AP Interview: Sports minister says Brazil looking at SAfrica 2010 to avoid mistakes in 2014

Minister: Brazil has to learn from SAfrica WCup

JOHANNESBURG — Brazil is taking tips from how South Africa is hosting the World Cup so it can deal with the same challenges in 2014, especially in transportation.

Brazilian sports minister Orlando Silva told The Associated Press on Monday that Brazil needs to pick up the pace in several areas to successfully host the 2014 tournament.

“The important thing is to learn,” Silva said. “We want to study all aspects. We want to know what to avoid so we can guarantee a successful World Cup in Brazil.”

Brazil brought a team of observers to South Africa to see how it’s dealing with some of the problems Brazil will likely encounter in four years. Silva acknowledged that Brazil “is not at full speed” in its preparations, but is optimistic the country will be more than ready to stage soccer’s biggest showcase in 2014.

“We have to work, we have to improve the infrastructure, the ports, airports, urban transportation, the services,” he said. “We have to work very quickly, work a lot to prepare the country for the World Cup and prepare the country for the future. We want it to be sustainable. We want a successful World Cup, but we also want to improve the country for our people.”

The minister said hospitality and air transportation are priorities for Brazil, and the country will look closely at what the South Africans do in that area. He praised the hosts’ improvement in airport infrastructure.

“Brazil is like a continent, a lot of the traveling will be done through airports, too,” Silva said. “So it’s a very important issue for us, to try to facilitate the circulation of people in the country.”

He said it is very unlikely Brazil will reduce the number of host cities from 12 to 10 to try to avoid transit problems. Silva had said eight cities would be enough to host the monthlong event in Brazil, but noted it was important for the country to have matches in more cities.

“There was a lot of thought put into choosing 12 host cities,” Silva said. “We want the infrastructure to generate jobs and help improve the entire country.”

Silva acknowledged Brazil must “work faster” on its stadiums, but downplayed recent criticism from FIFA that construction and renovation was behind schedule.

“All the stadiums will be ready for the 2013 Confederations Cup and for the World Cup,” he said.

A recent study by the government said Brazil will invest $18 billion in infrastructure, and more than 700,000 permanent and temporary jobs will be created. More than 600,000 foreigners are expected in the country during the competition.

Brazil set up an exhibition area in Johannesburg to promote the 2014 World Cup, providing visitors information on the host cities and the nation’s plans for the tournament. Brazil will be hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1950.

The 2016 Olympics will take place in Rio de Janeiro.