The 2010 FIFA world cup in South Africa has come and gone, and everyone's attention is now focused on the next host, Brazil. All satellites are now directed toward South America where the action would be, come 2014. Everyone expects Brazil to perform better than South Africa.
The expectations are quite high because Brazil is the home of football; in fact, football is a culture in the South American nation. Having won the world cup more than any other country (has won 5 editions) and being the only country to have participated in all editions, the world expects to see something unique come 2014. Besides, they have won the U-17 cup for keeps; they have won the U-20 and have also won several editions of CONCACAF nations' cup.
It is also the home of the popular Maracana stadium; and boasts of a well organized league with teams like Corinthians, Santos, Sao Paolo, Vasco Dagama, etc that have always given a good account of themselves at the club world cup tournaments. They have a population advantage (over 200 million people) and a lot of football enthusiasts.
South Africa has surprised the world by organizing a hitch-free tournament; they provided world class facilities - 8 standard stadiums, smooth roads, standard telecommunications system, 5 star hotels, tourist attractions, adequate security, etc thereby setting the pace that would be difficult for the next host to equal.
They provided something that was unique and in a sense African - the Vuvuzela, that would never be forgotten in haste; and the Jabulani football that was both problematic and fun. What should we expect in Brazil? Would they give us something that would make the Samba dance a thing to remember? What kind of football are we going to see there? I am sure FIFA now knows that the idea behind the Jabulani ball did not really work - the ball did not lead to more goals being scored; rather, it led to most of our stars failing to perform and score goals. It made Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, Aguero, Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard, Osaze Odiwingie, Obafemi Martins, Cesc Fabregas, etc. unable to score at least a goal, because of its slippery and directionless nature.
We hope the 2014 host would be able to provide adequate security to players, officials and fans. They confirmed at South Africa that they had started preparations for the next edition. Let's therefore hope we shall be seeing better stadiums, better roads, better communication systems and nice hotel accommodations. Brazil cannot afford to perform less, because the world expects much from her.
Joseph Ezie Efoghor is a sports analyst and professional nurse with years of practical experience. He writes on variety of topics which you may find beneficial to you. For more on his write-ups visit http://efoghorsportsarena.blogspot.com
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