Sad news from Brazil & S. Africa

Nunu

Undoubtedly both newsworthy, and looks like they could be exploited to cast both World Cup hosts in a negative light?

At least eight people have died after part of a stadium in north-eastern Brazil collapsed towards the end of a football match, police say.
A number of people fell through a gaping hole in one of the highest areas of the stands at the Fonte Nova stadium in the city of Salvador in Bahia.

Fans were celebrating the promotion of their team to the second division.

Salvador is a candidate to stage matches at the 2014 World Cup, awarded last month to Brazil.

Wild celebrations

The accident at the Fonte Nova stadium happened when an elevated section of the concrete stand gave way just 10 minutes before the end of the game between Bahia and Vila Nova - a team from the nearby state of Goias.


Those killed fell to their death from at least 40m (130ft)

Images from the scene showed a gaping hole and a drop of at least 40m (130ft) to the street below.

Several hundred fans were in the area of the accident, jumping up and down in celebration, as Bahia looked likely to secure the 0-0 draw that would guarantee them promotion.

Around 60,000 people were reported to be in the stadium and many were unaware of the tragedy until after the game had finished.

The match finished 0-0, prompting supporters to invade the pitch in celebration.

The governor of Bahia state, Jacques Wagner, ordered the closure of the stadium while the authorities investigate the causes of the accident.

Many of the football stadiums in Brazil are old and need repair and the stadium in Salvador is believed to have opened in 1951, although it underwent a refurbishment some 20 years later, our correspondent says.

If the city is chosen to stage matches at the 2014 World Cup tournament, there are plans to build a new stadium.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7112558.stm

Fears over security overshadowed the draw for the 2010 World Cup yesterday after it emerged that a former Austrian goalkeeper, a close friend of Franz Beckenbauer, had been shot dead on a golf course near Durban.

Although the Fifa president Sepp Blatter dismissed any direct link to the draw for the tournament – the first big test for South Africa in the countdown to 2010 – news that Pieter Burgstaller had been murdered sparked fresh concerns over the country's deadly crime rate.

Austrian and German Football Federation officials confirmed that the 43-year-old events manager was on holiday in South Africa, but had been invited to attend yesterday's draw by Beckenbauer, the former German international who is now a vice-president of Fifa.

Burgstaller was found shot dead with a single bullet wound to the chest on Friday evening on the 12th tee of a golf course at the exclusive Selborne Hotel, Spa and Golf Estate in Pennington, an hour's drive from Durban. Police believe the motive was robbery.

During his football career Burgstaller played in goal for SV Salzburgan.

Fifa and South African organisers tried to play down the shooting insisting he was not part of the official World Cup draw party.

Blatter said: "To make parallels between Fifa's presence here and this death is a combination that does not reflect the actuality.

"We deplore that a tourist from Austria was shot dead yesterday on a golf course. We deplore that as we would deplore all death or casualties in any country. This tourist was not a member of the delegation coming for the draw. In a city of 3.5 million some crimes will happen as they would in many other countries.

"On Friday evening in a tram station in Zurich a young girl of 16 years old was shot. Crime is everywhere and Zurich is 10 times smaller than Durban."

In a separate incident, Oliver Bierhoff, the German team manager, had his briefcase stolen on Sunday on his way to breakfast at his hotel in Durban. It contained his passport and two mobile phones as well as paperwork relating to the draw.

"Everything is replaceable, so it's workable," said Bierhoff. But he was "perturbed and shocked" by Burgstaller's murder.

"[South Africa] is trying very hard - I hope nothing else happens," he said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/26/sfnwcp226.xml

therecklessone

Personally I will wait until the world cup returns to slightly more civil surroundings...football hooliganism is in the halfpenny place compared to much of the sh1t that goes on in both countries.

patmac

therecklessone wrote: »

Personally I will wait until the world cup returns to slightly more civil surroundings...football hooliganism is in the halfpenny place compared to much of the sh1t that goes on in both countries.

I agree South Africa is rapidly becoming one of the most dangerous places on Earth (2nd in the world behind Colombia with 0.496008 murders per 1,000 people), it's laughable that FIFA are comparing Durban to Zurich in an attempt to hide the real figures, Switerland are 59th has 0.00921351 per 1,000 people just behind Ireland in 58th. Statistics are from here http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita
Things will only get worse when Mandela dies as he still carries influence within the government.

Brazil infrastructure is appalling with no railways, poor airlines and bad quality roads and delapadated stadia meaning travelling vast distances between matches will only be done by road unless massive money is spent by a corrupt government, I'll be staying at home.

estebancambias

The thing about SA is that there is only 2 hours difference which means match times are much more suitable(perhaps ever better than the german or French world cup)

IrishMike

estebancambias wrote: »

The thing about SA is that there is only 2 hours difference which means match times are much more suitable(perhaps ever better than the german or French world cup)

lol genius argument.
besides crime corrupt lack of infrastructure we should also remember the inconvenience of the time zone differences :D:D

pickarooney

patmac wrote: »

Brazil infrastructure is appalling with no railways, poor airlines and bad quality roads and delapadated stadia meaning travelling vast distances between matches will only be done by road unless massive money is spent by a corrupt government, I'll be staying at home.

The roads are fine in Brazil once you get used to the monotony of 30-hour coach journeys and there are plenty of good options for affordable flights from the likes of Gol airlines. You could also just stick to one part of the country rather than try cover an area the size of China in a month. I guess FIFA will send people to check for holes in the stadia before kick-off too. While they might be short on corporate glass boxes, the atmosphere should make up for the nasty smells.

smemon

having missed out on france and germany, you could put money on it, SA and Brazil will be the two tournaments we DO qualify for

USA and Japan/Korea our last 2 world cups.. we don't like europe.

Doubt i'll be going myself.. even if i could afford it, had time etc.. the heat factor, coupled with poor infastructure and crime would just turn me off..

leninbenjamin

feck it lads, a bunch of rowdy drunken soccer fears would put fear of God into anyone, as long as they stick together in groups over there they'll be fine.