Analysis - What Brazil 2014 World Cup Organisers Can Learn From South Africa
July 23, 2010
INSIDER's World Cup Report Card rates key aspects in the organisation of South Africa 2010 and offers insights on what Brazil 2014 chiefs must do to exceed expectations in the delivery of their tournament.
FIFA - 8/10
After years of doubts over South Africa’s readiness and security, the 2010 World Cup will ultimately be viewed as a triumph for FIFA. Staging the world’s biggest sporting event in a nation that was 16 years ago still under the grip of an apartheid regime is no small matter and the extent of FIFA’s achievement should be applauded. But there was always a constant sense that South Africans, particularly poorer citizens, could have been better included. Having a separate, affordable band of tickets for South Africans was a worthy initiative. Less so was the way that locals were excluded to somehow protect FIFA’s sponsors. But the expectation that FIFA would somehow elevate a nation out of poverty and economic disparity purely by staging a tournament on its soil was always ludicrous.
FIFA were utterly loyal to the local organizing committee (LOC), even during times when that bond came under strain. Earlier this year they bailed the LOC out to the tune of $100 million – a staggering amount that has not really come under great scrutiny. In the build-up to the tournament, the LOC’s pronouncements about South Africa’s state of readiness flew in the face of reality. And yet FIFA overlooked many of these concerns. During the tournament the disgraceful treatment of stadium security guards demanded condemnation from FIFA, but none was forthcoming. This might have eased relations in its daily operations, but played out badly to the world. FIFA has a duty to make sure its tournaments are run in the way it expects football to be played – with fairness and integrity.
The challenge for Brazil
We have already seen greater openness over preparations for the Brazil World Cup, with Jerome Valcke’s criticisms about the pace of construction work well publicized. How this relationship plays out over the next few years will be fascinating, but the suspicion is that FIFA will be less forgiving with one of football’s great powerhouses than it was with South Africa. A more realistic approach about what a World Cup can do for a nation would also be better. Certainly a tournament can change the world’s perceptions of a nation, but it can’t actually change a country and FIFA should be more upfront about football’s limitations.
Local Organising Committee - 7/10
The LOC led by Irvin Khoza and Danny Jordaan will view the World cup as vindication for its continual promises over the last seven years that everything would pass smoothly once it got under way. By and large it did and Jordaan, the face of the World Cup organisers, deserves huge credit for this. Yet pre-tournament it was less than open in its dealings with the international media, guarding news almost to the point of paranoia. At times it was difficult - bordering on impossible - for a foreign journalist to obtain accurate or truthful information about South Africa’s state of readiness. An example was being denied access to a “99.8% complete” Soccer City last November for health and safety reasons (even though local journalists were admitted), and turning up anyway to find none of the surrounding concourses or roads in any way complete. When concerns were put to the LOC they blamed the municipalities, who also pleaded ignorance. And in the early stages of the tournament, the LOC was far too quick to pin the blame for its problems elsewhere. Rather disingenuously striking security guards were the fault of the security company it had hired – nothing to do with LOC. Transport problems lay with the government's department of transport, as did the poor dissemination of travel information. Crime queries were to be addressed to the police.
The challenge for Brazil
With flak already hitting Brazil 2014 chiefs over slow progress with stadium construction, there will be no hiding place for organising committee leader Ricardo Teixeira and his colleagues. Greater transparency in its dealings with the international media will be demanded, and it seems unlikely that the fiercely critical Brazilian media will be anything like the largely supine South African press corps. More integration with local and regional governments would be helpful. Brazilian cities should look at how London’s Olympic organizers work with its mayor's office on issues such as transport, security and building work as an example of how it should be done.
South Africa's stadiums - 8/10
The new generation of world-class football stadia is a major plus point for South Africa. Soccer City, Cape Town’s Green Point and Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium are each up there with the best in the world. Makeovers to existing grounds, such as Loftus Versfeld and Rustenburg, meant that they also lived up to expectations. Notwithstanding empty seats at some matches, the atmosphere was excellent throughout – and the perennial honk of the vuvuzelas, loved by locals but mostly loathed by others as the tournament progressed, added to the experience. Stadium catering was adequate but fairly priced. Corporate hospitality facilities were good and universally praised by those who used them.
On the flipside, FIFA’s much-criticised policy of creating exclusion zones around stadiums, where only its partners and sponsors could trade, was counterproductive. It created bad feeling among South Africans, diminished the cheery pre-match atmosphere and ultimately the match-going experience. It seems difficult to imagine how a corporate monolith could see their brand compromised or their returns diminished by a local vendor, who would surely only have added to the occasion. Some stadiums, such as Soccer City and Rustenburg, were apart from urban areas, but their transport integration with the rest of the locality left much to be desired.
