Johannesburg, July 11: Romario knows a thing or two about the World Cup trophy. He was the driving force behind Brazil’s triumphant run 16 years ago in the United States. But, now as he comes as a member of the 2014 Brazil World Cup delegation the trophy seems a little different.
“How does it feel to have this cup in my hands? Cold, because the thing is freezing!” he said humorously.
As the curtain falls on the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa, the local organising committee may be basking in the glory of a successful tournament, rightly so. However, for the nation that follows them as hosts of the most popular sporting extravaganza in the world, the journey is just beginning.
Football may have been invented by the British, but there is no doubt as to what is the spiritual home of the game — Brazil. The world’s most popular event returns to the home of its most passionate fans after 64 years and for Romario, this will be a seminal moment in the history of Brazilian football.
“There’s huge expectation in Brazil, I can tell you that. As millions of people around the world know very well, Brazil is famous for its football, beaches, pretty women and samba. But with the 2014 World Cup coming up our responsibility is to show that there’s more to Brazil than those things, that it’s also a country that can get the job done,” said the striker, who joined Samba King Pele as the only player to notch up over a 1,000 goals in professional football.
Crime, like in South Africa, is a major worry for Brazil. However, Romario has no doubts that his countrymen, will embrace the event with open arms.
“I can tell you that in the run-up to 2014 the country will be tackling issues affecting many other parts of the world, like crime and public safety, and we’ll be seeing crime rates drop.”
Work on stadia has not been without its hassles with the planned arena of Morumbi in Sao Paulo was dropped from the programme by Fifa after failing to deliver on financial guarantees. The construction or renovation of stadia is part of a list of 86 government-backed projects that shall cost a total of $13.2 billion.
But, for Romario it will be money well spent if Brazil can add a sixth world title.
“It’s very simple: winning the title’s an absolute necessity for the Seleção in 2014, and the only pressure that will be on the players is the pressure to win. It can’t be any other way,” said the 43-year-old.