By ,
Published December 20, 2016
The Brazilians have spoken, the 2014 World Cup mascot will be called Fuleco.
According to FIFA , more than 1.7 million people nationwide took part in the vote to select the name for the endangered Brazilian armadillo. The other options were Zuzeco and Amijubi.
Fuleco comes from the Portuguese words "futebol" (football) and "ecologia" (ecology). FIFA says it "seamlessly represents the way in which the FIFA World Cup can combine the two to encourage people to behave in an environmentally friendly way."
Soccer's governing body said Sunday that Fuleco received 48 percent of the vote, while 31 percent went for Zuzeco and 21 percent for Amijubi.
Back in September former Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo revealed the mascot to soccer fans worldwide.
"I'm delighted to welcome such an important member to the 2014 team," Ronaldo said. "The mascot will play a key ambassadorial role in the next two years. I'm sure he will inspire many young football fans in Brazil and all over the world with the great passion which he has for the sport and for his country."
The three-banded armadillo, which is in danger of extinction, rolls up into the shape of a ball when threatened and is commonly found in northeastern Brazil.
The mascot carries the colors of the Brazilian flag. It is yellow, with green shorts and a blue shell and tail. It is dressed in a white shirt with the words "Brazil 2014" written on it.
"The fact that the three-banded armadillo is a vulnerable species is very fitting," FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said in a statement. "One of the key objectives through the 2014 FIFA World Cup is to use the event as a platform to communicate the importance of the environment and ecology.".
The mascot of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was a leopard, an animal commonly found in that country. It was yellow and green — the South African colors — and was called Zakumi. In 2006 in Germany, the mascot was a lion called Goleo.
The first time a mascot was introduced at the World Cup was in 1966 in England — a lion dressed in the Union Jack flag and named Willie.
Other World Cup mascots included a boy called Juanito in Mexico in 1970, an orange named Naranjito in Spain in 1982, a dog called Striker in the United States in 1994 and a rooster named Footix in France in 1998.
FIFA also recently announced that the World Cup ball will be called "Brazuca," an informal word often used to describe national pride. Adidas, the official World Cup ball supplier, said Brazilians voted on the name that "symbolizes emotion, pride and goodwill to all," mirroring Brazil's "approach to football."
"Brazuca" also is often used as the nickname given to Brazilians living outside the country, including the hundreds of soccer players playing abroad.
Brazil is hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1950.
Based on reporting by the Associated Press.
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