Sochi: Brazil's home away from home

Sochi: This is the holiday season in the beautiful resort city of Sochi. The flight to the city and almost all public transport are filled with parents and excited little children making their way to their vacation destinations. It is easy to see why the Brazil team chose this city to pitch their base camp. For the Brazilians, this Russian city comes closest to home. And now, as they enter the quarterfinals, they say goodbye to this city.

The mood in the camp is no different than the mood of the vacationers outside. The players have brought their WAGs, kids, parents, friends and whoever is closest to them. It is a well-known fact that for Latin Americans, particularly Brazilians, family comes first. Hence, it is a massive boost for the players that coach Tite broke the trend of not allowing family around the training ground.

So while the players train, their kids play around on the sidelines. In fact, even Brazilian journalists were allowed to bring their little ones along, as the parents reported on the training sessions. Since the Yug Sports Centre is just a stone's throw away from the Swissotel, where they stay, the players often chose to walk it to the facility, through the hotel's gardens. This would give the lingering fans a chance to catch their superstars.

Security is still heavy and there are guards everywhere, but this informal atmosphere seems to help the players. England coach Gareth Southgate has a similar system at their camp in Repino (insert England camp story link) and both teams have performed well at the Cup. It is a departure from earlier days, where coaches were extremely restrictive of players' freedom.

Although the hotel had an exclusive wing for all professionals, the athletes had no restriction in roaming around the hotel complex, and could even socialise with other guests. The team motto is splashed around everywhere: “Torcida e selecao. Gigantes por natureza” which translates to “fans and the selection (the Brazil team). Giants by nature.”

To call the Brazil hotel luxurious would be an understatement. The five-star Swissotel has pampered the players and their families to no end, it's no wonder they don't want to leave the place! The hotel sells rooms at about 600 pounds a night and has a swimming pool overlooking the beautiful Black Sea. The pebbled coast is right next to hotel, with a yacht club within walking distance. As evidenced from their Instagram accounts, the players have spent plenty of time on the picturesque beaches of Sochi.

And so, after 24 days here, the team will leave the city they grew emotionally attached to. “I really liked the city, it surprised me a lot. Even the other players were also surprised,” Willian said at the press conference, the day before the team departed for their game in Kazan. “The city is very pleasant, with a very good time for us players and our families. The infrastructure has surprised us too. We liked it a lot.”

As a session is under way, not only are the players having fun on the pitch, the families on the sidelines are enjoying themselves too. After training, it's common to see the players indulge in some fun with their kids on the pitch. And, as they walk back, they are surrounded by their folks. Some of them carry their kids on their shoulders. There is not the slightest of hints on their faces that their biggest game of the tournament so far, the quarterfinal against Belgium, is coming up on Friday.

Players are given strict instructions not to talk to the media outside the designated media interactions. The Brazilian journalists understand this and keep things informal as they rub shoulders with players at the training camp. With most of the players gone, Willian and his family take the back entrance to the press conference hall, where the player has been scheduled to address a press conference. Before they enter, Willian gestures to his twin girls, Manuella and Valentina, to stay silent during the conference.

Inside, he goes on to talk about the importance of family to the journalists and credits the coach for introducing this kind of atmosphere in the camp. As Willian, his wife and their two daughters make their way back to their hotel room, I manage to catch up to him, and he's only too pleased to pose for a family picture. “My family means the world to me,” the beaming Willian tells me before they head off. The players may not be allowed to talk tactics with the media, but ask them about family and their faces light up. It's the only area of their lives that takes precedence over the sport they love.