Can Brazil rekindle their magic?

July 11, 2012
By Tim Vickery

Spain's Euro 2012 triumph - their third consecutive international title - has prompted many to reach for comparisons with Brazilian sides of old in the quest to answer the bar-room question: Which is the world's best-ever international team?


Fun stuff, but given the difficulties of comparing teams from different eras, it may be more worthwhile to peer in the other direction, looking forward rather than backward when making Brazil/Spain comparisons.

The specific question is this: What impact might the success of Spain have on future Brazil sides?

It already has the pundits thinking. Andre Kfouri, one of Brazil's best, devoted the back cover of Lance!, Brazil's sports daily, after the Euros to the definitive reappearance of the smaller, thinking central midfielder.

"There was a time when they seemed doomed to extinction," he wrote. "Their territory had been occupied by modern gladiators, in armour of muscles and warlike concepts. With a destructive mentality, they were the ones with the task of winning the battle that determines the result of most football matches. They transformed the centre of the field into giant walls. Bricks, cement and barbed wire. It has taken a long time, but the wall has fallen."

In Brazil, the wall has fallen from a greater height than elsewhere. The likes of Spain's Xavi and Andres Iniesta, plus Andrea Pirlo of Italy, for that matter, have proved their worth once more. But where are the Brazilian equivalents? It is worth recalling that in the previous World Cup, Brazil's central midfield was made up of the ugly tandem of Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo - giant, combative and anything but thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing - and this in the zone of the pitch where Brazil used to field the best passers of the ball.

How could this be? Because in football, first comes the idea. And Brazilian football in recent years has been dominated by the idea that everything has been changed by the physical development of the game. The seeds were planted after the defeat to Netherlands in the 1974 World Cup. Used to time on the ball, Brazil's midfield were undone by the high-energy pressing of the Dutch. If this was to be the future, in Brazil's collective mind anyway, then conclusions could be drawn. One was that Brazil's players needed to bulk up. Less space on the field resulted in more physical contact, meaning that the players - especially in the heat of the battle in central midfield - had to be bigger. In the absence of any European physical advantage, it was felt, superior individual ability would tip the balance Brazil's way.

The other conclusion was that possession football was dead. There was no longer enough space on the field to work the elaborate midfield moves of old. The way forward was to block the opposition and launch lightning counter attacks down the flanks. Brazil became a team of Silva and Maicon, a converted centre-back, providing a block in midfield and a skilful athletic runner to burst forward from right back, respectively. Throw in some strikers with unquestionable genius - the likes of Romario in 1994 and Ronaldo thereafter - and for a while it worked very nicely.

But it has not worked so well of late, and even when it was winning titles - Brazil's fifth, and last, World Cup came in 2002 - the new model left older fans pining for the more exuberant days of the past. This, said the technocrats of the Brazilian game, was nothing but dewy-eyed nostalgia. There could be no turning back. Only hopeless romantics could deceive themselves into thinking that the winning formula in today's game could involve little midfielders playing a possession-based game.


Obviously, no one told Spain. Not knowing it was impossible, La Roja went and did it anyway. Their three consecutive major titles rank with anything in the history of the world game. A by-product of their achievement is that it has left those Brazilian technocrats wearing the emperor's new clothes.

And so Brazil now seeks to change direction. Taking over after the last World Cup, national team coach Mano Menezes stated right off that he was aiming to wean the team off an excessive dependence on the counter attack. Events at Euro 2012 have merely confirmed his view. He commented that the best teams were looking to elaborate more in midfield and that Brazil had to make improvements in this area, especially in terms of being more patient when in possession.

First comes the idea; then come the players to carry it out. But they do not come at once, even in a country that produces as much talent as Brazil. Those players have to be nurtured, brought up with a philosophy of play as Barcelona does with their youngsters and as Spain have done with their youth sides.

Brazil can always count on extraordinary individual talent, but how quickly can they groom midfielders with the technical ability and tactical intelligence of a Xavi, an Iniesta, a Pirlo, a Bastian Schweinsteiger? Can Brazil do this in time for the 2014 World Cup on its home soil? The clock is ticking.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/feature/_/id/1123863/can-brazil-rekindle-their-magic?&cc=3436

Exclusive - Rio Mayor Speaks of World Cup Battles with FIFA Family

August 21, 2012

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes talks to INSIDER (Rio 2016)(WFI) Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes tells World Football INSIDER that the FIFA family "will not be treated as well as the IOC family" in Brazil because pushy officials are testing World Cup organisers and paving the way for a smoother delivery of Rio 2016.

He said Brazil was working better with the IOC than its leaders are with FIFA on 2014 World Cup issues, despite strong warnings over Olympic preparations.

“We have a great relationship with the IOC,” Paes told INSIDER, paying tribute to the advice and guidance of its coordination commission for Rio 2016 led by Morocco’s Nawal El Moutawakel.

“When they come out with advice it’s because it’s real and then we’ve got to do our job and we don’t complain. The way the IOC works makes our lives much, much easier. There’s a team watching for us, they take care of our planning. If they don’t agree with something they try to discuss and we get an opinion.

“It’s a much more, I would not say relaxing, but it’s an environment that makes you work better than sometimes what it is with FIFA. I think the federal level had lots of problems with FIFA.”

That was a reference to FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke’s infamous “kick in the arse” comment to Brazil a few months ago aimed at speeding up work for the World Cup, which led to Dilma Rousseff’s administration initially turning their back on him. Sepp Blatter has since set up a new committee including Brazilian ministers which has oversight on 2014 preparations.

Paes added: “If I was from FIFA I would say these guys are using me to get everything ready for these IOC guys.

“The FIFA family is not going to be treated as well as the IOC family because they are going to be testers [ahead of Rio 2016]."

Recent warnings from the IOC’s watchdog for Rio 2016 reveal the frustrations of the Olympic body at progress across the Games project, closely mirroring Valcke’s frustrations with 2014 World Cup organisers.

El Moutawakel delivered a hard-hitting review of Rio's progress at the IOC Session in London three weeks ago. She called for Rio organizers to accelerate preparations and said “very vigorous coordination" was needed to ensure the Olympic project didn't fall any further behind schedule.

Paes admitted that the 2016 Games organizing committee faces tight deadlines to deliver on its promises to the IOC – but insisted the city would not disappoint. “We’ve tight dates. It’s not easy with such a huge project that we’re going to be delivering in Rio. But the good thing is we are on time. It’s a great transformation… huge, huge things being done.”

El Moutawakel also raised
Plenty of work still to be done on the Maracana revamp, pictured Aug. 9 (Getty)concerns that the impact of Brazil’s big effort to organize the 2014 World Cup might have a detrimental effect on the pace of work for the Rio Olympics.

Not so, said Paes.

With FIFA’s headquarters and the international broadcast and press centers all based in Rio as well as the renovations to the Maracana and airport due for completion in the next 18 months, he claimed the delivery of projects was helping not hindering Olympic preparations.

“Some of the things are going to be delivered by next year because of the Confederations Cup and by 2014 everything’s going to be ready,” he said.

“Again it’s huge for Rio as is the Olympic Games but I think we will learn a lot from the experience of the World Cup so there’s going to be a concrete legacy, things that will be built, and obviously there’s going to be lessons to always learn from what we did wrong and right.”

Paes acknowledged concerns locally and internationally about the impact of the World Cup and Olympics on the city’s public transit. But he claimed the system would cope well.

World Cup Boost to Rio's Reputation

Paes believes Rio’s reputation will soar after its staging of the World Cup and 2016 Games.

“It’s going to be a completely changed city… a place that’s more equal, more integrated with so many investments in mobility,” he said. “People worldwide are going to see Rio differently.”

As for Rio’s crime-hit favelas, which are major concerns for FIFA and the IOC, he claimed the government crackdown and ongoing police work was rooting out the drug lords.

“Favelas are in much better shape. Since we won the Olympic bid, there were lots of other new favelas completely free from drug dealers,” he said, adding that before the World Cup “we’re going to have all the city pacified with no areas controlled by drug dealers. It’s a great thing.”

Brazil’s sports minister Aldo Rebelo told TIME Magazine, in an interview published on Monday, that preparations for the World Cup and Olympics were on track.

“Both urban and sports-related infrastructure works are on schedule,” he said. “We’ve planned this well ahead of time and funds were designated for these purposes. I’m confident that things will materialize in due course and in good time.”

http://www.worldfootballinsider.com/Story.aspx?id=35294

LONDON -- From unsuitable hotels to wildly varying weather conditions and lengthy flights, England coach Roy Hodgson is expecting logistical problems at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

With qualifying starting next month, Hodgson is worried about the facilities after visiting potential bases in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte.

"It's a vast country. I don't think we realize quite how vast," Hodgson said Friday. "There's going to be enormous difficulties for the teams that qualify, according to where they're drawn."

