Shorts-dropping pranks no more, say Brazil pair
PUERTO ORDAZ, Venezuela: Brazilian pair Diego and Robinho promised on Tuesday that pranks such as their notorious shorts-dropping episode are now over.
Diego, who has had an outstanding season for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, and Real Madrid forward Robinho are both expected to figure prominently in Brazil's Copa America campaign.
Both players have been given a chance to shine in the absence of Ronaldinho and Kaka, who said they were too tired to play.
Robinho and Diego burst on to the scene as teenagers when they played for the Santos team who won the Brazilian championship in 2002 but two years later they were made the scapegoats when Brazil failed to qualify for the Olympic Games.
At a qualifying tournament in Chile, the pair were accused of over-confidence after Diego was photographed pulling down Robinho's shorts as they waited for their credentials.
"I don't think our generation has a debt with Brazil, but it was very negative for us," Diego told reporters after training on Tuesday.
"We are stronger and more mature and we know about our responsibility."
Robinho agreed with his former club teammate.
"It's the time for our generation...I know that if Brazil don't do well, the criticism will rain down upon me.
"We are more mature and have more experience after playing for European teams."
Brazil, the Copa America champions, kick off their Group B campaign against Mexico on Wednesday in their first competitive game under Dunga.
On the pitch, Giancarlo Maldonado and Ricardo Paez scored either side of the break to give hosts Venezuela a 2-2 draw with Bolivia in their opening match of the Copa America.
With the Venezuelan and Bolivian presidents looking on, the home side was denied earning just its second ever tournament victory after conceding an own goal late in the first half.
Earlier in Merida, Peru stunned a mostly European-based Uruguay squad 3-0 in the tournament's opening match. Uruguay is tied with Argentina for the most tournament victories at 14.
Agencies
(China Daily 06/28/2007 page19)