The challenge for Brazil
Sao Paulo's stadium troubles - it doesn't have one fit for the World Cup in FIFA's eyes - is creating negative headlines internationally, while less than half the 12 host stadia for the 2014 tournament are under construction. South Africa also faced a race to the wire to get venues finished on time. But Brazil must start to accelerate its work on its stadium infrastructure if it is to start hitting FIFA deadlines. In Brazil, closer cooperation with local authorities to introduce some form of licensing for local vendors near stadiums would eradicate the rather sanitised pre-match experience and generate local goodwill. For out-of-town stadia, better integration with municipal transport would ease many fans headaches.
Media operations - 8/10
There were some teething problems – such as where to go for accreditation (the media guide gave a wrong location). Media facilities were functional – large tented areas outside the stadiums – but served their purpose. A remarkably small staff, consisting largely of FIFA’s media team, oversaw the whole, huge operation, augmented by hundreds of cheerful and mostly efficient volunteers. Statistical information was provided in great detail and with remarkable speed.
In Soccer City, the media tribune was outstanding, with desks, monitors and power points for virtually everyone. Elsewhere these were less in abundance, and at some venues many press were limited to a bucket seat. Unlike Germany 2006, internet access was free and available via LAN and wi-fi throughout the media centres, stadium press areas and mixed zones. Anything less in Brazil will be met with howls of derision.
Catering in the media centres was poor. Hungry hacks were subjected to a McDonald’s “McCafe” franchise, whose signature dish was a panini with a burned crust and an uncooked centre – we were better served on the concourses with the rest of the fans.
FIFA made good use of their media channel, with an efficient online ticketing service and the daily press briefings broadcast via the medium were useful.
Free shuttle buses took media from official hotels to stadiums on an hourly basis. More confusing was the issue over parking. Journalists applied for a parking permit with their match ticket months in advance, but generally didn’t know whether it had been granted until the day before a match – whereupon you had to go and collect it there and then. Many reporters based their accommodation choices on the assumption that they would be able to drive to each match, but actually this was the exception rather than the rule.
The challenge for Brazil
With the 2014 venues so widely spread, it's critical that transport and logistical challenges are carefully worked out to avoid travel headaches for journalists. Clearer pre-tournament guidance on media transport would make life easier, while better catering should be an easy fix for Brazil. Maintaining the appropriate balance between fans in a stadium and journalists is a tough one; on reflection FIFA probably got it right
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke and World Cup CEO Danny Jordaan keep 2010 preparations on course amid much media criticism (Getty)
for South Africa. The potential of the online media channel was realized this time, but even still there is perhaps scope to expand it to include team press conferences.
Football - not a classic World Cup - 5/10
Had it not been for the vibrant Germans and Portugal’s demolition of North Korea, South Africa would have yielded the fewest goals per game of any finals tournament in history. Only in Italy in 1990 were there fewer goals per game and that tournament precipitated significant modifications to football’s laws, including the outlawing of backpasses and changes to offside, favouring attackers. What we saw in South Africa was how lesser nations have improved at a faster rate than football’s established powers. Defences in particular are better organized and more efficient across the board than at any time in football’s history. It could well be that in four years time an underdog like Uruguay or Ghana goes all the way to the final. Despite the brutal final, in which Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0, and incidents like Luis Suarez’s notorious handball against Ghana, fair play generally prevailed and the standard of refereeing was good. However, FIFA's arcane stance on the use of goal-line technology was exposed to be a nonsense after Frank Lampard’s ghost goal for England against Germany.
The challenge for Brazil
Surely some form of technological aid for referees is a must for Brazil. Goal-line technology is on the agenda for October’s meeting of the International Football Association Board. But Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini's opposition to such developments is well known. Additional assistant referees were this week sanctioned by IFAB for a number of competitions including the UEFA Champions League and could be used in 2014. The other factor which would help raise the level of football’s so-called stars is a mandatory mid-season break for all qualifying nations. Too few of the stars shone in South Africa, and the fatigue of such players as Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka was all too obvious after draining seasons. Danny Jordaan admitted that the growing importance placed on the Champions League by Europe's top clubs had contributed to sapping players' energy by the season's end.
Transport issues - 4/10
One of the LOC’s most roundly mocked pre-tournament assertions was that its transport infrastructure was better than that of the previous hosts, Germany. South Africa actually has no public transport system to speak of, and is hugely reliant on private cars and minibuses. Given such a context, that it fared so well during the World Cup was laudable. Serious problems did exist, notably on Johannesburg’s roads. Travel information was also woeful, with fans having no idea how to get to and from stadiums. In the first week of matches, swathes of seats at Soccer City and Ellis Park were left empty at kick-off as supporters struggled to reach their seats – despite turnstiles being opened
Spanish captain Iker Casillas celebrates in Madrid with his teammates after Spain won the World Cup (Getty)
four hours before games. Roadworks were not completed on time and there were no dedicated traffic lanes for FIFA vehicles.Inter-city transport was problematic and private cars or air travel were necessities. The latter was hugely expensive, with South African Airways – a tournament partner – particularly culpable for exploiting visitors to the country. How else to describe the £500 price put on a Johannesburg-Port Elizabeth flight, which is approximately 90 minutes each way?
