Brazilians have selected the name"Fuleco" for the three-banded armadillo mascot for the 2014 World Cupafter a three-month voting process that was derided by fans as undemocratic.
FIFA said Sunday that more than 1.7 million people in Braziltook part in the controversial vote to select the name for the mascot. Theother options were Zuzeco and Amijubi.
Polls across the country had shown the vast majority ofBrazilians were not pleased with the names picked for public voting and criticssaid organizers should have allowed fans to choose other names. There was evenan online petition demanding a more democratic approach in which the publiccould make suggestions.
Fuleco comes from the Portuguese words "futebol"(football) and "ecologia" (ecology), and FIFA said it "seamlesslyrepresents the way in which the FIFA World Cup can combine the two to encouragepeople to behave in an environmentally friendly way."
Football's governing body said Fuleco received 48 percent ofthe vote, while 31 percent went for Zuzeco and 21 percent for Amijubi.
Amijubi comes from the words "amizade"(friendship) and "jubilo" (joy), while Zuzeco comes from"azul" (blue) and "ecologia" (ecology).
FIFA said the three options were chosen by a"high-profile judging committee" that included former Brazil playerBebeto and Brazilian celebrities and politicians. Organizers said it wouldn'thave been feasible to allow fans to send in suggestions because the namesneeded to fulfill several legal requirements involving trademarks and otherrights.
FIFA said studies showed that the top terms used by thepublic to describe Fuleco included "Brazilian," ''nature,"''friendly" and "passion for football."
"This clearly shows that Brazilians already recognizethe significance of the armadillo as an important ambassador for the 2014 FIFAWorld Cup and his role in inspiring fans all over the world with his passionfor the sport and his country," FIFA said in a statement.
The three-banded armadillo, named for the three distinctivebands on its shell and found in northeastern Brazil, was introduced as themascot in September.
The armadillo, which is in danger of extinction, rolls upinto the shape of a ball when threatened. The mascot carries the colors of theBrazilian flag — the armadillo is yellow, with green shorts and a blue shelland tail. It is dressed in a white shirt with the words "Brazil 2014"written on it.
The mascot of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was aleopard called Zakumi, while the 2006 tournament in Germany had a lion calledGoleo.