Weggis (Switzerland): Fans have been climbing onto hills and on top of cars to try to get a glimpse of Brazil's soccer team as it prepares for the World Cup.
With all 45,000 tickets sold for Brazil's training sessions in the small lakeside resort town, those left out are doing whatever they can to try to take a look at the world champions.
A hill behind the 5,000-seat arena built for Brazil has attracted the most fans in the first two days of action, giving a view of the field to those who don't mind the mud.
"It's kind of far from the field, but at least we can see the players," said Daniela Aschwanden, one of nearly 200 fans on the hill on Thursday watching Brazil's first practice of the day.
"It's great. I can't complain, even with all this mud."
Even more fans used the same strategy in the second practice, and the hill was nearly filled despite rain.
Others tried to get a little closer to the players, getting on top of parked cars and even bicycles to try to look over the fences surrounding the arena.
"It's all about watching the Brazilian players," 20-year-old Guilherme Nunes of Brazil said. "It doesn't matter how."
Tickets to stay inside the arena quickly sold out despite being pricey.
Weggis, located by Lake Lucerne and the Swiss Alps, has attracted the curiosity of thousands since Brazil arrived Monday for its two-week training period before heading to Germany to try to win its sixth world title.
"This is such a great opportunity for us who live in the region," said Petra Wyss, who works at a children's hospital in nearby Lucerne and brought 20 kids to Thursday's practice.
The site of the arena, which has been surrounded by food shops and other temporary stores, gets packed even when Brazil is not practicing.
Organizers said as many of 10,000 people per day have been flocking to Weggis, which is home to only about 4,000 citizens.
On Tuesday, Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira threatened to keep the public from attending training sessions if the hysteria surrounding the national team began interfering with its World Cup preparations.
The team has even chosen a secret training location in case it needs to move away from the festivities that have taken over the usually serene town.
Players, on the other hand, didn't seem worried with the hysteria.
"We need to take advantage of this," two-time FIFA player of year Ronaldinho said. "It's nice to come here and receive all this support. It should motivate us."
Brazil chose to practice in Weggis after about 40 offers from around the world, including from locations in France and the United Arab Emirates.
Not all the facilities to accommodate the Brazilians were finished in time for the national team's arrival, including the media center and other buildings near the arena.
Brazil will play two friendlies in Switzerland against FC Lucerne on May 30 in Basel and against New Zealand in Geneva on June 4 before playing its opener in Germany against Croatia on June 13.
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