Brazil’s Lula talks football with South Africa’s Zuma

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in South Africa Friday, met President Jacob Zuma and talked about his country’s preparations to host the 2014 World Cup, the ex-leader’s institute said Friday.

The popular Lula, who focused much of his nation’s foreign policy on Africa during his 2003-2010 presidency, is on a foreign tour that will also take him to Mozambique, Ethiopia and India.

“During a friendly conversation, Lula mentioned that many experiences were gathered during the last World Cup in South Africa (2010) that could be valuable for Brazil,” the Lula Institute said in a statement.

Lula, 67, also reiterated an invitation to Zuma for a meeting organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to be held in Ethiopia March 4-5 that will focus on ways to end hunger.

The meeting is expected to draw heads of state from Africa and representatives of non-governmental groups, among others.

The Lula Institute, which the ex-president founded after leaving office, is aimed at improving ties between Brazil, Africa and other Latin American nations.

As Brazil’s first leftist president, Lula implemented social programs that are credited with helping lift some 29 million Brazilians out of poverty.