Following on from yesterday's critique of the Brazilian and FIFA presidents, those two may be wise to heed some words from Sócrates. No, not the Greek philosopher - the Brazilian footballer. Yes - captain of Brazil’s 1982 World Cup squad (one of the best, and which
beat New Zealand 4-0 in their World Cup debut), he was a champion on and off the field - promoting democracy and challenging the (then) Brazilian military dictatorship. Before his early death in 2011, he said this about the World Cup now here:
There will be lots of public money disappearing into people’s pockets. Stadiums will be built and they will stay there for the rest of their lives without anyone using them. It’s all about money. What we need to do is keep up public pressure for improvements in infrastructure, transport, sewerage, but I reckon it will be difficult… What needs to change here is the focus on development. We need to prioritise the human being. Sadly, in the globalised world, people don’t think about individuals as much as they think about money, the economy, etc.
Read more on Richard's blog:
Sócrates: the Brazilian footballer who gave his goals to a better world.
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