The 64 matches will take place across 12 cities in Brazil, with some flights taking six hours, and organizers want to ensure most teams play across the country.

"There are going to be enormous logistical problems. The major problem at the moment is that the local organizing committee and the management of FIFA haven't yet come to a definite decision which training ground will be paired with which hotel," Hodgson said. "You don't really want to be necessarily choosing a hotel with a training venue you don't like and vice-versa.

"The type of hotels that you're likely to stay in won't be the sort of hotels that national teams like to stay in, where you can essentially commandeer a hotel and fashion it to your requirements. It'll be very difficult to get the type of privacy that national teams prefer, if they can get it, when they go to major tournaments."

FIFA had previously suggested it would learn from logistical issues in South Africa in 2010 by basing each four-team group in one of four areas to minimize the strain of moving players, fans and officials.

In an apparent reversal, FIFA decided that teams will travel across the vast country as they did in 2010. Eight teams will travel to the isolated Amazon city of Manaus.

Organizers believe the schedule is fairer to teams. They will experience a range of conditions in the southern hemisphere winter -- from the warm north of Brazil to the cool south and humid inland cities versus temperate coastal venues.

"If you're down in Porto Alegre, you'll going to need a fur coat because it snows and temperatures reach single figures, certainly, and maybe even sometimes lower," Hodgson said. "And if you find yourself in Manaus, then you won't be sunbathing but you will find 45, 50 degrees (Celcius) of heat and plenty of mosquitoes as well being near the Amazon jungle."

But Hodgson said staging the World Cup in the home of a major footballing power will add "spice."

"It's a country which is totally dominated by football," he said. "They're also known, of course, for their carnivals and their party atmosphere, which I'm sure won't be something which supporters would find too daunting.

"People are going to be a lot keener to go to Brazil than perhaps some other countries that are occasionally chosen to be World Cup venues."

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=403741

Brazil's zero-tolerance on soccer violence

DateAugust 28, 2012 - 8:25AM

.With 10 months to go to soccer's Confederations Cup and as the countdown starts to the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian officials said on Monday they will not tolerate fan violence.

The country, which last hosted the World Cup in 1950, is setting up a specialist police investigation centre to deal with cases of hooliganism, secretary for security affairs for Rio state, Jose Mariano Beltrame, told reporters, adding it would be based in the swish suburb of Leblon.

The news came on the heels of several outbreaks of fan violence at club level, with 21 knuckle duster-wielding fans of Fluminense arrested on Sunday for attacking two fans of another local side, Vasco da Gama.

"We can no longer tolerate violence ... this is not an example of (the image) we wish to project at the World Cup. We must act with rigour," Marta Rocha of the civil police authority told O Dia daily.

The mother of one of those arrested told reporters: "I am ashamed of my son."

Police lieutenant-colonel Joao Fiorentini explained that the 21 had been thrown in the cells as "quite apart from the assault, there was theft and that is why they have been locked up. We are tightening the noose".

Leaders of the 'Young Flu' supporters club said those responsible faced being thrown out of the club.

Last week, Vasco fan Diego Leal was killed by thugs supporting Flamengo and, last April, Flamengo fan Bruno Saturnino was beaten to death by rivals from Vasco.

Also last week, the civil police authority asked the judicial prosecutor general's office to ban Flamengo fans from Rio stadiums.

AFP



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/brazils-zerotolerance-on-soccer-violence-20120828-24x6w.html#ixzz24sZnG9Hw

FIFA: Brazil stadium construction on schedule for World Cup

SAO PAULO (AP) – FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said Thursday he is satisfied with stadium construction in Brazil ahead of next year's Confederation Cup and the 2014 World Cup.

Brazilian soccer star and member of the local organizing committee for the 2014 World Cup, Ronaldo, right, signs a replica of the 1958 Brazilian soccer jersey that was presented to FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke, left, at a news conference Thursday.

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After a three-day trip to inspect the host cities and discuss the country's preparations with local officials and organizers, Valcke said work in Brazil is on schedule.

"Our greatest source of satisfaction is that we are getting closer and closer," Valcke said after a board meeting of the local organizing committee in Rio de Janeiro. "We've just completed another satisfactory visit, this time to Cuiaba and Manaus, and we are convinced that the work is right on track."

Valcke visited the jungle city of Manaus on Tuesday and the western city of Cuiaba on Wednesday.

The secretary general noted there was reason for some concern in Recife, which has to be ready to host Confederations Cup matches in 2013, but he said FIFA will continue to closely monitor construction work in the northeastern city, which has until November to show that it can pull it off.

Salvador also has the November deadline to show it will be ready for the Confederations Cup, the warm-up tournament which will also be played in Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Recife and Fortaleza.

It was the third inspection visit by Valcke, who was in Recife, Natal and Brasilia in June, and in Salvador and Fortaleza in January. He will visit all 12 host cities by the end of the year.

In October, Valcke is expected to visit the southern city of Porto Alegre and Rio de Janeiro, which will host the final of the Confederations Cup and of the World Cup at the Maracana Stadium. Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Curitiba will be next. Sao Paulo will host the World Cup opener and the Confederations Cup draw in December.

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo and sports ministry official Luis Fernandes accompanied Valcke during this week's tour.

"With each meeting we're working more and more closely in our preparations for the FIFA World Cup, which is absolutely essential to the success of both the World Cup itself and the FIFA Confederations Cup," Fernandes said.

FIFA announced after Thursday's board meeting that more than 95,000 people have applied to be volunteers at the 2014 World Cup, surpassing the numbers from Germany and South Africa in just more than a week.

About 15,000 volunteers will be selected to work in the tournament in Brazil, while about 7,000 will be picked for next year's Confederations Cup. Nearly 50,000 people applied to be volunteers in 2006 and 70,000 in 2010, football's governing body said.

"FIFA is grateful for that and would like to stress once again that the exceptional atmosphere that surrounds the FIFA World Cup is mainly down to the volunteers," Valcke said.

Local World Cup organizing committee president Jose Maria Marin said: "I'm delighted to see the people of Brazil responding so well."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/story/2012-08-30/Brazil-World-Cup-stadium-construction/57454896/1

World Cup 2014: A guide to Scotland’s group opponents

By CRAIG FOWLER
Published on Sunday 2 September 2012 02:39


Scotland will face Belgium, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Wales in their World Cup qualifying campaign - here’s a guide to what Craig Levein’s side should expect


BELGIUM

Team: A spine of English Premier League players includes Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen at centre-back in front of Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. Marouane Fellaini and Moussa Dembele combine technique and power in midfield. There are also emerging talents in Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku.

Form: Missed qualification for Euro 2012 by finishing third in a group with Germany, Turkey and Austria. In six friendlies since, they have lost only once, 1-0 away to England, and defeated the Netherlands 4-2 in their last match.

Key player: Eden Hazard. The Chelsea winger has made a roaring start to life in England. The Belgian team have been solid for the past three years but have missed top-class attacking quality like Hazard.

Manager: Marc Wilmots. A hero with the national team, amassing 70 caps as a player, the former captain doesn’t have a lot of experience in management. In fact, his only other previous permanent job as head coach came at K. Sint-Truidense – a small Belgian club who have never won the top division – where he was sacked after only a year in charge. His familiarity with the national team does work in his favour, having served as an assistant since 2009 before being promoted in May this year.

FIFA ranking: 53

World Cup record: Best finish – fourth in 1986.

Last qualification: 2002 (second round defeat by Brazil). 
11 appearances in total.

Record v Scotland: P14 W8 D2 L4


CROATIA

Team: Aside from Real Madrid’s new £30 million man Luka Modric, Croatia have a plethora of talent. In attack, Mario Mandzukic and former Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic are goal-hungry. The midfield is a mixture of graft and skill with Modric and former Spurs team-mate Nico Kranjcar and Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic. At the back there is veteran leadership from Darijo Srna and Josip Simunic.

Form: The Blazers, as they are known, gave a respectable performance at Euro 2012 despite a first-round exit. In hindsight, advancement to the second round was improbable as fellow Group C teams Italy and Spain went all the way to the final. The same core of players failed to qualify for the last World Cup, but the squad was severely limited by injuries.

Key player: Luka Modric. An incredibly intelligent passer of the ball, Modric dictates the play of every game he plays. One of the 
new generation of hard-working, deep-lying playmakers.

Manager: Igor Stimac. Replacing Slaven Bilic, one of the most charismatic and popular men in Croatia’s history, will be a tough task for his old defensive partner. The ex-Derby County hero has had three brief, unhappy stints in club management in Croatia.

World Cup record: Best finish – third in 1998.

Last qualification: 2006 (group stage).

Three appearances in total.

