They also bring their equally colourful 600-strong media pack.

Brazil's Ronaldo wears a bib during their training session in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany June 25, 2006 during the World Cup 2006 tournament. [Reuters]

Rather like a herd of wildebeeste crossing the Serengeti, the Brazilian media descends upon unsuspecting venues, flattening -- and interviewing -- everything in its path.

If their flamboyant behaviour may have caused a stir among the local population at Brazil's training centres in Germany, it was nothing compared to what took place at the pre-World Cup camp in Switzerland.

At the little resort of Weggis, a typically idyllic Swiss village lying on the banks of Lake Lucerne, cows graze peacefully on the hillsides, the streets are normally spotless and orderly, traffic rules are rigorously respected.

Most restaurants are shut by 10 o'clock in the evening.

LOCKED AWAY

The players, locked away in a luxury lakeside hotel, were barely noticeable, only emerging for training sessions.

By contrast, the media were impossible to miss.

For two weeks, Weggis's orderly traffic resembled a mini-Rio de Janeiro as hire cars stopped in the middle of the road without warning, ignored zebra crossings and ran roughshod over parking restrictions.

There is probably nothing in the sporting world which can compare to the Brazilian media corps in action.

Globo television sent a 150-team strong-team to Weggis, just to cover practices, and have dispatched the presenters of all four of their daily news programmes to Germany for the World Cup.

Training sessions are broadcast live back home, accompanied by a fever-pitch commentary.

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