LUIZ, a fervent Brazilian football fan I met in Sao Paulo this week, told me a lot of nice things about Brazil and its football culture.
LUIZ, a fervent Brazilian football fan I met in Sao Paulo this week, told me a lot of nice things about Brazil and its football culture.
As if I was paying attention to his crowing.
"Football is a religion in Brazil and no country can match our success when it comes to football. We are just simply the best," he bragged.
"When I was studying in America my friends there always reminded me about how powerful and successful Brazil is in football."
He stopped short of blaming Dunga - their 2010 World Cup coach - for Brazil's failure to win the tournament in South Africa.
The lanky dude, who told me that he would die for Brazilian football, was now starting to get on my nerves and I told him to get lost. He would not budge and continued to talk about the Peles, Zicos, Rivaldos, Ronaldos and Ronaldinhos of his country.
But the motor-mouth fell silent when I asked him about the 2014 Fifa World Cup that they will be hosting.
He said many things that didn't make sense to me as he tried in vain to explain the disturbing picture of his country's preparations for the tournament.
Luiz was not the only person I met in Sao Paulo who failed to put me at ease in regard to the country's readiness to stage the World Cup.
People I met in Sao Paulo don't talk about the World Cup. They excitedly talk about forthcoming local matches, and striker Luis Fabiano.
The situation here is a far cry from that in Mzansi after we were given the rights to stage the spectacle.
We celebrated from the very first day when Fifa boss Sepp Blatter made that historic announcement, until the final whistle at Soccer City on July 11.
Our government and all role players worked in tandem to create the hype around the tournament.
Maybe we were overly ecstatic because the event was coming to Africa for the first time. Brazilians may argue, "why should we be excited because we have hosted the World Cup before?".
So why did they bid for the event again?
Maybe I should spare my criticism of people like Luiz and ask myself if football authorities, government and other stakeholders in Brazil are doing something to promote the event and generate interest among its people.
What I saw in Sao Paulo since I arrived here last Saturday doesn't suggest those involved are taking great strides to promote the event. There are no posters at the airports, on the streets, at malls and on major buildings promoting the spectacle.
And news that the construction of a new stadium in Sao Paulo only started just two months ago, further underlined the poor preparations for the tournament.
The construction of this stadium, to be known as Itaquerao Stadium, is part of the government's 'plan B'. They have entered into this project with Corinthians FC.
Their initial plan with Sao Paulo Football Club to upgrade the existing Morumbi Stadium hit a snag, allegedly after the government was loathe to pay for the construction.
I find the whole process of government teaming up with football clubs to build or advance the stadiums ridiculous.
Why don't they upgrade stadiums that they own, like Pacaembu Stadium? Why should they involve the clubs and expect them to foot the bill?
Fernando, one of the interpreters and coordinators at the Sao Paulo FC academy, where 12 budding South African soccer players are being trained courtesy of Dettol's Shona Khona project, was forthright about his country's unpreparedness: "We are not ready and I will be lying if I said otherwise. There is nothing that is happening to suggest that we will be ready for 2014. Nothing."
Emmanuel Aphane, a businessman from Mamelodi East who has been in Brazil for the past five months, said the only thing the Brazilians he met always talked about was the local game.
Kabelo Tloubatla, from Diepkloof Zone 4 in Soweto, who has been a student in Brazil since January, said he missed the vibe that characterised the build-up to the 2010 showpiece back home.
The government is also faced with the Herculean task of dealing with traffic congestion in Sao Paulo and this means they have to build roads and upgrade existing ones.
Motorists are not allowed to use certain roads on pre-determined days and during certain periods, usually peak hours, based on the last two digits of the car licence plates. Such cars could not be driven between 7-10pm and 5-8pm once a week.
Viva, South Africa!
World Cup a taboo topic for Brazilians
LUIZ, a fervent Brazilian football fan I met in Sao Paulo this week, told me a lot of nice things about Brazil and its football culture.
LUIZ, a fervent Brazilian football fan I met in Sao Paulo this week, told me a lot of nice things about Brazil and its football culture.
As if I was paying attention to his crowing.
"Football is a religion in Brazil and no country can match our success when it comes to football. We are just simply the best," he bragged.
"When I was studying in America my friends there always reminded me about how powerful and successful Brazil is in football."
He stopped short of blaming Dunga - their 2010 World Cup coach - for Brazil's failure to win the tournament in South Africa.
The lanky dude, who told me that he would die for Brazilian football, was now starting to get on my nerves and I told him to get lost. He would not budge and continued to talk about the Peles, Zicos, Rivaldos, Ronaldos and Ronaldinhos of his country.
But the motor-mouth fell silent when I asked him about the 2014 Fifa World Cup that they will be hosting.
He said many things that didn't make sense to me as he tried in vain to explain the disturbing picture of his country's preparations for the tournament.
Luiz was not the only person I met in Sao Paulo who failed to put me at ease in regard to the country's readiness to stage the World Cup.
People I met in Sao Paulo don't talk about the World Cup. They excitedly talk about forthcoming local matches, and striker Luis Fabiano.
The situation here is a far cry from that in Mzansi after we were given the rights to stage the spectacle.
We celebrated from the very first day when Fifa boss Sepp Blatter made that historic announcement, until the final whistle at Soccer City on July 11.
Our government and all role players worked in tandem to create the hype around the tournament.
Maybe we were overly ecstatic because the event was coming to Africa for the first time. Brazilians may argue, "why should we be excited because we have hosted the World Cup before?".
So why did they bid for the event again?
Maybe I should spare my criticism of people like Luiz and ask myself if football authorities, government and other stakeholders in Brazil are doing something to promote the event and generate interest among its people.
What I saw in Sao Paulo since I arrived here last Saturday doesn't suggest those involved are taking great strides to promote the event. There are no posters at the airports, on the streets, at malls and on major buildings promoting the spectacle.
And news that the construction of a new stadium in Sao Paulo only started just two months ago, further underlined the poor preparations for the tournament.
The construction of this stadium, to be known as Itaquerao Stadium, is part of the government's 'plan B'. They have entered into this project with Corinthians FC.
Their initial plan with Sao Paulo Football Club to upgrade the existing Morumbi Stadium hit a snag, allegedly after the government was loathe to pay for the construction.
I find the whole process of government teaming up with football clubs to build or advance the stadiums ridiculous.
Why don't they upgrade stadiums that they own, like Pacaembu Stadium? Why should they involve the clubs and expect them to foot the bill?
Fernando, one of the interpreters and coordinators at the Sao Paulo FC academy, where 12 budding South African soccer players are being trained courtesy of Dettol's Shona Khona project, was forthright about his country's unpreparedness: "We are not ready and I will be lying if I said otherwise. There is nothing that is happening to suggest that we will be ready for 2014. Nothing."
Emmanuel Aphane, a businessman from Mamelodi East who has been in Brazil for the past five months, said the only thing the Brazilians he met always talked about was the local game.
Kabelo Tloubatla, from Diepkloof Zone 4 in Soweto, who has been a student in Brazil since January, said he missed the vibe that characterised the build-up to the 2010 showpiece back home.
The government is also faced with the Herculean task of dealing with traffic congestion in Sao Paulo and this means they have to build roads and upgrade existing ones.
Motorists are not allowed to use certain roads on pre-determined days and during certain periods, usually peak hours, based on the last two digits of the car licence plates. Such cars could not be driven between 7-10pm and 5-8pm once a week.
Viva, South Africa!
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