Beijing, Mar 20 : An ardent football fan, China's new President and sports freak Xi Jinping, seems to be putting his bets on Brazil to win the 2014 FIFA World Cup as he feels the team will have the home advantage. Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup and Xi, himself a former player, said the “unpredictable” nature of football is what makes it exciting.
The 59-year-old leader, who is also the chief of the Communist Party and the military, is not the usual grim Leader that one imagine when it comes to China's top echelons of power.
“I have many hobbies. I love reading most. Reading has become a way of life for me. I am also a sports fan. I like swimming and mountain climbing,” he told a group of select journalists from BRICS countries.
He was a football and volleyball player from his young days.
“I wish to congratulate Brazil on hosting the World Cup again. Unpredictability is what makes sport match, especially a football match, exciting”.
He also jokingly asked whether there would be a successor to the late Paul the Octopus, an octopus that lived in a sea life centre in Oberhausen, Germany, which came to the world's attention after accurately predicting a string of results during the 2010 World Cup.
“During the last world cup, we had Paul the Octopus. I wonder if next year there will be another octopus who can predict match results.
“The Brazilian team has the home advantage and I wish them good luck,” he told a journalist from Brazil. Xi is to attend a BRICS summit later this month in South Africa, the third leg of his four-nation visit that also includes Russia, Tanzania and the Republic of Congo. The trip is Xi's first overseas tour since being elected as China's top state leader.