Record v Scotland: P3 W0 D3 L0


MACEDONIA

Team: The squad still rely heavily on Serie A hitman Goran Pandev to provide attacking impetus. There is hope for Wolfsburg youngster Ferhan Hasani and NK Maribor’s attacking midfielder Agim Ibraimi to establish themselves in this campaign. Velice Sumulikoski – known by Macedonians as the “Balkan Steven Gerrard” – provides steel in midfield.

Form: Macedonia’s qualification bid for Euro 2012 couldn’t have gone much worse. They managed only eight points – six from pointless Andorra – en route to a fifth place finish. The poor form saw a change in manager and a recent 1-0 victory over Lithuania was their first win in seven attempts.

Key player: Goran Pandev. Undoubtedly Macedonia’s most valuable man is their captain and leading goalscorer. But therein lies their problem. There have been no other top-class talents to arrive on the scene in the eight years Pandev has been one of Italian football’s most feared strikers. At 29, and with patchy club form over the past three seasons, the Napoli striker’s talents do appear to be in decline. However, he is still capable of the occasional match-winning moment.

Manager: Cedomir Janevski. A well-travelled individual, Janevski has had spells coaching in Belguim, Cyprus, Greece, Serbia and with the Macedonian under-21 team 15 years ago. He was handed the role when Welshman John Toshack resigned after refusing to relocate to Macedonia.

World Cup record: Never qualified.

Record v Scotland: P2 W1 D0 L1


SERBIA

Team: Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic and Manchester City’s Aleksandar Kolarov are two of the best full-backs in the game but it remains to be seen if Nemanja Vidic will change his decision to retire from international football. Other areas of the squad are in transition with Dejan Stankovic retired and active top goalscorer Nikola Zigic out of favour. Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart) and Zoran Tosic (CSKA Moscow) are highly-rated midfielders.

Form: Entered qualification for Euro 2012 looking to unseat an Italy side apparently on the decline but instead finished behind Estonia, outside the play-off places. Since then their friendly results haven’t been all that impressive either, with only one win from eight games.

Key player: Branislav Ivanovic. The Chelsea defender has been entrusted with the captain’s armband and must unite a dressing room that saw plenty of squabbling in the last qualification campaign. He’ll also be looking to solidify the defence.

Manager: Sinisa Mihajlovic. Former
defender had a storied 20-year
playing career and had management experience in Italy before landing the Serbia job in April.

World Cup record: Best finish – group stage in 2006* and 2010

Last qualification: (2010 Group Stage).

Two appearances in total.

*as Serbia and Montenegro

Record v Scotland: The countries have never played each other.


WALES

Team: Seeded two pots below Scotland but can call on Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Craig Bellamy, making them dangerous. Their frailty is in defence where James Collins is one of few legitimate top-flight players. The emergence of Joe Allen has added another dimension to the midfield.

Form: Recovered well in their Euro 2012 qualifying group, winning three of their final four matches as Gary Speed’s young side began to gel. That saw a rapid rise up the rankings and real optimism. Speed’s tragic death last year rocked Welsh football to its core and the team has understandably struggled since. Chris Coleman was appointed in January and has presided over three friendly defeats.

Key player: Gareth Bale. Has grown as a footballer over each of the last three seasons and could genuinely be considered one of the world’s best. Blistering speed, terrific strength and with one of the best left-foot shots in the world, his recent commitment to Spurs has quelled transfer rumours but value has been put at £30 million.

Manager: Chris Coleman. Before his untimely death, Speed had built the Wales team from the ground up and seemed to have the right formula for the future. Coleman has a tough act to follow and Wales have struggled for form since the former Fulham manager took the helm.

World Cup history: Best finish – 1958 (quarter-finals).

Last qualification: 1958

One appearance in total.

Record v Scotland: P105 W21 D23 L61

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/world-cup-2014-a-guide-to-scotland-s-group-opponents-1-2502063

Brazil World Cup stadiums on track0

5 September 2012-AFP

Less than two years before the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Brazil, half of the 12 host stadiums are at least 50 per cent completed, the sports ministry said on Tuesday.

Work on Rio's iconic Maracana stadium, which will host the World Cup final, is 62 per cent completed, according to a progress review posted on the government's official World Cup page.

Venues in Brasilia and the northeastern city of Salvador are more than 70 per cent completed.

But the arena in the northeast city of Natal is only 30 per cent done and work on the stadium in the southern city of Porto Alegre is just 33 per cent completed.

Work on the venues in the northern city of Manaus, the southern cities of Curitiba and Sao Paulo, and in Cuiaba, capital of the central-western state of Mato Grosso is nearly halfway done, the progress review said.

Last week, visiting FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said preparations for the World Cup - renovation or construction of stadiums, as well as infrastructure projects - were progressing well.

"No stadium is behind schedule. All the projects are proceeding well and we have reached cruise speed," Valcke told a press conference in Rio after inspecting host arenas in Manaus and Cuiaba.

"Things are working better. More is being accomplished. Things are speeding up," he said with former Brazil great Ronaldo, a member of the World Cup Organizing Committee, at his side.

His comments, made on his fourth visit to Brazil to assess progress, contrasted with his comments in March when he suggested World Cup organisers needed a 'kick up the backside' to hasten lagging preparations.

He subsequently apologised for his comments, as did FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

But experts believe the country still has major challenges to overcome, notably with respect to transport and housing.

On Tuesday, the sports ministry cited good progress on the arena in the northeastern city of Fortaleza, which is 87 per cent completed, and in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, which is 78 per cent done.

Both stadiums will host matches at next June's FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, the first in Brazil since 1950.

In Brasilia, the arena where the opening game of the Confederations Cup and seven World Cup games will be staged is 72 per cent completed while stadiums in the northeastern cities of Salvador and Recife are 70 per cent and 51.6 per cent done, respectively.

FIFA will meanwhile announce in early November whether the arenas in Recife and Salvador will host Confederations Cup matches next year, along with Rio, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza.

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/2010-world-cup/news/1119359/Brazil-World-Cup-stadiums-on-track

Five Changes Germany Should Make to Win World Cup 2014
Samrin Hasib, September 6 2012,
In the past six years, Germany has been present in each of the four semi-finals of the major international tournaments. The statistic that matters most now is that in the past four tournaments, Germany has reached just one final- they failed to win that one.


Germany, Joachim Löw’s side has small glitches that need to be addressed immediately. It is the small details that need to be worked on in order to make a good team into a great one, if not a historic one. Here are five changes that Low must make before World Cup 2014:

The Integration of a Left-back/Right-back :
Germany has only one full-back as far as the fans are concerned: Philipp Lahm. Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Howedes and Holger Badstuber can all play as a left-back or a right-back but none of them is a permanent solution. Boateng, Badstuber and Howedes are all naturally central defenders. Marcel Schmelzer does occupy a left-back berth for Dortmund.

Unfortunately, Schmelzer has been less than convincing in his national team outings. Dennis Aogo and Marcel Jansen are no longer part of the national side as far as Löw is concerned. The best option for Löw currently is perhaps to place Lars Bender there. In the Euros, he played as a right-back against Denmark and achieved some success.

A Proper Partnership in Central Defence:
Holger Badstuber and Mats Hummels very rarely starred together in the qualifiers for Euro 2012. Only during the tournament itself did they start playing with each other consistently. Against Italy, it was painfully obviously that the two required more match practice to develop a great partnership.

Both defenders have their own weaknesses. Hummels isn’t great in the air. Badstuber, as good as he is, concedes some rather pathetic goals. Boateng is another option; his weakness is his lack of focus. Nonetheless, the best pairing is seemingly that of Badstuber and Hummels and hence, this is the partnership Löw should continue to use for the next two years unless an injury disrupts it.

Integration of Mario Götze:
Germany is filled with midfielders gifted with pace and perfectly suited to counter-attacks. They lack a midfielder who can create when presented with the most difficult of situations. Müller, Lukas Podolski, Marco Reus, Andre Schuerrle and Julian Draxler are all midfielders of similar mould.

One player who is gifted with immense creativity is Toni Kroos. Unfortunately, Löw considers him a defensive midfielder and does not play him in his best position, in the hole behind the striker. Özil is also creative; unfortunately, he doesn’t bring the same amount of creativity into the side as he previously used to.

Bastian Schweinsteiger is also creative; however, injuries have seen his influence on the pitch decline even though he is gradually returning to form. The solution is perhaps to integrate Mario Götze into the side.

Götze is known as the ‘German Messi’. He is a creator who is blessed with speed and strength as well. He could be the one to break down tough defences and land Germany a cup that has eluded them since 1990. Götze of-course has his own injury issues to deal with currently and isn’t starting games for Dortmund just yet.

A New Striker:
The debate about Mario Gomez will last as long as the striker plays on. Make no mistake about it: Gomez is an innate poacher. However, he has failed to produce in semi-finals and finals for both club and country. Gomez is currently injured leaving him out of the picture momentarily. Germany’s main striker for the past decade has been of-course, Miroslav Klose.

