As the World Cup approaches its last few days here is an image from the previous tournament. It shows the final moments of the 2010 World Cup and the celebrations inside the stadium in Johannesburg. Known as ‘Soccer City’ the stadium has a capacity of over 90,000 and is the largest in Africa.
Just like the current tournament there was much unrest in South Africa about the money that had been invested in facilities and stadiums that might not be used after the World Cup was over. However the stadium here in Soweto is still home to the South African football team, the league side Orlando Pirates and occasionally the South African rugby team. It hosts concerts and national events so many will point to a stadium like this as a positive example of the longterm impact the World Cup can have.
It remains to be seen if Brazil will reflect on the 2014 tournament with the same positivity.