In all the chaotic hubbub of World Cup bidding for 2018 and 2022, let's not forget about Brazil – only a few years away, and the smooth process of preparing for the world's biggest sporting event is underway. Sort of. Well, technically, it's happening, I guess.
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I mean, this is a kind of "preparation" right?
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Hey, at least work on the Maracana is happening, right? Hmm...doesn't look too good at the moment, but there's plenty of time. Also, with the solid financial planning that's been done, Bloomberg is reporting that Brazil's chances of making a nice return on the investment in stadiums like the Maracana are...let's see here: "impossible." Aw, crap.
Well, will the airports be ready at least? No? Hmmm...that could be a problem. And apparently not even the government is confident they'll be prepared by the time 2014 rolls around.
Good thing we know that the facilities in the individual host cities are..."out of date," "run-down," in need of "major upgrade" and suffering "serious infrastructure shortcomings." Wow. So...not good. But they're all on track to get things in good order, right? Of course not.
So, I know there's lots of time left, and I know that everyone was all worried about South Africa before 2010. And, really, I do hope Brazil pulls this one out of the bag. But if you're looking for a fairly chosen, well-planned and smoothly executed World Cup, well, I guess there's always 2026.