Klose is the striker who is best suited to Germany’s style. His conversion rate in tough situations is far better than Gomez’s. However, nobody should forget Klose is 34. The 2014 World Cup will be his swansong provided he maintains his form and does not get injured.

Klose even spoke of having to drag his ‘cadaver’ over the pitch for Germany and having to train harder to keep up with the youngsters. He needs an able back-up, somebody who can play like him and who can put in the amount of effort that he does on a regular basis.

Among the options are Lukas Podolski, Müller and Schürrle. These players however don’t play in the front position for their respective clubs. Podolski, who has ample experience for the position due to his days of playing there until 2006, is a possible choice.

Other options include the likes of young Samed Yesil. Patrick Helmes was in great form; however, his chances of a return are very little due to his current long-term ligament injury. Löw does not want to consider Stefan Kiessling despite the striker’s good form. Nils Petersen of-course remains another choice. The bottom line is that this is the time for Löw to bring a new striker into the picture as Klose won’t be around for much longer.

A Winning Mentality:
The last piece of the puzzle is of-course the ‘m’ word. German teams of the past have always consisted of players with strong personalities- the likes of Stefan Effenberg and Michael Ballack come to mind. This generation however is not associated with mental strength and self-belief.

Prior to the match against Italy, the nerves were evident in Lahm and Löw’s words. Löw failed to use the options available to him and played an injured Schweinsteiger. Kroos, who had had a good season with Bayern, should have started next to Sami Khedira. Reus and Klose should have started the match.

Germany it seems always goes into a shell in semi-finals. They play to stop the opponent rather than to their strengths. This is of-course Löw’s doing. Germany needs to express themselves in the final stages of tournament as well as they do in the earlier stages and this definitely requires self-belief.

Matthias Sammer recently said that German football only looks at the ‘overall’ picture; the members of the DFB no longer look at the small issues that has seen Dortmund, Bayern, Bremen, Leverkusen and of-course the national side fail to win major club and international tournaments. The teams are good enough- unfortunately, the belief isn’t there at times.

The question about mentality obviously raises question marks over the captain of the side- German captains of the past have been outspoken players who have never failed to give their opinion. Whether Philipp Lahm is the best choice is questionable for both club and country.

Lahm will continue to lead by example it seems. He is not the kind to bark at his team-mates. Let’s hope that he develops into a better leader ahead of 2014.


These are only some of the small details that Löw needs to resolve. However, resolving these issues will be a start as the national side begins its journey to Brazil 2014, with the golden cup firmly in sight.

http://www.livesoccertv.com/news/6005/five-changes-germany-should-make-to-win-world-cup-2014/

International sides begin World Cup 2014 qualifying campaigns

With the next tournament in Brazil on the horizon, every country in the British Isles is at the ready with the first round of games set to take place on Friday evening

7 Sep 2012 11:35:00 By James McManus

Now that the new Premier League season is well underway, it is about time to return to the international stage as each nation in the UK begins their World Cup qualifying preparations.

After exacting revenge for their Euro 2012 heartache by beating Italy 2-1 in a friendly last month in Switzerland, Roy Hodgson's England side open up Group H with an away trip to Moldova, hoping to get things off to a winning start in a potentially tricky group which includes the likes of Ukraine, Poland and Montenegro.

Craig Levein's Scotland side are hoping to make their first appearance at an international tournament since World Cup 1998 in France and they begin with a home tie against Serbia in Group A. In what on paper looks like the most difficult group, they will also face dark horses Belgium, Croatia and Wales.

Which brings us to Chris Coleman's team, who in the same group start their campaign with a game at home in Cardiff against a Belgium side with a few well-known faces from the Premier League such as Mousa Dembele, Marouane Fellani and Vincent Kompany.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill starts Group F with a trip away to Fabio Capello's Russia, with the game taking place in the Lokomotiv Stadium in Moscow in what looks to be a very difficult start for the underdogs. Their group also includes Portugal and Israel to look out for further down the line.

Ireland face off against Kazakhstan away from home as they bid to put a nightmarish showing at Euro 2012. Group C also includes Germany, who will be one of the favourites when the main tournament finally rolls around.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3841/world-cup-2014/2012/09/07/3359559/-

The road to Brazil
Sky Sports takes a look at the opponents and some familiar foes facing Roy Hodgson's England in Group H as they prepare to begin their path to the World Cup
Last Updated: September 7, 2012 11:55am


.....
Moldova

FIFA world ranking: 137
Boss Ion Caras faces the usual tough task in attempting to transform the nation from the usual whipping boys. In qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, Moldova picked up just three points and finished bottom of their group. The current crop are not completely scarred by previous failures of the past, including two defeats by England in 1998 World Cup qualifying, after a focus on youth. Captain Alexandru Epureanu is only 25 years old.

Danger man: Igor Bugaiov
Montenegro
FIFA world ranking: 50
Priding themselves on hard work and tactical organisation, they are tough opponents, as England discovered in Euro 2012 qualifying when being held to two draws - including throwing away a two-goals lead in Podgorica. Montenegro became an independent nation after their split from Serbia in 2007 and in their only previous World Cup qualifying campaign to date they finished fifth in Republic of Ireland's group.

Danger man: Mirko Vucinic
Poland
FIFA world ranking: 54
Finishing bottom of their group as co-hosts at Euro 2012 was not part of the script and cost Franciszek Smuda his job. Waldemar Fornalik is the new man in charge and is under pressure for improvements after the failure to qualify for the last World Cup. The days of finishing third at the 1982 World Cup are a distant memory but in the likes of Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Wojciech Szczesny they have players full of potential.

Danger man: Robert Lewandowski
San Marino
FIFA world ranking: 206
Everyone remembers England's last meeting with this particular opponent. A Stuart Pearce gaffe helped put the Three Lions behind in the opening seconds before an eventual 7-1 win in the final match of the doomed 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign. England have improved, just about, in the past 18 years but little has changed for San Marino. They lost all 10 of their Euro 2012 qualifiers, failing to score and conceding 53 goals.

Danger man: Manuel Marani

Ukraine
FIFA world ranking: 45
Another Euro 2012 co-host who, like Poland, failed to make it out of the groups. England will be well acquainted with these particular opponents after playing them in the summer and will be aware of the threats. Andriy Shevchenko has of course retired but Marko Devic and Andriy Yarmolenko remain as highly-rated elements of the squad. Former Ballon d'Or winner Oleh Blokhin is still manager and is again likely to provide a lively press conference or two.

Danger man: Anatoliy Tymoshchuk
.http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11096/8056537/The-road-to-Brazil

Minister insists World Cup 2014 is on schedule as road to Brazil begins

Luis Fernandes says the South American country want to learn from the London Olympics ahead of the tournament in two years time, addressing security and infrastructure as concerns
Sep 7, 2012 8:00:00 AM

Reality has started to hit home for the Brazil 2014 organisers this week. First Fifa undertook its latest inspection of the country’s preparations amid ongoing concerns over delays in stadiums and infrastructure projects; and on Friday the first round of qualifying matches takes place for the European nations.

Brazil has just under two years to put all of the nuts and bolts together - quite literally - to host a tournament that will spread across 12 cities stretching up to 2,000 miles apart, with such grand changes in climate and culture that will make World Cup 2014 feel as though its being hosted across a whole continent.

The Brazilian government has invested around $14 billion towards the infrastructure surrounding the World Cup, not including the stadia, as the country looks to use the greatest sporting events on earth - Rio de Janeiro will also host the Olympics in 2016 - to boost its developing economy.

Fifa has been concerned about Brazil 2014, worried that transport infrastructure and even stadia might not be ready for the start of the tournament in two years’ time. Or at least world football’s governing body was worried, until the appointment of Luis Fernandes, Brazil’s executive secretary of the ministry of sport, to the local organising committee.

Fernandes, who spent time in London during the Olympics, admits that there have previously been concerns that Brazil’s plans are behind schedule, but says everything is now on track for a tournament he believes can be the catalyst for huge economic development.

“I would say we are on schedule,” Fernandes tells Goal.com. “It is very complex works that have to be done so it’s not a simple task to co-ordinate. Of course, some aspects go ahead of schedule, some are a little bit behind but in general, we are on track.

“There’s a basic difference between having it in Brazil and in London. The difference is that we are still a developing country and we need massive investments in infrastructure to furnish services that already exist here in the UK.

“Legacy was the reason we fought so hard to have the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

“Our focus is to use the two sporting events as a platform for stimulating and fermenting national development, so we have channeled a massive programme of public investments in infrastructure.

“For the World Cup, it’s around $14bn of public investment in infrastructures besides the stadiums. So things like underground, overrail, busses, modernisation of airports, ports and telecommunications infrastructure.

