World Cup fever boost street prosperity in Chile

SANTIAGO - Walking down the streets in the heart of Chilean capital of Santiago, one will have Chile's symbolic red, white and blue colors jumping into his sight, and cries of "Viva Chile" resound in the air.

The South Africa World Cup, though thousands of kilometers away from Chile, brought a economic boom to business areas such as central districts Estacion Central and Meigg.

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Customers come to these places in search for what they may need to catch the ongoing trend: jerseys, T-shirts, wigs, caps, coffee mugs and even replicas of the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

The owners of mobile stands paint their faces, wear tri-color wigs or jester's hat, and chant the same slogan for promotion: "Support our Chile!"

Cristian, owner of a stand specialized in garments and toys told Xinhua that sales of World Cup-related products have been considerably better than traditional festivals-related ones like Mother's Day or Christmas.

"We have everything here, everything! All types of clothing, paint, and we even have model buses same as the one our national team uses," he said.

"Soccer is a passion of men!" Stand owner Jose acclaimed. Nevertheless, the numerous lady customers present at the fair would strongly argue that their fervor for soccer is no less intense than men.

The Chilean lady fanatics come and purchase items to show their support for their beloved national heroes, and many stand owners said that women fans usually generously spend on T-shirts with Chilean striker "the Wonder Boy" Alexis Sanchez's face printed on them, or coffee mugs with the bald "Pacifier" Humberto Suazo hawling for a goal.

Besides a great variety of the goods, reasonable price is another important attraction of these popular markets. Some people drive a long way from other cities only to make a bargain here.

Adriana came from El Tabo, a coastal town 120 kilometers west to Santiago where she owns a store. She told Xinhua reporter that as a business woman, the most important thing is to bargin.

"Here (at Meigg fair) you can get everything and the price is good," she concluded.

For her, as well as all the other Chilean fans, are crazy with World Cup fever as Chile, after 12 years' absence, is now heading for a glory that may be historical.