Just like Italy needed to win in 2006, Brazil needs to win this year, and FIFA will make sure it happens.
The system works through undeserved penalty kicks.
In 2006, Italy was facing a massive corruption scandal. Italy was nearly eliminated by Australia but FIFA gave the game to Italy with an undeserved penalty kick, which is a near guarantee of a goal. This video tells the soccer story from 2006.
FIFA will hope that a tournament win for Brazil will silence the street protests that have even Pele saying that some of the money spent to host the tournament should have been spent on schools and hospitals.
Brazil's politicians are anxious. But a notorious FIFA organization, one whose leaders are leaving steadily under a cloud of corruption can deliver.
And as I write this, the referee (Japanese), after giving Brazil a goal they did not deserve, just took a goal away from Croatia.
We'll be seeing more of this in the tournament.
2014: As corrupt as 2006.