For much of Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, televisions in bars and restaurants were all showing the By late afternoon, though, they had switched to coverage of the penultimate round of the Brazilian Championship. Viewers were transfixed by both.
It is fair to assume that there is a link between sport and Rio's latest outbreak of social violence. Last week, the drug lords staged a show of strength, setting fire to vehicles all over the city. It is conceivable that this action was planned to coincide with Rio's staging of the Soccerex conference and trade fair, which aimed to give a kick-start to and the Rio Olympics two years later.
With the global focus on Rio and Brazil, the scenes of widespread disorder were an embarrassment for the local authorities, who hit back with a show of strength of their own, one which may have been stronger than the drug lords had bargained for.
The huge and strategically important Alemao group of favelas were wrested from the control of the drug lords, although all concerned are aware it will take more than one operation to combat a problem that has been allowed to fester in Rio for decades.
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A tragic, real-life soap opera unravelling in Brazilian football over recent months has been the story of
Flamengo fans have found a way to extract some black humour from such horrific developments. Last year, Bruno captained the team to the Brazilian title. This season, they have struggled. And as they have slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone, the confidence of Bruno's replacement, Marcelo Lomba, has seemed to suffer.
In a crucial match on Saturday against Guarani, Lomba slipped up again. A packed stadium responded with a chant of "Free Bruno! Arrest Lomba!" It was hardly the way to help out the young keeper. Lomba decided to play safe. Nothing was caught and every ball was punched as he sought to reduce the chances of further errors. Perhaps luckily, there was little for him to do as Flamengo won 2-1.
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Buenos Aires is calling to the faraway towns this week. In Argentina and all over South America, plenty of attention will be given to the modestly entitled 'superclassico' - .
Both clubs grew up in the working class docklands area of the Argentine capital. River have long since fulfilled the immigrant dream and moved out to the leafy suburbs. Boca have defiantly stayed put. The strength of the rival identities helps give the game its flavour. Over the years, the game has acquired a weight of tradition that makes it important even when it isn't - like this Tuesday.
After a run of disappointing results, River have just sacked coach Angel Cappa, looking for a quick pick-me-up before the game. Boca could well part company with Claudio Borghi if they are beaten. But there is very little at stake.
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A successful and promising relationship has come to a premature end with the news that will not continue as coach of Chile.
There is little point in appointing a foreign coach unless he brings something fresh - which the eccentric, but highly respected Argentine certainly has in the course of his three years in charge.
He took Chile to their first World Cup since 1998, winning more away games than anyone else in the qualification campaign. In , Chile quickly became the neutral's favourite. In a tournament dominated by caution, Chile's carefree attacking approach was a joy to behold.
The performances of the team said more about Marcelo Bielsa than they did about Chilean football.
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has been recalled to the Brazil squad for the forthcoming friendly against Argentina and there are some who might think the call has come six months too late.
, and coach Dunga looked along his substitutes bench in search of a saviour, was he really more pleased to see the likes of Julio Baptista than Ronaldinho?
With hindsight, the answer appears obvious. Going into the World Cup, though, Dunga was entitled to think differently.
He had been unable to find a way to get , and Ronaldinho to function together. Ronaldinho had been given chance after chance and had thrown them away, performing like a pitiful apology for his former self. Once he was jettisoned, results improved and the team seemed to take shape.
There is no doubt about it - the main person responsible for the absence of Ronaldinho from the World Cup was Ronaldinho himself. It was a sporting tragedy.
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I cover South American football from Brazil. There's a wealth of talent and a rich culture - a fascinating continent to follow football.
