Barzil asks for Jozi's advice

A delegation from Brazil, next hosts of the FIFA World Cup, is in Joburg to learn more about the city's role in the last football tournament.
DELEGATES from Brazil will meet Executive Mayor Parks Tau and other City officials on 30 November to get an insight into the City's hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™; what they learn from their visit will help them host the next World Cup in 2014.

Executive mayor Parks Tau will meet a delegation from BrazilExecutive mayor Parks Tau will meet a delegation from BrazilOrganised by the Johannesburg innovation and knowledge exchange (Jike), the visit will take place at Joburg’s flagship World Cup venue, FNB Stadium – known as Soccer City during the competition. A roundtable discussion will allow the City to recount its 2010 experiences and lessons learnt through hosting this event.

Unale, an organisation that consists of representatives from the different Brazilian state legislatures, specifically requested the visit. The delegation will also be visiting Tshwane to learn about its experiences.

Fabiano Geremia from Unale said in the request letter: “Our desire is to meet with government agencies which were instrumental in organising the event and undertake visits to host stadiums and legacy projects.”

In line with this request, the 15-member group will have a guided tour of FNB Stadium once the roundtable discussion is complete. The delegation is made up of officials that govern parliamentary committees tasked with overseeing matters relating to the event and staff.

“We are open to new ideas and our intention is to seek knowledge that will allow us to stage a major event in Brazil as well as to inform our legislators of the inherent processes of hosting such an event,” he said.

A presentation will be given at the roundtable discussion to focus on these processes. It will, in particular, examine the City’s operations structure for the World Cup; the state of the host city’s infrastructure prior to being awarded the World Cup; challenges faced by Joburg as a host city; mitigation plans; public participation in the event; and the legacy left by the World Cup.

To welcome the Brazilian visitors to Joburg, Tau will host a networking event today at 5pm at the Metropolitan Centre in Braamfontein.