When the 2016 summer Olympics was awarded to Rio de
Janeiro in 2009 it was over two years after FIFA had confirmed Brazil
as the host nation for the 2014 World Cup Finals. At the time anyone
questioning the wisdom of having the two largest sporting events in the
world hosted in the same country in just two years were pointed towards
Mexico (summer Olympics 1968, World Cup Finals 1970) and West Germany
(summer Olympics 1972, World Cup Finals 1974) as successful examples.
(How successful these events were is open to debate
given that an undetermined number of student demonstrators were shot
and killed by Mexican authorities just 10 days before the ’68 Olympics
started and four years later in Munich there was the terrorist attack
that resulted in 17 deaths – 11 Israelis, one German policeman and 5
members of Black September.)
Nonetheless, such a simplistic comparison fails to
consider the vast difference in scale and scope of these two events over
the last four decades and the complexity in not only presenting the
events to a world-wide audience numbered in the billions but also the
logistical challenge of moving hundreds of thousands of people often
over vast distances and also ensuring their care and comfort along the
way and upon their arrival.
The hosting of these events will test Brazil to an
unparalleled degree and it will involve the mobilization of thousands of
workers and volunteers. But while the massive workforce and bureaucracy
sets about building airports, stadiums, roads, rail connections and
hotels they will also have one overriding concern – will Brazil win next
summer’s FIFA World Cup?
The performance of the Brazil national team is so
central to the psyche of the nation that many feel that the scars of
losing when the country first hosted the World Cup in 1950 still remain
raw and close to the surface. Most countries would consider that one
loss, no matter how painful, to be more than offset by their five World
Cup wins – the most by any country. But not apparently Brazil.
To compound the concern of Brazilians the hosting
opportunity comes at a time when the international standing of the
Brazil team has plummeted to levels not seen since before the Second
World War. Other great soccer playing nations have experienced the same
lack of synchronicity. Spain, Italy and Germany have all lifted the
World Cup but they also failed when they hosted in 1982, 1990 and 2006.
When Brazil plays the well-worn clichés are
pulled out and dusted off – “Jog0 bonito”, “Samba football or “the
Beautiful Game” are the most common – and are often used extravagantly
to describe Brazil’s style and panache. The problem is that unless you
have been living under a rock for the last thirty years it should be
pretty obvious that Brazil has traveled a long way off-road since the
great sides of 58, 62 and 70.
Or may be the continued existence of such stereotypes is testament to how great these sides actually were.
The last Brazil team to “fit the brand” was
in 1982 and that team is remembered for potential-unfulfilled rather
than for any success they achieved.
The teams since then have been built on
functionality and pragmatism. There have been stars – Romario in 1994,
Ronaldo in 1998 and in 2002 he was joined by Rivaldo and Ronaldinho –
but they have also been the embellishments to an army of well drilled
and technically competent players who knew their respective jobs and
carried them out.
In fairness, many have made a convincing case (Jonathan Wilson
for example) that after the defeat by Italy in 1982 Brazil was forced
to accept that “system” soccer had triumphed and the stark choice was
between irrelevance and adaptation.
The Confederations Cup started in 1997 and for the longest time it was unloved and largely an unwanted biennial competition.
Actually, it was more than unloved it was pretty much despised as a
superfluous international tournament in an already overcrowded schedule.
In 2001 the tournament took a first tentative step
towards legitimacy when it became the test event for the 2002 World Cup
Finals jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea. The eight team
tournament offered the host nations an opportunity to test some of their
operations under less stressful circumstances. It was something that
well-managed hosts had endeavored to do anyway and so hosting the
Confederations Cup killed two birds with one stone.
The fact that it also offered broadcasters more television inventory when FIFA came calling was also a positive.
A tournament was already in the works for France in
2003 but since then the competition has been limited to once every four
years and it has been hosted by the upcoming World Cup Finals host –
Germany 2005, South Africa 2009 and now Brazil 2013.
Brazil’s performance on Saturday was one that
encouraged cautious optimism although Japan offered such docile
opposition that a more informed assessment will have to wait for another
day and for more strident opposition.
Brazil Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was also the man
that led Brazil to the World Cup win of 2002 has consistently
characterized this Brazil team as a “work-in-progress” and the
performance against Japan allowed him to echo this sentiment.
Brazil
was set on the way to the 3-0 win with an early goal from the player
that will be the face of Brazil ’14 during the lead up to next summer’s
tournament.
Twenty-one year old Neymar completed a move to
Barcelona of Spain just a couple of weeks ago for a fee of around $75M.
His goal was beautifully struck and it also marked the high-point of his
performance.
His contribution to the win was enough to earn him
the “man-of-the-match” award which served to reinforce the heavy weight
of expectation that is being thrust on some very young shoulders.
Just go back through previous World Cup winners and try to find someone so young who has led his country to a World Cup win.
Pelé in 1958 you say – not a
fair comparison. The world was a far more insular place in 1958 and
although Pelé had already set scoring records in Brazil as a 17-year-old
he arrived at the World Cup Finals in Sweden as an unknown to most of
the soccer world. In addition, he arrived injured and did not play until
the third group game against Russia. An incredible achievement but one
marked by support from an excellent team that would have in all
likelihood won the tournament without Pelé.
Four years later in Chile (he was then ages
with Neymar) the tournament was robbed of Pelé’s presence when he was
injured in the second game. Garrincha became the dominant player of the
tournament and Amarildo’s goals also proved vital.
The 1966 tournament was an
abject failure for Brazil as they failed to qualify from group play.
Pelé was approaching what should have been his best years as a player
but he was unceremoniously kicked by Bulgaria and Portugal to the point
where he said he would never appear at another World Cup again.
However he did and Brazil won again in 1970 but by that time he was approaching 30.
Maradona was left off of
Argentina’s World Cup winning squad of 1978 when he was 17. At the 1982
World Cup Finals Maradona was expected to leave his mark on the
tournament. Instead he left his mark on the groin of Brazil defender
Batista. Maradona was sent off and Argentina went home. Maradona’s accent to the level of a soccer-god had to wait until he was 25 and Mexico 1986.
Lionel Messi’s debut at the World Cup Finals came in 2006 in Germany when he was 18. He was only used sporadically by Argentine coach José Peckerman and never saw the pitch when Argentina lost in the quarter-finals against Germany on penalty kicks.
Four years later in South Africa 22-year-old Messi
carried the substantial hopes of Argentina. This time he started all
five matches but again Argentina’s hopes were dashed by Germany at the
quarter-final stage.
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