Before a game at the National Stadium in Brasilia on Thursday, Ivory Coast midfielder Serey Die sobbed uncontrollably as his nation's anthem was played. He said the "emotion overwhelmed" him as he was thinking about his father who died in 2004, and about his "tough life" before making it to the World Cup.
The French are usually some of the most emotional when singing "La Marseillaise," but there was only frustration when it wasn't played because of an audio-system malfunction before the team's opener in Porto Alegre last week.
"Whether it's the officials, or the players, we're the ones affected by it and it's a pity," France captain Hugo Lloris said. "A national anthem is something so important. We're playing in the World Cup, we're representing our country."