“One of the basic decisions taken by us was to decide how many host cities to have at the World Cup, because you could have a World Cup with less than 12 host cities in Brazil. You could probably have it with eight or ten, but our concern was to stimulate development via the World Cup.

“The 12 host cities go from the Amazon jungle in the north of Brazil, down to the southernmost state of Brazil, and also from east to west. Brazil is a huge nation and we will have 12 poles of development spread around Brazil.

“The numbers have stuck to what was originally planned. The investment in the World Cup is currently around $14bn, originally the plan was for $15-16bn. We still have incremental changes to be made but we’re pretty confident the investment for essential works for the World Cup will stay within that limit. Everything is going as planned, we don’t expect to overspend.”

The clock is ticking and Fernandes is keen to learn from, and improve upon, other great sporting events.

So he is not being overtly negative about London 2012 when he addresses the question of security, particularly in light of the safety concerns in Brazil, a country scarred by poverty and violence in the favelas.

“Generally, we learn more from the mistakes that what is done right,” Fernandes says. “Almost everything at London 2012 was done positively with a lot of success, but some problems did exist and we want to learn from them. We will incorporate the lessons from those mistakes both to the World Cup and the Olympic Games.

“One is rather obvious but it’s important: the question of security. The system that was set up for the security of the Olympic Games almost collapsed immediately before the Games started and the armed forces had to come in, fill in the gap, and guarantee security.

“The concerns with security are those to do with a basic democrat right to safety. It’s not just for tourists coming to the World Cup, it’s a basic right of Brazilian citizens. So the structures that are being set up to deal with security issues are structures that will serve the World Cup but they will stay on as a legacy for the Brazilian people.

I would say the issue is how to guarantee effective control by public security officials and, in our case, in partnership with the armed forces.”

Lessons will also be learned from the last World Cup, in South africa two years ago, where many of the locals were priced out of attending matches by the high ticket prices, meaning a number of games were played in stadia with thousands of empty seats.

Fernandes refuses to reveal the price of the cheapest ticket for Brazil 2014, but when pushed he claims that the cost of attending a World Cup match will be similar to a Brazilian club fixture.

“Brazil is a football national and there is a huge fervour for football,” he continues. “We don’t think there should be any problems in having the stadiums to full capacity to see the games.

“Of course, one problem we have is that we are a developing country, and therefore the price of the tickets might be very expensive or too expensive for part of the population that normally attend football matches in Brazil.

“We have a sociological difference in Brazil between to type of person who goes to national team matches and the type who goes to club matches. Club matches tend to be more popular, with a greater percentage of lower class attendants, whereas the national team is a bit more upper class.

“With Fifa, we have agreed to have a category 4 ticket, the cheapest tickets, for residents of Brazil. And within that category, a number of social programmes that exist in Brazil are fully guaranteed by the 12 host cities, for example one that provides half-price tickets for students.

“That will guarantee, I believe, that all tickets available to Brazilians will be bought and used, and we will have a lot of Brazilians in the stadiums. I’m pretty confident we will have full stadiums in Brazil during the World Cup.

“I can’t put a price on it because that hasn’t been announced yet by the organisers. I would say the cheapest tickets will not be very different from prices practiced in general in Brazilian club matches. It’s more or less on the same level, so that’s a good price.”

When Neymar and his team-mates step into the revamped Maracana stadium in Rio in two years time, it will be in front of a full house and Brazil will be gripped by World Cup fever.

http://www.goal.com/en/news/3790/world-cup-2014/2012/09/07/3359549/-

Brazil World Cup to Lay Platform for Successful Rio Olympics, Says Minister

September 11, 2012 Sao Paulo's official logo for the FIFA World Cup (Getty) (WFI) Brazil’s deputy sports minister Luis Fernandes says hosting the 2014 World Cup two years before the Olympics will benefit the staging of the Games.

“Many of the initiatives will cross over such as transportation and security,” he said in an interview with Reuters.

“We had problems with the PanAmerican Games where city governments were put in control and they didn’t deliver, then the federal government had to provide emergency investment late in the day. We have learned from that and have a matrix of responsibility in place.”

Fernandes said he expected public support for Brazil’s series of mega sporting events to rise from the 2013 Confederations Cup through the World Cup and into Rio 2016.

“Hosting these events is a spur to nationalist pride. We will build a Games in the Brazilian fashion with a Brazilian flavour. We are very festive, a very strong culture, it’s a party atmosphere,” Fernandes added.

“I think the enthusiasm we are seeing now will be sustainable.”

Sao Paulo’s Arena Corinthians, venue for the opening match of the FIFA World Cup, is on track to be completed by the end of next year, according to organisers.

"There is no worry about delivery within the deadline [December 2013]," Ricardo Trade, executive director on the 2014 Local Organising Committee was quoted in a statement by the Corinthians football club according to AFP.

A FIFA delegation visited the construction site of the 'Itaquerao' stadium a few days ago as it neared 50 percent to completion.

Sao Paulo is slated to open the World Cup on June 12, 2014.

On a visit to Brazil last month, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke insisted Brazil had moved up a gear in its construction of stadia and infrastructure for the World Cup. “No stadium is behind schedule. All the projects are proceeding well and we have reached cruise speed,” he said.

“There is not a single stadium that’s code red for 2014, not one in a critical situation,” Valcke commented following an executive meeting of the Local Organizing Committee in Rio de Janeiro.

“That could change at any time,” he added, “but at this stage of the preparations there are no stadiums that are code red.”

Valcke has promised to visit all 12 host cities for Brazil 2014 by the end of this year. After tours of Brasilia, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife and Salvador in the first six months of 2012, he now has Porto Alegre, Sao Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Curitiba left to inspect.


By INSIDER’s Mark Bisson

http://www.worldfootballinsider.com/Story.aspx?id=35335

World Cup qualifying: South America too close to call

James Clancy, 14 September 2012

The South American World Cup qualifiers are living up to their reputation as the toughest and tightest around the globe (bearing in mind that Brazil don’t have to qualify) as only three points separates leaders Argentina from sixth placed Venezuela following this week’s eighth series of matches.

Having ending Uruguay’s 18-match unbeaten run, Colombia have become the first side to beat Chile in this qualification campaign, coming from behind to win a thrilling game that had plenty of goalmouth action as well as a red card for each side.

Los Cafeteros have now moved up to second place in the standings with Chile drop to fifth and out of the automatic qualification places.

Leaders Argentina beat Paraguay 3-1 last Friday with Lionel Messi sealing the win from a magnificent 35 yard free-kick (see link below). Lacking the poise they have shown in previous games, La Albiceleste had to work harder than expected to draw 1-1 in Lima, the visitors being grateful to come away with a point. After saving a Pizarro penalty, Sergio Romero was powerless to prevent the Peruvians taking the lead courtesy of Carlos Zambrano’s well-worked goal. Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuaín equalized for the two time world champions with a right foot pile driver shortly before half-time.

Elsewhere, Venezuela continue to progress. The only nation from South America who have never appeared at a World Cup finals, La Vinotinto scored for the first time in Asuncion to beat bottom placed Paraguay 2-0, with both goals coming from Salomon Rondon. The result leaves the Paraguayans with much to do and seemingly cut adrift at the bottom of the table while Venezuela have moved to within one point of the automatic qualification places.

Having finished fourth at the 2010 World Cup, Copa America holders Uruguay have had a disappointing week. Having lost 4-0 to Colombia on Friday, they were held 1-1 on Tuesday by Ecuador in Montevideo. Just as they had done against Bolivia last week, the visitors took the lead through a Felipe Caicedo penalty, though Edison Cavani hit back with his second goal in 14 qualifying matches to complete the scoring in a game littered with chances. The point left both sides as they were, with El Tricolor in third and La Celeste in fourth place and the final automatic South American qualification berth.

http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer_irish/126321/

Ronaldo believes Brazil will be ready to win World Cup by 2014

By Tom Etherington 2012-09-14 15:27:29

Former Brazil striker Ronaldo believes the Seleção will have a good chance of winning the World Cup, by the time the tournament arrives in Rio in 2014.

The 35-year-old, who finished his playing days at Corinthians in February 2011, has been speaking of his nation’s chances of winning the competition for a sixth time.

Ronald, who was plagued by knee injuries during an illustrious career, led Brazil to their record fifth World Cup win in 2002, and picked up the Golden Boot.

With all eyes on Brazil as it prepares to host the next tournament in two years time, the former Inter and Real Madrid striker believes his country faces challenges on two fronts.

He said: "First, the organization of a World Cup, which is the biggest challenge in terms of country-wide organization, is a very complex event to organise.

"The Brazilian people have high expectations about winning the cup in our own country and I'm certain that by the time we get to the cup, our team is going to be competitive."

