Why World Cup in Brazil Will Be Brilliant Despite Controversial Conditions

The World Cup in Brazil is now just little over half a year away and, within the next few weeks, we will know the identity of all 32 nations who will participate in the competition.

As ever, though, the build-up to the competition has also had its fair share of negative publicity and, indeed, there are many Brazilians who are not keen on the idea of hosting the event.

Tax payers are rightfully worried about being lumbered with the full cost of a tournament that was supposed to attract large quantities of private funding.

In his ESPNFC column around the time of the Confederations Cup, South American columnist Tim Vickery explained the reasons behind public anger at the organisers and FIFA:

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At the start of the process Brazil's population was explicitly told that all of the money to be spent on stadiums would be private, leaving public funds for much needed infrastructure projects. It always looked like a dubious claim, especially as four of the stadiums would seem to have questionable viability. And as it has turned out, almost all of the funds spent on stadiums are from the public purse—with urban mobility projects taking a back seat.

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As a consequence of such misinformation and mismanagement, there has been unease in the country as seen at the Confederations Cup and, more than likely, will be repeated in some form next summer.

That is not to say, though, that the average football fan visiting Brazil for the competition will be in anyway affected. Bar increased traffic jams caused by any protests, for the most part fans should be completely unaffected unless they should choose otherwise.

Other stories that have made the press of late, such as the decapitation of a former footballer and a referee within the space of a few months (USA Today), have understandably raised fears of some ahead of the tournament.

While, of course, it would be impossible to ensure that there will be no instances of muggings or robbery, for example, it is not as if visitors to the competition are going to get caught up in such extreme violent incidents.

It is advisable to minimise the risk of being targeted, as it is in many countries worldwide, but the vast majority of those in Brazil next summer will encounter no troubles at all.

There will be negative stories that emerge during the competition. However, it should also be remembered that hundreds of thousands will enjoy the Pantanal on their visit to Cuiaba, the sights and sounds of the Amazon near Manaus and the beaches and bright lights of Rio de Janeiro.

There is a huge amount for football fans to see and do next summer. Brazil is a vast country, brimming with different regional cultures, cuisines and lifestyles.

Anyone who has the pleasure of visiting Salvador, for example, will notice a very different city compared to Porto Alegre in the south—with Salvador heavily influenced by migration from Africa over the course of many years and the Porto Alegre region closer culturally to parts of Argentina.

Obviously, finances will dictate how much of Brazil visitors are able to take in. However, even within just Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo there is plenty to see and do with the help of a guidebook.

Take precautions to ensure you are not caught up in any unfortunate incident. But, as long as common sense is applied, the Brazil World Cup presents a land of opportunity for football fans to explore.