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Story highlights
FIFA reveals slogans that will appear on team buses at World Cup in Brazil
Australian fans nonplussed by trite "Socceroos: Hopping Our Way Into History" slogan
UK marketing expert says competition is "a good idea" but not very "far-reaching"
A ball hasn’t been kicked yet, but have we seen the World Cup’s first own goal?
Football fans around the world have been having their say on social media after FIFA announced the results of a slogan competition run by Korean car company Hyundai, one of the tournament’s sponsors.
The “winning slogans,” which will be emblazoned on team buses for the month-long event, are anything but in some fans’ eyes.
News that the Australian team bus will wear the words “Socceroos: Hopping Our Way Into History!” was met with derision.
“Whose mum came up with that ultra cheesy slogan?” read one tweet.
Australian Football Federation CEO David Gallop took an equally dim view of it as the country’s 30-man preliminary squad for Brazil was announced.
“Don’t worry too much about the other slogans that you might have read about. Just say, ‘Go you Socceroos,’ ” Gallop said, The Australian reported.
Other national teams’ nicknames have been put to better use, with Ghana’s slogan perhaps being the highlight.
The quarterfinalists in South Africa four years ago will travel in a bus bearing the phrase, “Black Stars: Here to illuminate Brazil,” while Ivory Coast’s slogan, “Elephants charging towards Brazil!” also has some fun with the team’s alias.
Other teams, however, will have to make do with more enigmatic messages.
One of the tournament favorites, Argentina, won’t win any prizes for “Not just a team, we are a country,” and nor will 2006 champions Italy with “Let’s paint the World Cup dream blue.”
The U.S. stick with the motoring theme with “United By Team, Driven By Passion,” while Dutch fans will hope the slogan “Real Men Wear Orange” can help steer the Netherlands all the way this time around after losing to Spain – “Inside our hearts, the passion of a champion” – in the 2010 final.
“In principle, at least, it was a good idea to run this competition … but quite how significant and far-reaching having a slogan on the side of a bus is a moot point,” Simon Chadwick, professor of Sport Business Strategy and Marketing at the UK’s Coventry University, told CNN.
“Right now in sponsorship, and football generally, there is a big emphasis on fan engagement – trying to get the fans as close as you possibly can to having an association with the sponsorship deal you are involved in,” he told CNN.
“Effectively what you’ve got here is a collective view of what your country brand stands for. By using these slogans you are positioning your country as a brand in a particular way.
“So, if you look at Greece for example – ‘Heroes play like Greeks’ – you’re then into Trojans, (being) resolute, and that works very, very well, and Japan – “Samurai, the time has come to fight!
“These are, in many ways, all very good positioning statements or very good brand slogans.”
But Chadwick has some sympathy for Gallop and the Australian team.
“How is it that a commercial partner of FIFA rather than the football association itself decided what would be on the side of the bus?” he says.
“I think there is a broader issue about corporate influence on the World Cup and on football in this.
“It’s an issue about joined-up thinking. I can understand why FIFA has done this, but I don’t think you can do it without involving the national association as well.”
Here’s the list in full. Let us know what you think.
Algeria
Desert Warriors In Brazil
Argentina
Not Just A Team, We Are A Country
Australia
Socceroos: Hopping Our Way Into History!
Belgium
Expect The Impossible!
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dragons In Heart, Dragons On The Field!
Brazil
Brace Yourselves! The Sixth Is Coming!
Cameroon
A Lion Remains A Lion
Chile
Chi Chi Chi!, Le Le Le! Go Chile!
Colombia
Here Travels A Nation, Not Just A Team!
Costa Rica
My Passion Is Football, My Strength Is My People, My Pride Is Costa Rica
Ivory Coast
Elephants Charging Towards Brazil!
Croatia
With Fire In Our Hearts, For Croatia All As One!
Ecuador
One Commitment, One Passion, Only One Heart, This Is For You Ecuador!
England
The Dream Of One Team, The Heartbeat Of Millions!!
France
Impossible Is Not A French Word
Germany
One Nation, One Team, One Dream!
Ghana
Black Stars: Here To Illuminate Brazil
Greece
Heroes Play Like Greeks
Honduras
We Are One Country, One Nation, Five Stars On The Heart
Iran
Honour Of Persia
Italy
Let’s Paint The FIFA World Cup Dream Blue
Japan
Samurai, The Time Has Come To Fight!
South Korea
Enjoy It, Reds!
Mexico
Always United, Always Aztecas
Holland
Real Men Wear Orange
Nigeria
Only Together We Can Win
Portugal
The Past Is History, The Future Is Victory
Russia
No One Can Catch Us
Spain
Inside Our Hearts, The Passion Of A Champion
Switzerland
Final Stop: 07-13-14 Maracana!
Uruguay
Three Million Dreams … Let’s Go Uruguay
U.S
United By Team, Driven By Passion