World Cup 2014 – Group H: Traffic Jam!

Hello all from ForzaSusan who will be covering Group H this year!

Group H doesn’t start until next Tuesday, June 17th.  However, we begin our coverage with news that will probably be a continual issue in Brazil – traffic.  Fox Sports reported that the scrimmage between Belgium and the US, scheduled for Thursday in Sao Paulo, has been cancelled due to traffic.   Belgian coach Marc Wilmot apparently told US Coach Jurgen Klinsmann that he didn’t want the team to spend “five hours” in traffic (which, from my experience in Sao Paulo, is entirely possible). The Belgian team (like most people who are traveling into Brazil) had major delays in and around the Sao Paulo airport and were concerned due to the continuing traffic problems and the threat of more protests.
As our fellow WC2014 blogger Dr. P can attest, traffic is a major concern in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. However, protests threaten to cripple the metro system on Thursday at the start of the World Cup, after a two- day delay on a major subway system strike.

While both American and Belgian fans may agree that calling off the scrimmage will help their teams avoid the plague of injuries that have followed the Pre-Cup Friendly season, this cancellation does bring to light the seriousness of the transportation issues in Brazil. I expect that we’ll hear more of these issues as the tournament continues.

– ForzaSusan