Madcap liasons and mischievous flirtations are based on opera scenes first created by Mozart and one of his librettists, Lorenzo Da Ponte, primarily from "Cosi Fan Tutte, " ''Le Nozze di Figaro" and "Don Giovanni.

WSJ: Review: Frisky Malkovich in 'Giacomo Variations'

It was not until the election of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a soccer mad Corinthians fan, that the political will existed to reform the country's national obsession -- legislation followed in 2003 with mandatory relegation being introduced for the first time.

CNN: Soccer stars return to booming Brazil