Brazil was named the host country for the 2014 World Cup on Tuesday in an uncontested choice by the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA). After Columbia withdrew in April, the nod was guaranteed and marks the first time the World Cup competition has been played in Brazil since 1950.
“Soccer is not only a sport for us,” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said. “It’s more than that: Soccer for us is a passion, a national passion.”
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Brazil now has “not only the right, but the responsibility” to organize the 2014 tournament. Blatter then handed the World Cup trophy to Lula.
Lula, who flew in (Switzerland) for the announcement, promised that Brazil “will now with great pride do its homework.” And, he added, “if everything works out well, we will win once again a World Cup.”
This should be a frickin’ spectacle. The mecca for futbol, the mecca for dance, the mecca for partying. Unbelievable. I was in New York a few weeks back for a wedding and met a guy who owns a travel agency out there. His qoute, “there’s only one place in the world I’ve visited where they had to pry me away from…Brazil.” He did go on to mention full-body massages, burning wax, and other unspeakables I’d fry for posting here. Credible? Not sure. Interesting? Definitely. Oh, he did go on to mention the veal was fantastic….particularly on Thursday’s.
