SPORTS> Off the Pitch
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SPORTS> Off the Pitch
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Asia pubs geared for World Cup frenzy
(news24.com)
Updated: 2006-06-01 16:58 In Japan, advertising agency Dentsu estimated the World Cup will generate sales of food and beverages worth U.S.$367m, ranging from beer at bars to orders of pizza.
To ensure it is part of the action, renowned Tokyo dance club Velfarre will turn off the music and air Japan's matches instead, with staff ordered to wear orange to stand out from what is expected to a sea of blue - Japan's national colours. "We have received many reservations, although there is still some space for late times or the matches of less popular teams," said Toshiki Iwasawa, owner of the Vivasmap sports bar. In football-obsessed Vietnam, the World Cup is expected to all but bring daily life to a halt, with masses of people flocking around every available TV screen, indoors and on the streets. "During the last World Cup, you saw one TV every 10m in the streets on a plastic chair," said a foreign media expert. "They just love football." The game is equally popular in Thailand where bar owners in Bangkok while extend their business hours for late kick-off times, despite local laws that require them to close at 2am. Some bars are negotiating with local police, others are planning to get around the laws on their own. "We're covering the majority of the games, but the late kick-offs will be a problem," said Ian Harris, manager of the Dubliner. "Even with the early closing hours, a lot of bars in the area will be showing them anyway."
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