World Cup oddities of the day
Armadillos and beefs with beef
Mexico has a beef...with beef
Mexico's World Cup squad will not eat beef during preparations for the World Cup for fear of testing positive to banned drugs in contaminated meat, coach Miguel Herrera said on Wednesday.
Five players were withdrawn from Mexico's CONCACAF Gold Cup squad in the United States in 2011 after testing positive for clenbuterol, a banned stimulant sometimes illicitly mixed into livestock feed to make meat leaner.
Some foods that the Mexico World Cup team can no longer enjoy:
- All-beef franks
- Steak
- Prime rib
- Hamburgers
- Cheeseburgers
- Corned beef hash
- Roast beef sandwiches
- Filet mignon
- Slim Jims
Meats that don’t fall under the ban (unconfirmed):
- Chicken
- Fish
- Pork
- Turkey
- Spam(?)
Source: Reuters
Brazil catches armadillo fever (it’s likely fatal)
The number of visitors at the zoo in Rio de Janeiro has risen since the country’s three-banded armadillo was named as the mascot for the 2014 World Cup.
Environmentalists hope that the surge in popularity will help save the armadillo, which is in danger of extinction.
Some facts about three-banded armadillos:
- It can roll up into a ball
- It doesn’t like to be kicked when rolled up
- It doesn’t like to be kicked at all
- Don’t play soccer with one
Source: NBC