I was born in Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul, the Brazilian southern state that borders Uruguay and Argentina. I lived in Brazil for 40 years before relocating to Australia in 2009…

Mega sports event promoters use the term ‘legacy’ extensively to justify the amount of – mostly public – money involved in the bid and execution of such events.

Miriam Balicas is a Brazilian citizen who lives and works in the southern hemisphere’s largest city – São Paulo. As with many other Brazilians in the lead-up to the World Cup, she was very upset with Brazil…

During last year’s Confederations Cup football tournament in Brazil, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the country’s streets to demand change. Protests that started with a clear opposition…

Mané Garrincha (1933–1983) became known as the greatest dribbler of all time and is one the major icons of Brazilian football-art (futebol-arte). He never saw his legs – he was sometimes known as the “Angel…

The launch of the photographic exhibition “The ball’s female owners” was one of the most socially relevant experiences in the months before the World Cup. The exhibition, displayed in an important cultural…

FIFA and the Brazilian government had just one bet. Facing negative international and national press coverage in the months before the World Cup with predictions of unfinished stadiums and airports’ ongoing…

Francisco Vargas is a humble taxi driver in Vitória, the capital city of the Espirito Santo state in Brazil. For the past 40 years he has been working at a taxi stand in front of the Estadio da Desportiva…

My earliest and fondest World Cup memories are from the Mexico tournament in 1970. I was only a toddler, but I remember helping my family decorate the house and streets with national symbols and colours…

Argentineans have invaded Brazil during the World Cup. While Brazilians have had (and will continue to have) plenty of political, economic and social issues to deal with as a consequence of the tournament…