The challenge for Brazil
Given its geography and state of development, Brazil will face many of the same challenges as South Africa. One way of counteracting the huge distances involved would be to base group games in clusters of local cities; that way the ludicrous distances faced by some teams in South Africa would be shortened. FIFA's Jerome Valcke has already said the plan is to divide Brazil's 12 host cities into four regions to reduce travel times for fans. Closer scrutiny by FIFA of promised transport improvements would be beneficial for all. Earlier this month, LOC chairman Teixiera described Brazil’s problems as “airports, airports, airports". The $5.5billion President Lula this week promised to improve them will help, but FIFA needs to make sure the Brazilian government deliver.
Security - 8/10
The problem of outsourcing security to private firms was revealed in the opening week of the 2010 tournament when the company stewarding four of the stadiums was riven by an industrial dispute that saw rounds of plastic ammunition fired at protesters. FIFA and the LOC said it wasn’t their problem while handing over security to police who were not well briefed. Overall the policy of filling the streets with as many police as possible worked and there were fewer crime incidents than anyone feared pre-tournament.
The challenge for Brazil
South Africa’s security exceeded expectations and will bode well for Brazil, where fans might otherwise have been put off by concerns over crime. To emulate the South Africans, the Brazilian government and LOC will need to beef up their law enforcement and police numbers and make sure everyone is aware of the zero tolerance policy they will surely pursue.
FIFA Fan Fests - 7/10
The FIFA Fan Fests dotted around the host cities in South Africa were well organised and well attended. Fans turned up in their thousands to watch matches on big screens. At the huge gathering points, there was decent catering, themed pre-match entertainment, sponsors tents, official fan merchandise products on sale and a lively atmosphere. Despite pre-game event programs, the cold weather meant that most fans didn't show up too early or stay much after the final whistle - missed revenue opportunities. Nonetheless, more than six million fans came together at the official FIFA Fan Fests, which generated favourable print and broadcast coverage. Their success was down to huge logistical operations and the co-ordination between the key stakeholders FIFA, cities, sponsors and media right licensees. There was a definite appetite for public viewing areas outside South Africa, too. The Fan Fests in six international cities - Rome, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro - were a first for the World Cup and hailed a major success. FIFA said average attendance figures of 23,452 spectators per day were recorded at the six venues, and Blatter was delighted that the World Cup had reached more people than ever before.
The challenge for Brazil
The FIFA Fan Fest concept, birthed at Germany 2006, will certainly be expanded in Brazil and internationally for the 2014 edition. Sunny, hot weather during the World Cup in Brazil will make the fan parks a more attractive prospect. Iconic locations will be used in cities around the world - expect double or triple the number of global fan sites. Brazil's LOC will learn from South Africa and should get some tips from the live screenings of the London 2012 Olympics on how to put on a show at the Fan Fests in four years time. The challenge lies in ensuring Brazil's host cities exceed the standards set in South Africa.
Legacy - 8/10
There's no doubting the physical legacy the World Cup has left South Africa, thanks to investment in stadiums and transport infrastructure and in the installation of 52 artificial pitches to support grassroots football. Further investment in the development of South African football is essential if the team is to qualify for the 2014 tournament. The new stadia are a blessing and a burden. Like organisers of the Beijing Olympics, World Cup chiefs have been slow to come up with a post-event strategy to ensure these venues don't haemorrhage money and become white elephants. Some of the venues such as Soccer City, Ellis Park and Durban's multipurpose Moses Mabhida Stadium will not struggle to attract sports and entertainment events. Durban's gleaming venue could even be expanded to become an Olympic stadium if South Africa succeeds in its bid for the 2020 Games. But the future of other venues is unclear. For South Africa, the tournament has also united the country, boosted tourism and infrastructure investment and changed perceptions of the nation. Tourism chiefs estimate the World Cup's economic impact to be worth 10 billion rand ($1.3bn). World Cup CEO Danny Jordaan admits the big challenge now facing South Africa lies in sustaining the momentum provided by its staging of FIFA's flagship competition. South Africa's Olympic chiefs are following this lead, with a bid for the 2020 Olympics likely to come from Durban.
The challenge for Brazil
The 2014 World Cup will radically change the face of the country's stadia landscape, including a revamped Maracana, first built for the 1950 finals. They just have to crack on and build them. Upgraded transport links between the 12 host cities will ensure long-term other legacy benefits. Billions of dollars are earmarked for new and revamped airports - one of the most significant issues for Brazil ahead of the World Cup and the Olympics that follow two years later. An injection of cash from the Brazilian government and FIFA to develop football in poorer parts of the country will come through various initiatives that launch over the next few years.
By INSIDER's James Corbett and Mark Bisson
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