'Three R' Arrives in China for Soccer Friendly

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 11, 2003

'Three R' Arrives in China for Soccer Friendly

The first two contingents of Brazilian national team, spearheaded by "Three-R" strikeforce of Roanldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, arrived in Guangzhou Monday for an international friendly against China on Wednesday.

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'Three R' Arrives in China for Soccer Friendly

The first two contingents of Brazilian national team, spearheaded by "Three-R" strikeforce of Roanldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo, arrived here Monday for an international friendly against China on Wednesday.

A Hong Kong-based company and a local firm, co-organizers of the game, will pay the Brazilian Football Association an appearance fee of 1.25 million US dollars, according to local media reports.

Mario Zagallo, former Brazilian head coach who now is the technical coordinator, said at Monday's press conference: "We are very happy to be here. It is the first time for our team to visit China."

"We come here not for money. We need to prepare for the 2006 World Cup, and we need to choose a weak team to start our preparations," said Zagallo.

It is the first time for the Brazilian side to visit China, butthe Feb. 12 match will be their second encounter for the two teams in history.

China, which qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 2002, were humiliated 4-0 by eventual champions Brazil in a group B game before they finished second from bottom among the 32 teams.

Wednesday's match will be played at the Guangzhou Olympic Stadium which has an 80,000 seating capacity.

The ticket prices are in five classes, with the lowest about 12US dollars and the highest box-seats up to 4,000 US dollars. According to organizers, a total of 65,000 tickets are for sell, with nearly 85 percent already sold out.

Dutchman Arie Haan was appointed head coach of the Chinese teamlast December, replacing Bora Miludinovic who stepped down after the World Cup.

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