Andrew Downie's Brazil Blog

• Brave Felipao Chooses Youthful Squad 1 week ago Luiz Felipe Scolari just announced his squad for next month’s Confederations Cup and it’s characterized by brave choices and an onus on youth. Both Ronaldinho and Kaka have been left out, with the former omission particularly surprising given that he has been in sparkling form with his...
• Me? Angry? Well, Yes, And Here's Why... 1 week ago One colleague called me a misanthrope the other day. Another often refers to me as Mr Angry. A Scottish pal in Rio calls me Begbie (after the notoriously angry character in Trainspotting). They all mean it in jest (I hope!) and I usually take it with a pinch of salt and a laugh. But there’s...
• An Insight Into Today's (Dying) Journalism 1 month ago I don’t normally publish emails on my blog but this one is worth sharing, especially after the furor that erupted over this case involving the Atlantic. This is the sort of insulting thing that occasionally appears in my inbox, cheekily (to put it mildly) asking me to give away my work for...
• Ronaldo's Sabbatical One More Sign Brazil Isn't Taking World Cup Preparations Seriously 1 month ago Ronaldo woke up in UK today on his first full day in what promises to be a year-long business sabbatical at advertising firm WPP. One of three men organizing the 2014 World Cup and June’s Confederations Cup warm up competition, he leaves at an inopportune time. Stadiums are late,...
• Rio de Janeiro And The 2007 Pan Am Games. Or How Not To Organise A Major Sporting Event 1 month ago The catalyst for my story on Time.com today was the closure of Rio’s 2016 Olympic games stadium because it is in danger of collapse. The Joao Havelange stadium was inaugurated just six years ago but was so poorly done it is already in an advanced state of disrepair. My editors at Time made...

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