Football: World Cup mascot named Fuleco

PARIS: A cartoon armadillo chosen as the official mascot for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is to be called Fuleco. The name – a combination of the Portuguese words for football (futebol) and ecology (ecologia) – came out top with more than 48% of the 1.7 million Brazilians who voted in a poll. The three-banded armadillo, which is indigenous to Brazil and known as the ‘tatu-bola’, is an endangered species. Its cartoon likeness wears a white ‘Brazil 2014’ t-shirt and green shorts and has its own song and website, mascot.fifa.com. One of the tournament’s main aims is to raise awareness about the environment and ecology.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2012.