Soccer
Quake shakes Club World Cup
2011-12-14 11:48
Club World Cup trophy (File)
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Toyota - An earthquake rattled the Club World Cup in Japan on Wednesday, frightening players and fans from countries not used to violent seismic activity.
Several players took to Twitter after the 4.9-magnitude earthquake shook the Toyota Stadium and the nearby central city of Nagoya, where most of the teams and their supporters are staying.
It was a reminder of the ever-present danger of earthquakes in Japan, which was struck by a record 9.0-magnitude quake in March followed by a tsunami which smashed into the country's northeast, leaving 20 000 dead or missing.
Toyota was due to stage the semi-final clash between Brazilian giants Santos and Japanese champions Kashiwa Reysol later in the day, and FIFA said there would be no change to the schedule because of the earthquake.
"Tremendo tremendo (Wow wow)," Portuguese-speaking Santos defender Danilo, a Brazilian international, wrote on Twitter.
"Ke buen temblor!" ("What a big earthquake!") Abraham Dario Carreno, the Monterrey player, tweeted in Spanish. "Solo un susto" ("Just a scare"), he added.
The earthquake struck at 13:01, the US Geological Survey said, at a depth of 50km, 36km from Nagoya, one of Japan's main cities.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Public address systems at the Club World Cup have been informing spectators at games about what to do in the event of an earthquake.
Speaking before Wednesday's tremor, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, reflecting on the March 11 disaster, said: "When nature decides to revolt, there’s nothing you can do about it.
"The only thing we can do is to try and anticipate adversity using technology and, afterwards, stay strong to try and come through ok," he told FIFA.com.