Ten crazy requests made by football teams travelling to Brazil for the World CupAs Brazil prepares to host the 2014 World Cup, hotels and training centres have received some rather odd requests from some of the participating nations.Thirty-one countries will join hosts Brazil for the \'greatest show on earth\', and although it\'s normal to have a few specific requirements ahead of the big kick-off, a few teams have made some demands that go beyond the norm.From jacuzzis to special soap, we take a look at the ten most bizarre requests made from team officials in the lead up to this summer\'s finals:
#1 BANANAS, BANANAS, WE WANT BANANAS! Did you know that Ecuador is one of the world\'s largest producers of bananas? It\'s hardly surprising then that the country\'s FA have requested to have a basket full of the national fruit in each room every day. But wait, not just any bananas. Oh no. They specifically asked for bananas to be shipped in from Ecuador! They must be really good, huh?
#2 SPA-LIKE ROOMS? In one of the most demanding requests, Japan has asked to have every single room equipped with a jacuzzi. Not bad.
#3 BODYGUARDS & VIDEOGAMES The Portuguese national team seem to be quite concerned about the recent unrest in Brazil. Besides having extra protection from Brazilian authorities, the team will boast no less than SIX private bodyguards, with four of them assigned to look after Cristiano Ronaldo alone. But security is not their only concern. While a few teams have requested videogame lounges in their respective hotels, Portugal has gone one step further to make sure their players are happily entertained during their free time - the team wants each room to have its own videogame console.
#4 IRAN \'PINCH\' EX-GUNNER The Iranian national team are to hold a pre-tournament camp at the training ground owned by Brazilian giants Corinthians, who have also kindly drafted in a cleaning company to keep the place spotless at no extra charge. Aside from lending them their training HQ, Corinthians director of football Edu - the former Arsenal midfielder - will also assist Iran boss Carlos Queiroz during the duration of the tournament.
#5 DID SOMEBODY SAY ... COFFEE? It appears Australians need their coffee. The team\'s administration has requested the placement of two big coffee machines near the rooms where the players and the FA will be staying. Not only that, they have also asked to have newspapers from all over the world put in the same coffee area every morning. If that wasn\'t enough, the Socceroos have also insisted on total privacy with the hotel in which they\'re staying closed to tourists throughout the entire World Cup.
#6 CHILEANS TAKE THEIR SLEEP SERIOUSLY The Chileans have requested nothing but brand new beds in each hotel room, as well as new flat-screen televisions. They must love their sleep. And films, evidently!
#7 THE RIGHT SOAP FOR THE FRENCH The French FA has specifically asked for liquid soap in all hotel rooms, as apparently the French players are not used to soap bars. Fair enough.
#8 NO NOISY ACs, PLEASE. Just like the Chileans, the Uruguayans take their sleep seriously. The team has made only one request to their hotel - the ACs need to be completely silent.
#9 SPECIAL TRAINING REQUEST The Colombians had a very special request related to their training sessions. They asked Brazilian club Sao Paulo, where they\'ll be basedm to lend them 15 young players. How cool is that?
#10 SWISS NEEDS The Swiss want to make sure they feel at home in Brazil - special requests include high speed internet connection & Swiss TV channels in ALL the rooms.
But what of Brazil itself? Take a look at our comprehensive guide to each host city and stadium below:
