The player benches for 2014 World Cup were unveiled on Wednesday in Brazil's Sao Paulo city with the presence of Portuguese soccer star Luis Figo and Kazuhiko Ishimura, president and CEO at AGC Group, responsible for manufacturing the benches.

"The glass used in these benches evolved 30 percent in terms of resistance when compared to those used during the Confederations Cup. And it is eight times more resistant in relation to regular glass," said Ishimura in the press conference to show the benches to local journalists.

Ishimura also emphasized the transparency of the glass used to build the benches, saying "the reflective properties are 13 times lower than conventional glass."

For Figo, the clear visibility of the glass will give the public the impression that players are closer to them.

AGC Asahi Glass is a world-leading supplier of glass, chemicals, ceramics and other high-tech materials and components, which allowed them to provide all the parts that compose the benches: the glass, the chairs and the paint.

The company had already provided player benches for Confederations Cup in 2013 and improved the project to ensure safety to players during the most important soccer event in the world.

Dragontrail technology, used to produce the glass for World Cup player benches, is the same used in smartphone glass provided by AGC Group, which, according to the company, is considered "the world's strongest cover glass for electronic devices." Almost 40 major brands of electronic devices worldwide carry the Dragontrail technology, whose sales increased 500 percent since its launch in January 2011.

According to Ishimura, AGC Group is the number one provider of smartphone glass in China.

"I hope Chinese arenas will also adopt our benches," Ishimura told Xinhua. Given the importance of the World Cup, he believes it will be a great opportunity to get known around the world and increase business.

"This glass bench roof represents new possibilities for the application of our chemically strengthened glass technology in a variety of purposes," said Ishimura.

Video screen

Besides the player benches, AGC is also the supplier of all glass components for the construction of Arena Corinthians, scheduled to host six matches during the World Cup, including the opening game.

"The football stadium features a design heavily accented by glass, extra-clear glass selected for its aesthetic qualities and deployed in the facades, balustrades and VIP lounges, amounting to 72,000 square meters of glass weighing 1,500 tons," AGC informs.

The East facade of Arena Corinthians incorporates the world's largest video screen, measuring 170 meters in length and 20 meters in height. According to AGC, the group was selected as official supplier upon favorable evaluation thanks to its low iron content, which allows objects to be viewed naturally in their original color and to maintain an optimal color rendering when painted.

Arena Corinthians is the 11th largest stadium in Brazil, with seating capacity for 48,234 people and featuring an original, modern look.

AGC Group, with Tokyo-based Asahi Glass Co., was established more than a century ago and nowadays is spread throughout 30 countries and regions. The group employs about 50,000 people worldwide and generates annual sales of approximately 13 billion US Dollars.

World Cup

Present at the ceremony, Luis Figo said he believes Brazil is very likely to be the champion.

"Brazil has a team formed by great players, a wonderful coach and will be playing at home," he said.

Figo also said he expects Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach for the Brazilian team, to bring to World Cup the group of players with whom he has been working with for the past year.

"He likes working with the team he is used to," Figo told the press in Sao Paulo.