2014 World Cup - Brazil gets ready to make their pitch

As the only nation in the running to get the 2014 World Cup, chances are very good that Brazil will bring it home on Tuesday when they showcase their bid (the final FIFA announcement is not till Oct 30). However, as exciting as this is, they still need to address a number of issues such as the poor state of the stadiums and even poorer transportation facilities.

The poor state of Brazil's major stadiums could still be a major stumbling-block - but that appears to be the least of the country's problems at present.

'Brazilian Football Confederation' (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira will make the presentation with his nation's air transport system reeling from two major crashes in the last 10 months.

The last two weeks have seen hundreds of delays and cancellations as the recriminations continue following the July 17 crash of a TAM Linhas Aereas flight, which killed around 200 people at Sao Paulo's main domestic airport.

With many major roads in an appalling state and railways suitable only for freight transport, it remains a mystery how players, officials and tens of thousands of fans will be ferried around the vast country.

As if these issues were not big enough, they also have to deal with urban violence in their major cities.

This is a lot to get past however Brazil can take heart in knowing that the ongoing Panamerican Games in Rio de Janeiro have been a very big success. Although Rio is just one city, it is still a starting block from which they can build.