Adding a sixth gold star to the famous yellow and green jersey will be difficult, following Brazil’s defeat to Netherlands at the quarterfinal stage in South Africa in 2010, but not impossible according to Ronaldo.

He added: "I think in the last victories we had in the World Cup [1994 and 2002], the team was traditionally created in the last year. So I think we still have time.

"We have Neymar, who is a huge talent, Pato, Thiago Silva, who is another excellent defender. Ganso, Oscar.

"We have a very young team, but it's playing at a high level and gives us big hope for a victory."

The three-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner also advised Santos forward Neymar to sign for a European club, in order to help him join the level Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are playing at.

"I think Neymar still has a phase to compete, which is to play in Europe and triumph playing there," added the Brazilian great, who scored more than 60 goals for the Seleção.

http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/35637_ronaldo_believes_brazil_will_be_ready_to_win_world_cup_by_2014_.html

Over 130,000 volunteer applications received

(LOC) Monday 24 September 2012

Within eight days of the process opening, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ Organising Committee (LOC) announced that it had already reached its target number of 90,000 applications for the Volunteer Programme, which includes the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and the draws for the two events.

The deadline was extended until Friday 21 September, however, a full month after it began, giving more potential candidates with a variety of different profiles the chance to apply.

“I heard about the Programme on television and I decided to register,” said Fabiana da Silva, who lives in Sao Paulo. “I’d been thinking for a while about how I could take part in the World Cup in my country because I love football. I smile every time I walk past the new stadium that’s being built (Arena de Sao Paulo).”

Fabiana has something in common with one of Brazil’s FIFA World Cup heroes. Like Cafu, the captain of the side that won the country’s fifth world title, she lives in the Sao Paulo suburb of Jardim Irene. Aged 32 and the mother of five children, she has worked in the past on a building site, at a carwash and as a checkout assistant.

“I always tell my children that we need to learn more about things and I think this would be a great experience,” added Fabiana, one of the 62,879 women to apply to the Programme, some 48% of all applications.

The overall total of 130,919 applications is a record for the Volunteer Programme, exceeding the 48,000 applications for Germany 2006 and the 70,000 for South Africa 2010. Some 97 percent of the candidates said they wanted to work at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and 76 percent at the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013.

“We were confident the Volunteer Programme would be a success because Brazilian people are well known for their willingness to help others and their passion for football, but we never imagined receiving as many as over 130,000 applications,” said LOC Operations Director Ricardo Trade. “We see that kind of response as yet another example of just how hard it is to gauge the sheer level of expectation and excitement the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil is generating among people.”

Aside from the many thousands of candidates from Brazil’s 26 states and the Distrito Federal of Brasilia, 7,450 people also applied from overseas, with four Spanish-speaking countries leading the ranking: Colombia (908 applications), Argentina (509), Spain (504) and Mexico (500).

“Quite apart from the opportunity that major sporting events provide as a cultural exchange for volunteers, the participation of people from other countries means that we can meet requirements in areas where language skills are needed, such as competitions and relations with the media,” commented the LOC’s Volunteer Programme Director Rodrigo Hermida.

“I love Brazil,” said Colombian national Jose Sarmiento, who works as an aircraft mechanic in Manaus and is just one of the many thousands who have registered as a volunteer for 2014. “My daughter is Brazilian and I’d like to set an example to her by playing my part in an event that is vitally important to tourism and the development of the Amazon region.”

It is expected that some 7,000 volunteers will be required for the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013 and 15,000 for the FIFA World Cup. The LOC will contact candidates applying to work at the FIFA Confederations Cup from November, with the next phase in the selection process scheduled for December. That schedule will be the repeated for the FIFA World Cup selection process next year.

A breakdown of the Volunteer Programme application statistics is provided below:

Top ten Brazilian states:
Sao Paulo: 33,208 applications
Rio de Janeiro: 18,763
Minas Gerais: 13,247
Distrito Federal (Brasilia): 8,496
Bahia: 8,228
Rio Grande do Sul: 7,069
Ceara: 5,903
Pernambuco: 5,543
Parana: 4,935
Amazonas: 4,299

Top ten countries (excluding Brazil):
Colombia: 908 applications
Argentina: 509
Spain: 504
Mexico: 500
USA: 482
Poland: 458
Peru: 331
China: 282
Germany: 247
Ukraine: 165

Age groups:
16-25: 67,449 applications
26-40: 44,871
41-64: 17,812
Over 65: 787

Gender (number of applications):
Women: 62,879
Men: 68,040

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1707638/index.html?cid=rssfeed&att=

Is Brazil ready to host the 2014 World Cup?

It is only two years until Brazil hosts the 2014 Fifa World Cup. But is the country ready? The BBC's Brazil-based football writer Tim Vickery investigates.

Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke recently declared that preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil were moving forward on cruise control.

But he is well aware that it has been a bumpy ride.

Indeed, only a few months ago, Mr Valcke set off a diplomatic incident when he said that Brazil needed "a kick up the backside" to speed things up.

Brazilians are notoriously sensitive about criticism from outsiders. But even if the choice of words was unwise, then there is widespread agreement amongst Brazilians about the sentiment behind them.

The president of an association of architects and engineers, Jose Roberto Bernasconi, has often voiced his frustration over the slow progress. In an article published in September in Brazil's sports daily Lance!, he said he feared poor planning could lead to a wasted opportunity. Early last year he put his finger on the problem.

"There are countries which suffer natural disasters and need to reconstruct everything on an emergency basis," he said. "We create our own emergencies without any need to."

In effect Brazil knew it would be hosting the World Cup as far back as March 2003. Then, Fifa president Sepp Blatter announced that under the principle of rotating the tournament round the various continents, 2014 would be South America's turn.

Conmebol, South America's football confederation, almost instantly declared Brazil the only candidate; Colombia later briefly ran its own bid, but without the slightest chance of success.

So in October 2007, when Brazil were officially announced as 2014 hosts, it might have been expected plans would be finalised - or at the very least that host cities had been chosen. None of this had happened.

And it got worse. Brazil would not choose its host cities - Fifa would. They finally made public their decision at the end of May 2009.

Confused process

The countries who bid to stage subsequent World Cups - in 2018 and 2022 - were all made to draw up detailed plans just to enter the contest. Brazil, though, was given a free pass. Removing the discipline of competition opened the door to what could be called some of the more depressing aspects of Brazilian society.

Ricardo Teixeira, president of the CBF (Brazil's football association) from 1989 until March of this year has been one figure blamed for the confusion. In March, with a corruption story about to break, he resigned, and now resides in the US.


Ricardo Teixeira resigned in March, shortly before details of bribes were published Aiming to keep things simple, Fifa had originally wanted to use eight cities. Mr Teixeira successfully lobbied for 12, because, it is believed, most states wanted to share in the glory of hosting World Cup games.

As well as running the CBF, he was the president of the Local Organising Committee - an unusual combination of roles. His decision was to push the selection process to Fifa, adding to delays.

Delays mean extra costs - costs the hard-pressed Brazilian taxpayer has to shoulder.

Back in October 2007 Mr Teixeira was adamant all the money used to build stadiums would be private.

Some of the stadiums may have limited long-term financial viability - especially true of those in Cuiaba and Manaus, with Brasilia and Natal also dubious, according to Brazilian financial newspaper BrazilEconomico. Now it appears much of thee money used on stadium work is coming from the public purse - as are the infrastructure improvements in 12 cities.

Presidential alliance

The government appeared to view this process with alarming passivity. For a long time there was no governmental representation on the Local Organising Committee, a marked difference from the previous World Cup in South Africa.

Even now Luis Fernandes from the Ministry of Sports only has observer status on the LOC. Previously the government seemed to treat the World Cup as a purely private affair - even though it would have to foot the bill.


The Brazilian taxpayer is expected to pick up most of the tab for constructing stadiums Mr Teixeira enjoyed an alliance with Brazil's previous president Lula da Silva. Eager to be seen as a global statesman, Mr da Silva understood the Brazil national team was one of his biggest foreign policy assets. And since Mr Teixeira was the de facto "owner" of the team, an alliance made political sense.

Mr Teixeira sent the national team, stars and all, to play a friendly in August 2004 in Haiti, where Brazil head a United Nations force, while Mr da Silva gave him a free hand organising the World Cup.

Things changed at the start of last year when Mr da Silva gave way to President Dilma Rousseff. She appeared to have no time for Mr Teixeira, seemingly seeing him as a liability, and refused to meet him.

Under pressure, Mr Teixeira resigned. Corruption allegations were confirmed in Switzerland when it was announced he had taken 12.74m SFr (£8.4m) in bribes from sports marketing firm ISL, which handed out lucrative World Cup rights until it went bankrupt in 2001. These payments were not a criminal offence during the period when they were being made.

