World Cup 2014 Questions and Concerns

With the 2014 World Cup draw just around the corner, this Friday in Brazil, it’s time to really start counting down the days until the competition starts next summer. Four years has gone by so quickly, it seems like we were just in South Africa watching Spain lift the trophy after the final match. But alas, it's time again, all the qualified countries have been placed into their respective pots and on Friday we will know the groups for the group stages of the competition.

It is all very exciting, finding out who will be in this year’s group of death, as well as who the competition will be for our very own home countries. However, there is not only a lot of change, but also a lot of controversy surrounding next year’s World Cup, and here are a few issues that have been on people’s minds lately.

Goal-line technology is one new addition to the World Cup this time around, I’ve heard mixed reviews from people, and I myself can’t really decide how I’m going to feel about it until I finally get to see it in action. We’ve all been there, either on the good side, or the bad, when we know with all certainty that our team’s ball went past that line, but the refs didn’t award a goal.

Or the opposite, a goal is awarded for our opponents when we know in our hearts that it shouldn’t have been. With this new technology, a light or siren will go off if the ball actually makes it past the line, so there will be no confusion there.

But what about the balls that aren’t on the ground? Will the technology still work for those corner balls in the air that bounce all around the crossbar? Football has always prided itself on being a sport very reliant on referees, and this technology seems to be doing quite a bit of the linesman’s job for them - in fact almost their entire job. But, as I said before, it’s something I can’t really have an opinion on until I get to see it in action.

The political situation in Brazil is another thing that I have seen in the news over the past few months as well, not to mention the deaths of the people at the construction site of one of the new stadiums - the two seem to go hand in hand.

Brazil is extremely proud and honoured to have been awarded the host of the 2014 World Cup and are putting so much money into the endeavour. But I’m not sure how the Brazilian citizens feel about what’s going on. I’ have heard of people protesting as well as safety concerns for any foreign citizens planning to travel to Brazil for the tournament, which should number in the thousands.

Brazil has quite a task ahead of them, and for all of our sakes hopefully it works out well. We’re only a few months away, very exciting! 

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