Badge awarded to Futsal world champions Brazil

Two months after their fifth triumph at the FIFA Futsal World Cup, Aecio de Borba Vasconcelos, President of the Brazilian Confederation of Futsal (CBFS), and two time FIFA Futsal World Cup winner Manoel Tobias, were presented with the FIFA Futsal World Champions badge during a ceremony today at the Palace of the Governor of Ceará. “Today we’re pleased to be able to honour Brazil after a truly remarkable performance at the Futsal World Cup in Thailand last November,” said FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke, who handed over the badges in the attendance of Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo, Cid Gomes, Governor of Ceara, Roberto Claudio, Mayor of Fortaleza as well as CBFS Board members Renan Pimentel Tavares, Louise Ane Bede and Silvio Carlos Vieira Lima. “In particular the thrilling final will remain long in all our memories,” he added, saying: “To have won five titles is a great achievement. I’m sure the badge will remind the players of this success every time they wear the national team jersey in the [almost] four years between now and the next Futsal World Cup.” Brazil are the first FIFA Futsal World Cup Champions to have received the badge, which features an image of the FIFA Futsal Trophy. ““Futsal is a sport that revealed many successful athletes, some of them chosen as the best players in the world by FIFA. The Brazilian national team is hegemonic in this sport and the title won in Thailand is another confirmation of their success”, highlights the Sports Minister of Brazil, Aldo Rebelo. “This is not an achievement only for the Brazilian Futsal Federation, but for the whole country. Today, with the cities growing faster, there are numerous futsal courts, and the popularity of the sport is providing us with some of the greatest futsal players in the world”, said Aécio de Borba Vasconcelos. “I am honoured to be here today representing all futsal players who impressed the audiences and contributed for this achievement. I would like to remind that this is a team work, starting from that very first generation of 1982, which opened the doors for us. Today is a day to be celebrated by Brazilian futsal”, added Manoel Tobias. The FIFA Futsal World Cup Champions badge is just one in a series of FIFA World Champions Badges awarded to the winners of selected FIFA events. The first side to be presented with the FIFA World Cup™ Champions badge was the Italian men’s national team, courtesy of their victory at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Spain then had the distinction of following them after their success at South Africa in 2010. The badge is also worn by the Japanese women’s national team following their triumph at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011™ as well as Brazilian club Corinthians by virtue of their success at the FIFA Club World Cup 2012 in Japan. From FIFA