Brazil and the South African experience

Nice place to surf and play soccer. 

South Africa, a country in development, hosted this year's World Cup. It is now time for Brazil to do the same in four years time. What experiences can Brazil learn from South Africa? Apart from the uncomfortable noise of the vuvuzelas, it was an admirable spectacle to watch, but the country had to make lots of arrangements to accomplish the feat.


Many South Africans claim, however, it was a World Cup owned by FIFA, soccer's international organizing body, instead of a World Cup by South Africa. The point of view of how tickets were sold and the opening concert organized was predominantly European. An aspect that Brazil has to take care of.


Along with these facts, South African minister of tourism inquired the hospitality industry, whether the hotel prices were too high or not. It follows concerns that the flight tickets became costly too. This practice is not new, and it is observed in other sports as well, when there are major events schedulled.

The infrastructure of the country was questioned by New York Times readers, in relation to declarations by Danny Jordaan, head of the South African committee. He stated that the infrastructure in South Africa for the World Cup would be superior than 'any previous tournament host', but the train tickets were difficult to book, and the train station's staff wasn't helpful prior to the beginning of the competition.

Brazil has to observe such problems in order to deliver a beautiful show. FIFA has to work together with the country's committee to understand the internal ambience, and the Brazilians need to improve the organization of the tournament.

Vuvuzelastylin'

Kids play with vuvuzela

The World Cup is almost at the end, but I think there is no problem talking about the vuvuzela now.

I am Brazilian, and I am used to the sound of vuvuzela for a long time. In every major or minor competition in the country there is vuvuzela. A friend of mine even drank beer from one, in the Brazil's 1994 World Cup victory.

Vuvuzelas are taking over the world of sports in this World Cup 2010. So many stories, so much controversy, for such a simple device that represents the enthusiasm of a cheerful crowd. I think it’s fun.

Of course there is not just good news about vuvuzelas.

During the world’s largest sport event press, players, and some supporters complained about the noise. All others blow out their vuvuzelas creating a wall of sound that is transmitted to the world via tv broadcast. Ah, there are cases of supporters who got their ears injured and had to be hospitalised, for example, Sven Wipperfurth in West Germany. Or worse, like the South African kid who was shot for blowing the vuvuzela out; in the city of Pamplona, Spain, the council banned the vuvuzela sale at the San Fermin festival (mX News, p.6, Tuesday, July 6, 2010. Melbourne, Australia).

The way the audience manifests itself keeps changing over the years: from ripped paper and singing echoed by supporters, in the seventies, to inflated sticks that are hit together to produce noise, in the first competition of the millennium, in South Korea and Japan.

In South Africa now there is a new way that will go into history forever. It’s like that saying, “say something bad, or something good, but say something about me”. In this World Cup it happened involuntarily. For the better or worse.