Copa America Blog, July 13: Advertising takes the mic

It is all perfectly normal behaviour here at the Copa America, where the media circus is preparing to cover Sunday's final here between Brazil and Argentina in its own unique way.

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The journalists that cover South America's football championship are almost as colourful as the hordes of fans that follow their teams across Venezuela. They do things a little differently here. What they would make of the style of Motson – Sportsmail columnist and the BBC's voice of football – is unclear. It is not unusual to see journalists wearing the replica jerseys of their native country, standing for the national anthem and wildly celebrating goals. If you thought the World Cup brought out jingoism in the British Press every four years, the Latin Americans take it to a whole other level. The ultra-nationalism and rivalry resulted in a fight in the press room involving about half a dozen journalists before a quarter-final in Puerto La Cruz. National guard officers were needed to restore the peace. The Spanish-speaking commentator's 'goooooool' routine is already well known. This goal-feast of a tournament – starring the likes of Claudio Pizarro, Leo Messi, Robinho and Carlos Tevez – has needed little hyperbole but that does not stop the lines of presenters trying to outdo each other with their patter. There are two basic techniques. The first is to take a deep breath and say 'gol' for as long as possible. The second is to repeat it as rapidly as possibly. Combinations of the two are inevitable. While that may sound an attractive quirk to Anglophones, what grates on the ear is the constant mention of the sponsors. Any lull in play is filled with a plug for a mobile phone company or a declaration that the teams on display enjoy a particular brand of cola. The national TVes network employs a three-man commentary team, which includes one particularly smoothly spoken 'journalist' whose only job appears to be to fulfil the quota of on-air shout outs. After a goal, expect the TV screen to shrink during the replays to accommodate adverts at the bottom and side of the screen. Not that the advertisers always get it right. One of the most ironic commercials screened regularly here stars Ronaldinho promoting Gatorade. The drink is meant to rehydrate and stimulate sportsmen. The company chose not to ditch the advert despite Ronaldinho pulling out of Brazil's Copa America defence because, along with fellow Brazil star Kaka, he said he was too tired to travel to Venezuela. The sponsors certainly appear to have an audience, however. The huge inflatable logos for a credit card and an electrical company outside each of the nine stadiums here attract a surprising number of young girls who want their photograph taken in front of them. Their gods are not Messi, Robinho or even Venezuela star Juan Arango, their religion is shopping. But the shiny, barely finished stadiums built or heavily renovated for this tournament are the place to be for the young and trendy. The arenas fill with beautiful people; looking good here is a national obsession. In the cities, you are about as likely to come across a beauty salon as a restaurant. The cameramen are quick to pick out the lovely senoritas. At one match in Maracaibo, the stadium producer quickly grew tired of showing replays of the on-field action and took to putting girls on the big screen. One dancing to the drummers saw herself in gigantivision and decided to lift up her top, sparking a roar from the crowd that must have confused the players preparing for an uneventful throw-in. It is no surprise that this country is famous for producing so many winners of the Miss World and Miss Universe contests. Winning on the football field was a little harder to come by. Venezuela have traditionally been the whipping boys of South America. They have never played in a World Cup and before this tournament they had only won one match in the history of the Copa America. Winning Group A was a tremendous achievement for the hosts but their dreams of lifting the trophy disappeared when Uruguay inflicted a 4-1 defeat at the quarter-finals stage. The locals will have to resort to their old habit of supporting Brazil. The tournament has been exploited for political gain at every opportunity. President Hugo Chavez has been fairly quiet since hijacking the opening ceremony, where he gave a lengthy speech and appeared on the pitch with Diego Maradona. But his face appears on scores of billboards trumpeting the country's achievements in hosting the Copa America for the first time. State governors have got in on the act. In Puerto La Cruz, the stadium cleaners are walking adverts for the Anzoategui governor Tarek William Saab. Their T-shirts read: "Anzoategui progresses with Tarek." At the stadium's inauguration ceremony, a large section of the crowd reserved for volunteers impressively producing different coloured cards to reveal the flags of the participating nations flash the occasional message: "Tarek!" The grandstanding has given this tournament an edge that transcends football. However much Chavez boasts and however much he tries to fill the stadiums with his supporters, the crowds here have often embarrassed him. Venezuelans have reportedly chanted "this government will fall" at games. When a popular presenter from RCTV – the TV network Chavez closed – appeared by the pitch at a game in Maracaibo, fans cheered and shouted: "Freedom, freedom." Imagine Motson getting such a greeting.