11/24/24
October 30, 2007
Brazil Awarded 2014 World Cup: The World Cup tournament will be held for the first time since 1950 in Brazil, the country that has won a record five times and played in all 18. History was made in that tournament 57 years ago, as Reuters recounts: the largest crowd ever to see a soccer match, over 200,000 fans, witnessed Brazil lose to Uruguay.
It's hard to believe it's been 57 years since Brazil hosted the World Cup. It's interesting that they were the only bidding country and it seems the other Federations stood back to leave Brazil the lone bidder. If this actually happened, good on them. The stadium issues are troublesome but they have 5 or 6 years to pour the money in for rennovations and new structures. Another report I read stated the Brazilian Federation are estimating a cost of $1.1 billion for all the repairs plus four new stadiums. I know the cost of labor is low in Brazil but that figure seems ridiculously naive. We'll see. Congratulations Brasil!
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 12:40 PM on October 30, 2007
Brazil was the only bidder because FIFA was using a system where different regions are guaranteed a Cup. Since South America had decided Brazil would be its nominee, it was a formality to be named the site. FIFA apparently has scrapped the system for 2018 and beyond.
posted by rcade at 02:04 PM on October 30, 2007
Nice thing about this location is the kickoff times will be much friendlier for America; Germany wasn't terrible but Japan/Korea was pretty much Tivo-only (PST in the house). Not counting tourneys held outside SA and Europe, other than Brazil doing it once, no Cup has been won by a team from outside the host confederation so 2014 looks like another Brazil or Argentina trophy.
posted by billsaysthis at 02:46 PM on October 30, 2007
The pressure on Brazil to win that cup will be enormous. Of course, the pressure on Brazil to win any cup is enormous.
posted by rcade at 04:47 PM on October 30, 2007
not to mention the quality of its football Not sure I agree with you, Venice. The 'beautiful game' has been a myth since about 1982. The local leagues in Brazil are notorious for on-pitch violence, poor refereeing and general disorganisation. They have difficulty arranging a national tournament and the CAF is ridden with political corruption, patronage and regional rivalries. Mind you, that could equally apply to just about any FA in the world. But the quality of football in Brazil itself (not the selecao) is borderline unwatchable.
posted by owlhouse at 04:53 PM on October 30, 2007
Thanks for straightening me out there...I was thinking solely of the national team. But even there, I'll admit I'm no expert!
posted by Venicemenace at 06:56 AM on October 31, 2007
I'm buying tickets to Rio!
posted by worldcup2002 at 10:46 AM on October 31, 2007
Biggest problem for club football in Brazil is that any player good enough to attract notice goes to play in Europe. Nearly 1,000 went last year alone, which doesn't leave too many for the local teams.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:43 AM on October 31, 2007
Biggest problem for club football in Brazil is that any player good enough to attract notice goes to play in Europe. Nearly 1,000 went last year alone, which doesn't leave too many for the local teams. Yeah, IIRC Sepp Blatter was urging Brazil to keep more of their players at home in future, right before he announced Brazil as winner of the 2014 WC. A bit of a silly request really, considering the globalization of the game in the past 20 years. Nice thing about this location is the kickoff times will be much friendlier for America; Germany wasn't terrible but Japan/Korea was pretty much Tivo-only (PST in the house). Strongly agree. Looking forward to prime-time WC matches in 2014 (for us here in North America). What with increased USA TV audiences in 2006, and probably more growth of that TV audience in 2010, 2014 could be a very big year indeed for American soccer fans. Hopefully our USMNT will live up to that challenge. Not counting tourneys held outside SA and Europe, other than Brazil doing it once, no Cup has been won by a team from outside the host confederation so 2014 looks like another Brazil or Argentina trophy. Or maybe (wishful thinking) Uruguay comes out of nowhere and beats Brazil in the final. Just for old time's sake.
posted by dave2007 at 03:54 AM on November 01, 2007
Biggest problem for club football in Brazil is that any player good enough to attract notice goes to play in Europe. Nearly 1,000 went last year alone, which doesn't leave too many for the local teams. And to Japan, China, Indonesia...basically anywhere where a buck from football can be made. Even the A-League has around half a dozen Brazilians, who are cheaper than an Australian of the same standard.
posted by owlhouse at 04:53 AM on November 01, 2007
Nice thing about this location is the kickoff times will be much friendlier for America; Germany wasn't terrible but Japan/Korea was pretty much Tivo-only (PST in the house). I wouldn't be so sure. The last time the tournament was held in the Americas (USA '94), most of the matches were played around lunchtime and early afternoon to ensure peak time viewing in Europe. Better than the middle of the night, but still not good for office workers! Not good for the footballers either, playing in the heat of the day. It seems strange, having the final in bright daylight, but that's what happened in '94, and might happen again in Brazil.
posted by afx237vi at 09:21 AM on November 01, 2007
Not good for the footballers either, playing in the heat of the day. It seems strange, having the final in bright daylight, but that's what happened in '94, and might happen again in Brazil. Good point but it's worth noting it will actually be winter in Brazil when the WC is played and there are five distinct weather regions. I think the average winter temp of the 5 regions is around 55 farenheit, 13 celcius. Now that's some bright, sunny football weather.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 02:30 PM on November 01, 2007
D'oh, for a moment I forgot that the Earth has, y'know, a totally different hemisphere! So that's not bad footballing weather at all.
posted by afx237vi at 04:41 PM on November 01, 2007
for a moment I forgot that the Earth has, y'know, a totally different hemisphere I won't take it personally. However, even in "winter", as Tex alludes to, many parts of Brazil will still have very hot and humid days. I still think the weather will be a factor for the Europeans, especially. Argentina '78 was held in a proper winter. And when we host the tournament in 2018...
posted by owlhouse at 05:16 PM on November 01, 2007
I like it. Brazil is legendary for its massive stadium crowds, not to mention the quality of its football. This should make for some very memorable matches!