“‘Life imitates art far more than art imitates life,” wrote Oscar Wilde, who might not have spent much time in Brazil. For here, it is not art that life imitates, but football. There is arguably nowhere in the world where the game is so gloriously and tragically tied to the feats and failures of the society that surrounds it, and it is hard to think of another country whose history is so symbiotically linked to the sport or that looks so pleadingly to the success of its national team for self-validation.” ESPN (Video)

2014 World Cup: Pressure starting to rise for hosts Brazil
“‘We’re working in conditions where the cement is not yet dry,’ said Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke as preparations for the 2014 World Cup move towards the final straight. The strain is showing on Valcke. Fifa wanted all 12 stadiums ready by December, to give plenty of time for test events. Sao Paulo, scene of the opening game, may not be handed over until May. Curitiba got itself so far behind that there was a real danger of the city being cut from the schedule.” BBC – Tim Vickery

Battling the elements in Brazil
“‘President Blatter,’ asked a Fortaleza-born journalist during the World Cup draw last December, ‘in Fortaleza we never play soccer until early evening to avoid the heat. Why,’ the journalist continued, referencing the local times, ‘have you scheduled matches at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m.?’ FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s predictable answer mentioned Brazil’s time difference with the body’s biggest market, European TVs. Given that those kickoff times won’t change, some squads will have to prepare for a grueling mixture of heat and muggy weather, tiring factors to be added to the huge distances between certain venues.” ESPN

Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life
“The Brazilian football team is one of the modern wonders of the world. At its best it exudes a skill, flamboyance and romantic pull like nothing else on earth. Football is how the world sees Brazil and how Brazilians see themselves. The game symbolises racial harmony, flamboyance, youth, innovation and skill, and yet football is also a microcosm of Latin America’s largest country and contains all of its contradictions. Travelling extensively from the Uruguayan border to the northeastern backlands, from the coastal cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo to the Amazon jungle-Bellos shows how Brazil changed football and how football shaped Brazil. He tells the stories behind the great players, like Pele and Garrincha, between the great teams, like Corinthians and Vasco de Gama, and the great matches, as well as extraordinary stories from people and pitches all over this vast country.” amazon