Damage limitation

Since Mr Teixeira's departure it has been much easier for Fifa, Brazil's government and the LOC to sit round a table and plan together.

But with so much time wasted, the goal now is damage limitation. The need for haste means stadiums will cost more than they should have, though at least they should be ready in time.

The World Cup could not happen without them; the same does not apply to urban transport projects, which would be Brazilian society's biggest gain from staging the tournament.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
We can't think of creating a new country in five or six years”
End Quote
Jerome Valcke

Fifa
The World Cup is such a special event that fans are happy to arrive at the stadium hours early to drink in the atmosphere - a contrast to normal games, where people go to the match after work or following Sunday lunch.

Mr Bernasconi says less than 5% of funds for urban transport projects have been allocated - and with time running out, they are particularly vulnerable to cuts

Mr Valcke said in a press conference in June: "We can't think of creating a new country in five or six years. Maybe some of the projects are not so important to the World Cup. What we need, of course, are the stadiums. And we also need the airports to function well so that people can move around from one city to another."

Extra journeys

This has always been the Achilles heel of the 2014 World Cup. Experts such as Mr Bernasconi and the Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada (IPEA), a Brazilian research group, have long doubted Brazil's ability to make the necessary improvements to airport capacity in time.

Some of the airports have been privatised in a bid to beat the clock. In all 13 airports are receiving investments. The IPEA believes up to 10 of them will not be ready in 2014.

The organisers could have made things easier for themselves by reverting to the previous system of World Cup scheduling, where teams would play all of their group matches in a single region, reducing the number of journeys.

But this idea ran into a problem - it would give one region all of Brazil's group games. The whole country will want to see their team in action, and so Brazil will play their three group matches in three different regions.

And if they have to travel around, so will everyone else - though some will have to clock up more air miles than others. Will Brazil's airport infrastructure be able to cope? Come the end of the 2014 World Cup, Mr Valcke may not be the only one who has had a bumpy journey.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-19705712

FIFA release 2014 World Cup times

September 28, 2012
By ESPN staff

FIFA have announced kick-off times for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with the opening match to take place in Sao Paulo on June 12 at 5pm local time.

Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, is five hours behind Central European Time, with host cities Cuiaba and Manaus further west and consequently an extra hour behind. European fans will therefore face the prospect of matches commencing at around 3am.

Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Curitiba, Fortaleza, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador will also host games and fall under the same time zone as Sao Paulo.

A statement released by FIFA on Thursday evening read: "Group-stage games will be played at 1pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm and 9pm local time, with knockout stage matches at 1pm and 5pm local time.

"The semi-finals will be played at 5pm local time and the final, on July 13, at the iconic Maracana stadium (in Rio de Janeiro), at 4pm local time. All kick-offs are local time, with Cuiaba and Manaus being Central European Time -6, all other venues CET -5."

Central European Time covers the majority of western Europe - including Spain, France, Italy and Germany - with the United Kingdom and Portugal conforming to Western European Time, which is one hour behind.

FIFA took local temperatures, global television scheduling and equal rest periods for teams into consideration, among other factors, when defining the kick-off times.

The final draw for the group stages, meanwhile, is set to take place on December 6, 2013 in Bahia.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1173169?cc=3436

FIFA shrugs off criticism over Brazilian summer World Cup heat

Friday, 28 Sep 2012 16:03

Jerome Valcke dismissed concerns over excessive heat during the 2014 World Cup Soccer's governing body FIFA has refuted suggestions that it has put commercial considerations before the health of players in deciding on kickoff times for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Several matches at the competition will be played in the early afternoon in tropical venues such as Natal, Recife and Salvador, as well as the dry and dusty capital Brasilia.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, clearly exasperated at constant criticism of the tournament's organisation, said there had been little room for manoeuvre.

He also dismissed talk that Brazil, who will not have to play any early or mid-afternoon games, had been favoured.

"I don't even imagine why and how you could think we are making decisions thinking about the television and not thinking about the health of the players," Valcke told reporters following a question from a Brazilian journalist.

"The first thing we need is a good World Cup and to have a good World Cup we must make sure we have the best of football and to have the best of football, we need the best teams and the best game.

"Every decision we make takes into consideration the health of the players."

Valcke said that part of the problem had been caused by local organisers wanting teams to move around between venues in different parts of the country,

"We have made a decision to play in all Brazil because that was the request of Brazil," he said.

"You have a country which is not a small country, it is a continent, where it can be two degrees and 26 degrees at the same time on the same day.

"Then you have to take these teams around the country because it was also a decision not to play in just in one region of the country but to travel all around the country to give all Brazilians the chance to enjoy Germany, Italy and the other top teams."

Valcke added that, whatever they did, World Cup organisers were criticised.

"The match schedule was wrong, the kickoff times are wrong," he said with an air of frustration.

"We have discussed with our medical department, we have been discussing with our local organising committee and finally also with football specialists and they all agree that these kickoff times, wherever we put them, from south of the country to the north, are still at a time where players can play without any problem."

Valcke, speaking after FIFA's Executive Committee meeting, acknowledged Brazil had been fortunate.

"The match schedule has not been organised just for Brazil to win this World Cup, it is true they are lucky and playing in very good conditions," he said.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said players would adapt.

"The history of football has shown that great players can play in all conditions," he said. "In Mexico in 1970 and 1986, we played at high noon, at 2,400 metres and the quality of the game did not suffer.

"You know that in difficult conditions, you can stop the game, you can cool down, and have drinks. You will remember 25 years ago, the referees said it was forbidden to drink water during the matches, and now all that has been changed because we want to take care of the health of the players."

"The actors are the players, we need the players."

This week, UEFA boss Michel Platini again called for a winter World Cup in Qatar in 2022 because of worries over the heat.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/worldcup/2012/0928/339561-fifa-shrugs-off-criticism-over-world-cup-heat/

FIFA hit back at critics over 2014 World Cup

By Callum Fox 2012-10-01 10:01:15

FIFA have denied accusations that matches in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil were schedule to benefit television schedules rather than players.

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke spoke of the criticisms at a press conference:

"I don't even imagine why and how you could think we are making decisions thinking about television and not about the health of the players.

The first thing we need is a good World Cup and to have a good World Cup we must make sure we have the best of football.

To have the best of football, we need the best teams and the best game. Every decision we make takes into consideration the health of the players."

This latest response comes after criticism of kickoff times which were revealed to be taking place in the afternoon, as early as 1pm local time in order to allow for earlier television times in Europe.

Temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees on the north-east coast of Brazil and it is thought that this could adversely affect the players.

http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/36328_fifa_hit_back_at_critics_over_2014_world_cup.html

FIFA Set to Grant Free World Cup Entry to Low Income Earers

19 October 2012

Rio De Janeiro — Football world governing body, FIFA has reportedly accepted a Brazilian government proposal to offer free entry at the 2014 World Cup to the country's indigenous population and low income earners.

FIFA's Secretary General, Jerome Valcke confirmed the request would be met during a conversation with Brazil's sports minister Aldo Rebelo this week, Estadao reported.

The measure will not form part of the allocation of half-priced tickets to be made available for students and the elderly.

According to reports, the initiative will apply for matches in Manaus and Cuiaba, whose indigenous populations are higher than in other World Cup host cities.

Low income earners who qualify for the government's Bolsa Familia programme - which provides monthly payments to families living below the poverty line - will receive free entry at all 12 venues.

"We want the World Cup to be an event for the entire population of Brazil.

"Even half-priced tickets are too expensive for the indigenous population and those who are part of Bolsa Familia," Rebelo was quoted as saying by Estadao.

Details of the initiative, including how many free tickets will be allocated and how they will be distributed, are still being finalised by FIFA.

The policy is understood to be a sensitive topic for FIFA, which has stated that even sponsors do not receive free World Cup tickets.

NAN

http://allafrica.com/stories/201210200319.html

FIFA's Task Force Football 2014 disbands.

Wednesday, 31 October 2012
By Andrew Warshaw

October 31 - A star-studded FIFA panel charged with finding ways to make the game more of a spectacle in time for the next World Cup in Brazil has been disbanded.

The so-called Task Force Football 2014 group, featuring legendary names including Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer (pictured top) and Bobby Charlton, has been wound up.

Beckenbauer, the committee chairman, and his colleagues were asked make suggestions to improve both the attractiveness of football and match control in elite competitions.

FIFA said its work was now complete and was being taken over by its existing Football Committee, chaired by UEFA President Michel Platini.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter had appointed the Task Force to create a more entertaining World Cup after too many lacklustre matches in South Africa in 2010.

But it got off on the wrong foot as Pelé and others regularly skipped meetings including the inaugural session in May 2011.

In the end, the committee became somewhat of a talking shop, coming up with only cosmetic ideas for change and failing to deliver any meaningful or binding suggestions for modernising the game.

