Israelis flock to World Cup in Brazil

The 20th FIFA World Cup kicks off today in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and runs until July 13. It's the second time the South American country has hosted soccer's biggest tournament, the last time being 1950.

Israel was still in its infancy then, but this year, Israelis reportedly have purchased more tickets to the games than fans from any other nation on a per capita basis. And that's without having a team in the event.

Haaretz.com reports that the great distance, extremely high prices for travel, accommodation and tickets, social protests, and even questionable safety in Brazil have not stopped Israelis from buying more than 11,000 tickets to various matches.

Meanwhile, with the opening ceremonies a few short hours away, the popular sporting goods company Nike has come under fire for a viral video ad that critics are saying has an underlying anti-Semitic message.


Jewish leaders have alleged that the the jerseys of evil robot clones who face off against their human counterparts sport a soccer ball emblem on their jerseys that they say strongly resembles the Star of David.

Now what world event is without its controversies?