Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Brazil will bid for 2014 World Cup

No surprises, just making it official, but Brazil will officially inform FIFA tomorrow of their desire to host the 2014 finals.

FIFA has already said South America will host the 2014 finals and with the other nine South American nations agreeing to back Brazil's bid, this is a pretty anticlimactic announcement (unless Colombia changes their mind and puts in a bid). Still, there are lots of questions that Brazil will need to answer.

Will they be able to upgrade or build enough top quality stadiums? Will they be able to improve their public transportation system enough to get people around? Will they be able to reduce the crime level enough to make people feel safe coming to their country?

Oddly enough, a lot of Brazil's fate might rest not in their actions but in what happens with South Africa. If FIFA has a really rough time with 2010, especially if they end up having to move the location (still a very big if), they might be a bit shy about taking another risk four years later.

Brazil does have on big thing going for them, they have almost eight years to get things in order. It is true that the location will not be decided till 2008, but if no one else is making a bid, you have to like your odds. If they could get at least one stadium well on its way to being ready by 2008, I'm sure FIFA will only be too happy to give them the games no matter what South Africa is looking like at the time.

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