The fact that Beckenbauer has been staunchly opposed to goal-line technology hardly helped the Task Force's cause.


Penalty shootouts was one issue Blatter (pictured above) was keen to address telling this year's FIFA Congress in May: "Perhaps Franz Beckenbauer with his Football 2014 group can present us with a solution, if not today then tomorrow."

After winding up the Task Force, a FIFA statement insisted its work had not been in vain.

"The FIFA Task Force Football 2014, which started in May 2011, has concluded its work following discussions on possible reforms of the game," the statement read.

"Several members of this task force, including its chairman Franz Beckenbauer, will now integrate with the FIFA Football Committee, a permanent standing committee which will continue to present proposals to improve the game."

http://www.insideworldfootball.biz/worldcup/brazil/11528-fifas-task-force-football-2014-disbands

Cost of Brazil’s World Cup increases by $1.7 billion

International News

November 12, 2012

Cost of Brazil’s World Cup increases by $1.7 billion


Brazilian authorities have revised the estimated cost of public spending on stadiums, airports and other infrastructure for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by more than US$1.7 billion.

The Associated Press reports that Brazil’s Audit Court says the current $13.28 billion price tag for the tournament has increased nearly 15% from the initial estimate of $11.58 billion. The increase has been attributed to the higher-than-expected cost of airport redevelopment and stadium construction.

The court said that while stadium development is progressing at a “satisfactory” rate, work on airports is “moving at a slow pace”. The announcement came after FIFA, last Thursday, retained its original list of six host cities for the 2013 Confederations Cup, relaxing its deadline for delivery of the venues.

Thursday’s announcement in Sao Paulo was preceded by the very real threat that one or more of the cities would be stripped of their hosting rights due to construction delays. However, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Recife and Salvador will remain as the host cities for the World Cup’s traditional warm-up event, which will begin on June 15. FIFA had previously stated that the venues had to be completed six months ahead of kick-off. That date has now been replaced by an April 15 deadline to begin venue testing.

http://sportsbusinessinsider.com.au/international-news/cost-of-brazils-world-cup-increases-by-1-7-billion/

2014 FIFA WC mascot named Fuleco
DPA

The 2014 World Cup mascot has been named Fuleco by the Brazilian public, the ruling football body FIFA said on Monday in a statement.

FIFA said that 48 per cent of Brazilians joining the popular vote chose Fuleco as the name for the armadillo, with Zuzeco getting 31 per cent and Amijubi 21 per cent.

Fuleco is a fusion of the words “futebol” and “ecologia,” and FIFA said the choice showed that Brazilians cared for the environment just as much as for football.

FIFA said that the mascot has a high recognition and acceptance rate in the World Cup host country, with 89 per cent of Brazilians saying they have seen the mascot and Fuleco getting a 7.3 average out of 10 for appeal.

Fuleco has its own home page and Twitter account, which said on Monday: “Thanks Brazil! There were more than 1.700.000 votes. Now I have a name and it is Fuleco!”

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/2014-fifa-wc-mascot-named-fuleco/article4136690.ece

FIFA Complains About Brazil's Crime, Lack of Hotels, Buses and Good Airports

2012 - November 2012
Written by Newsroom
Friday, 30 November 2012 13:45

Jerome Valcke, FIFA's general secretary, has warned Brazil of the increasing crime rate in cities like São Paulo and also stressed on the need of more infrastructure ahead of the 2014 football World Cup.

Valcke, overseeing progress on delivering the World Cup in Brazil, has highlighted a lack of hotels for the estimated 500.000 overseas visitors, but he also said that FIFA and the Brazilian football authorities now had a much better relationship.

Valcke had angered Brazilian officials in the past by suggesting that the stadiums would not be ready, but now he believes the risk of delay has moved on to such matters as the necessary number of hotels and vital improvements to airports and public transport.

"We are seeing a big wave of crime in São Paulo, which is not good for its image or tourism" Valcke insisted.

"In one unnamed city there are 17,000 hotel bedrooms and a 45,000 capacity stadium [for the World Cup]," he added.

"But we have now moved from talking about the problems to talking about the solutions. We are able to find and answer the problems," he said.

Brazil is spending 15 billion dollars on infrastructure for the World Cup, which includes everything from the 12 new or renovated stadiums, to new bus lanes and airport extensions.

However rampant crime in Brazil's largest city, São Paulo remains a challenge particularly with the wave of homicides, which have cost the lives of almost a hundred members of the police in their fight against organized crime and drug dealers.

The situation has seen the city's security chief sacked and all main chiefs of police removed with the promise of a more efficient and coordinated effort between the city and the federal government.

The fact that the ruling Workers party gained control of the city in the last municipal elections should make support more fluid.


http://www.brazzilmag.com/component/content/article/116-november-2012/12969-fifa-complains-about-brazils-crime-lack-of-hotels-buses-and-good-airports.html

Manaus stadium may not be ready for World Cup, warns FIFA

9:56 a.m. EST, November 30, 2012

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - FIFA fired off a warning to the Brazilian city of Manaus on Friday, telling the Amazonian capital it must speed up construction work on its stadium or risk being cut from the 2014 World Cup.

"The only one city where they have really to speed up and to work on different contractors and the different agreements they have to sign to be ready on time, which is December 2013, is Manaus," Jerome Valcke, secretary general of football's governing body, told reporters.

Valcke said he was concerned that construction of the 44,000-seat Amazonia Arena was not happening quickly enough. The stadium is less than 50 percent ready, according to official figures.

FIFA's guidelines say the stadiums in the 12 host cities must be ready at least six months in advance because the World Cup fixture draw takes place in December 2013 and competing nations need to plan issues such as their team bases.

"For the World Cup we need the stadium in advance, we need three test events," Valcke said on the eve of the draw for next June's Confederations Cup, a tournament designed as a dress rehearsal.

"You cannot have the stadium six weeks in advance, that is technically impossible.

"There is no plan B, you can always decide to take one stadium off. We did it in Germany for the Confederations Cup and South Africa for the Confederations Cup. It works. To be clear, you need a certain time to deliver a certain work."

Although Valcke did not mention Manaus's accompanying infrastructure projects, they are also causing concern in the Brazilian media.

A recent report from Brazil's Audits Court said a $650 million (406 million pounds) light railway project would not be ready in time. A proposed new system of rapid bus lanes is also behind scheduled and unlikely to be ready for the June 2014 World Cup, the court said.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/nationworld/sns-rt-uk-soccer-world-brazil-manausbre8at0qy-20121130,0,7664927.story

Brazil opens second stadium as fever grows

ANDREW DOWNIE Last updated 10:13 22/12/2012

.Brazil's preparations to host the 2014 football World Cup have gathered speed with the opening of the second of the 12 stadiums destined to hold tournament matches.

President Dilma Rousseff formally inaugurated the rebuilt Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte on Friday (Saturday, NZ time), less than a week after cutting the ribbon at the Castelao stadium in Fortaleza.

Tens of thousands of fans are expected to visit Mineirao in the coming days to see a stadium that took almost three years to refurbish at a cost of R$695 million (NZ$406m).

Mineirao is one of Brazil's best-known stadiums and its on time and on budget delivery is a benchmark for the other 10 stadiums under construction.

"This is as good as Wembley, as good as (the Allianz Arena in) Munich, it's up there with the best stadiums in the world," Carlos Alberto Parreira, assistant to Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, told reporters.

"A stadium like this is great news for both players and fans."

The 62,160 capacity Mineirao will host three games during the 2013 Confederations Cup and six during the 2014 World Cup, including one of the semi-finals.

The stadium, which is situated alongside a complex featuring works by renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, is nevertheless already causing controversy in Belo Horizonte - home to clubs Atletico-MG and Cruzeiro.

WHITE ELEPHANTS

Cruzeiro is Brazil's seventh biggest club in terms of number of fans, and Atletico is 11th, sports consultancy Pluri says. The two teams are due to play the inaugural match at the stadium in February.

However, Atletico fans could be locked out of the game unless the two clubs reach an agreement over tickets.

The match is a home one for Cruzeiro and they are reluctant to give tickets to their rivals, who do not welcome away fans when the two play at Atletico's home stadium, the Independencia.

Some Cruzeiro supporters have also voiced anger at the sharp rise in prices to watch their team in 2013. The cheapest tickets for the ground will cost R$50 next year, up from R$20 this term.

Season ticket prices have also gone up.

The 12 stadiums are scheduled to cost R$6.7 billion, three times more than their original budget. Germany spent R$3.64b to build and refurbish 12 stadiums for the 2006 World Cup and South Africa splashed out R$2.7b reais on 10 arenas just two years ago.

The Brazilian government's own federal accounts court says at least four of the stadiums will be white elephants when the tournament is over.

The vast majority of the cash being spent in Brazil is public money.

- Reuters

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/football/8112240/