flight back to Johannesburg, and to put it mildly, the return flight was a lot more entertaining than the flight up. Having put in a performance to excite the crowds at the match, it was now time for the team to relax in the only way possible for Brazilians, through samba dancing! Players danced in their own unique way to the rhythm of samba music whilst the cabin crew tried to hold in their excitement of what was happening around them. Even the most fanatical of football fans would have given a limb to see this spectacle. And alas the team arrived back at Lanseria airport where they were met by throngs of heavily guarded security and journalists, doing there upmost to get the best photograph possible for the next day’s newspapers. All in all the flights both ways went very well, with both the Safair crew and Brazilian squad extremely happy with how it all panned out. In actual fact, the Brazilian team was so happy that they requested that the same flight crew (captained by Jochen Zeuner) fly the squad to Dar Es Saalam where they disposed of Tanzania in a 5-1 beating that was worthy of their hotly tipped status of being the next FIFA World Cup Champions. All in all, it was a fantastic week for the whole of Safair and in particular for the crew who got to fly with the squad. We can only now wish Brazil the best of luck over the coming weeks as they seek World Cup glory, but being South Africans we are secretly hoping that our own Bafana Bafana can come away with the solid gold trophy come the 11th July.