With the 2014 World Cup quickly
approaching and the Summer Olympics following a mere 24 months later, the
country of Brazil is under a microscope in the sports world. But the intense focus is not for the obvious
reasons such as how extravagant the opening ceremony will be or the possible record-breaking
TV viewership. Instead, Brazil is being
questioned for its ability to safely host two of the biggest sporting events in
the world.
According to details published in
USA Today, the country of Brazil stepped into the harsh glare of the sports’
spotlight on June 30, 2013 when a soccer game in a rural city in northern
Brazil turned ugly. After a
controversial red card and ensuing argument, a soccer referee stabbed a player
on the field of play. That soccer
official was then savagely beaten, then ‘drawn and quartered’, then beheaded. His head was then placed on a stick in the
middle of the field. While this is very
uncommon according to Brazilian officials, it still raises eyebrows from the
hundreds of thousands of fans that are contemplating future travel to the
country for the World Cup and Olympics. (Hopefully FIFA licensed referees leave
their weapons at home on game day!)
We have all seen the crazy soccer
games where people are lighting flares in the stands and throwing debris, and I
believe what some people are trying to figure out is, “will this kind of
behavior be tolerated during these events?”
According to USA Today, Brazil has the 7th highest homicide
rate in the world and only 8% of the reported crimes are solved. Fans need to be prepared should they decide
to travel to Brazil and witness these once in a lifetime sporting events,
because they could be life changing event for reasons other than what happens on
the field of play.
In South Africa the craze was the
annoying noise makers referred to as vuvuzela. In Brazil, only time will tell
the legacy of the games.
*Warning: Viewer discretion advised.*
The following link may not be suitable for some viewers.
As an avid soccer fan myself, I am anxious about these games as well. Brazil has such a rich soccer history, which will make the games exciting, but the risk of injury is also there. I can tell you that I would do anything to try and attend the games in Brazil. However, for those that are not used to soccer games and the culture, the games could be quite shocking for some. I would hope that the security obviously keeps the spectators, referees, and players safe, but I hope the culture is able to thrive as well. Only time will tell about the games and how it unfolds.
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