South Africa’s World Cup Advice to Brazil

Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, FIFA made enticing promises to the locals in South Africa. Four years later, many locals found the $2 billion dollars in infrastructure investment did not benefit South Africans. Construction was accelerated on the Gautrain train¬ – a high speed railway connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria – but its prices are out of reach for most South Africans. “Following the tournament, FIFA built just five mini soccer pitches around South Africa as part of its promise to support the development of football,” reports Andrew Harding for BBC. South Africans in Nelspruit still lack a supply of clean water despite promises of improved infrastructure. It’s late, but South Africans have warned Brazil to be wary of hints of greed and corruptions, both internal and external, associated with the World Cup, which kicks off this week. – YaleGlobal