JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Brazil arrived at the World Cup yesterday saying they will be less friendly to fans and the media as they were four years ago.

The players and coaches hope to avoid the euphoria they blame for their elimination in the quarter-finals at Germany 2006.

Brazil moved into their training camp with the usual expectations that accompany the five-time world champions, but coach Dunga quickly made it clear that the team will try to keep as much distance as possible from the hype surrounding them.

“From the first day we said the priority is the national team,” Dunga said. “Everything else comes later. We need to have a certain balance when it comes to the work of the national team.”

The Brazilian Football Confederation said through its spokesman in the team’s first news conference in South Africa that what happened in the 2006 World Cup “did not work” and will not happen again.

The team’s 2006 buildup in the lakeside resort town of Weggis, Switzerland, was marked by a partying atmosphere that players and coaches said was detrimental to the team.

Thousands of fans were allowed to follow nearly all of Brazil’s practices and the media had daily access to nearly all of the players. Brazil fell to France 1-0 in the quarter-finals.

The media will have access to only some players this time, and fans will not likely be able to watch the team’s practices.

“People often complain that we are being harsh,” Dunga said. “Sometimes you don’t need to give access to everything we do.”

Brazil have always been one of the teams which gave the most access to fans and the media, but not this time.

“We want you to think about it and see if it’s really necessary to have so many TV cameras pointed to the players’ rooms here,” confederation spokesman Rodrigo Paiva said.

Brazil are staying at the five-star Hotel Fairway inside a golf club in Randburg. The team will practise at a nearby school, but only the media is expected to have access to parts of trainings.