The publication should be seen as a starting point and invites you to continue the debate on Facebook and Twitter. Topics that you may miss in the publication con be supplemented, as well as statements made by the authers commented on.

We wish you an exciting read with an insight into the brazilian perspective of the 2014 World Cup!

Football's coming home. This gives an idea of the boisterous jubilation that followed the awarding of the World Cup to Brazil in 2007. No other national team has won as many titles as Brazil and it is the only country to have participated in every World Cup to date. The decision was also met with much approval from abroad. Finally awarding a World Cup to South America, and thus giving emerging economies a chance, was widely perceived to be a positive, and even at times, a just decision. Although there were doubts about Brazil's ability to host such a large event, up until recently, optimism prevailed. Brazil, and especially Rio de Janeiro, can look back on many years of experience in the organization of huge events. New Year's Eve in Copacabana alone, brings together around two million people every year. However, only in recent years have there been so many numerous large-scale events. Both the World Climate Conference Rio+20 in 2012 and the World Youth Day last year were widely perceived to have been successes. This view is quite surprising as there were numerous problems throughout the event. For example, the closing Mass, and thus all three million pilgrims, including the stages and hundreds of toilets had to be moved to another area within days, due to the rain. However, around 90% of the visitors said that they would come back anyway. This satisfaction speaks for itself and the Brazilian talent for improvisation puts it in a class of its very own.

Whether this talent will again suffice, no longer depends solely on the management skills of the country or city governments. Last June, for the first time in nearly twenty years, the population began to demand major changes. Not coincidentally, the protests that brought millions of people across country on to the streets came in the run-up to the Confederations Cup. The contrast between the billion dollar stadiums that are more reminiscent of the standards found in industrialized countries, and the bitter need for hospitals and schools, acted as a catalyst for the citizens' unrest. More clearly than ever before, the fact remained that what ultimately lacked was not money, but sound policies for the improvement of infrastructure.

During these weeks, the police were no longer facing heavily armed criminals, but their own people. The police and government's 'first response' so to speak, swayed between perplexed cluelessness and frantic resistance. In indsight, perhaps the 2013 protests acted as a type of dress rehearsal for the country's leadership in dealing with an outraged people, in the same way the Confederations Cup acted for the sport.

In any case the World Cup for the press will probably be a great success, there is just so much to report. The new forms of media will also play a major role. Since the last World Cup, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter etc have not only grown, but offer an ever wider range of diverse opportunities for the participation of people outside the official media in public discourse. During the final, Twitter expects a record number of tweets. A decentralization of coverage does not only affect the formation of opinion. The new media can bring new dynamics to both the discourse, and popular movements. Insofar as this World Cup will bring new experiences to the use and impact of the virtual world on a massive event like the World Cup, which, in the best case scenario, may contribute to the understanding of the people.

It is clear that Brazil is already going through a process of extensive self-reflection which, had it not been for the hosting of the World Cup, probably would not have happened. Whether the awarding of the event to Brazil was ultimately right or wrong is beside the point, the fact of the matter is that it is now the responsibility of the country and especially Rio de Janeiro to use their experiences to make provisions for the 2016 Olympics as well as the future of the country and exploit Brazil's enormous potential.

Many aspects of the pros and cons of hosting the World Cup have been hotly debated. Some very different views can now be found in the following statements. Many of the authors, who hail from a wide variety of backgrounds, have in the last few years, met together to debate their views at events hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. Our aim now is the same as it was on these occasions: to provide an exchange of different points of view.

To participate, send us your contribution with a maximum of 2,000 characters (no spaces) via email to Kathrin.Zeller@kas.de.

Unfortunately we will not be able to publish all contributions due to limited resources.