World Cup: Pensioner who missed 1950 showdown loses final ticket

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Pensioner who missed 1950 showdown loses final ticket

A Brazilian pensioner who was unable to attend the 1950 World Cup trophy match in Rio and donated his carefully preserved ticket to FIFA's museum has now lost his ticket to the final.

Joedir Belmont, 85, had a ticket for Brazil's loss to Uruguay witnessed by 200,000 people at the Maracana owing to a family illness.

But he kept his ticket and donated it to FIFA's football museum, who responded by giving him two tickets for this year's final, secretary general Jerome Valcke handing them over personally.

Belmont had managed to obtain tickets for several games outside Rio for this year's tournament but not the final itself until football's world body intervened.

Now his dreams of seeing the denouement of the World Cup again may be dashed as he mislaid the tickets on the way home from last week's ceremony handing them over to him, O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper reported Friday.

"I kept a ticket for 64 years; I lost the other inside six hours," the paper quoted Belmont as lamenting.

He said he had reported the loss and FIFA had advised him to wait to see if they show up or else they will re-issue the two tickets he was given and a third he was allowed to buy.

"If my tickets aren't handed in they have promised to re-issue them -- they have my name on.

"My cousins, who are dead now, saw Brazil defeated (in 1950) -- but I'm very much hoping that I shall see the Selecao crowned champions," said Belmont.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-07-05

[P45Mustang]

Good Luck Matey.

[bigbamboo]

Look on the bright side. Brazil won't be playing in the final anyway.

[P45Mustang]

Yes. Good point. I hadn't considered that particular bright side.

Not quite as bright as the alternative circumstance though.

[RickBradford]

Take him to the ground by limo; wait at the turnstiles for whoever shows up with his tickets, beat them severely about the head and shoulders, and usher the old gent into his seat along with a photo call.