Brazilian President Dilma Vana Rousseff has promised a “spectacular and safe” World Cup but authorities are braced for widespread social unrest that threatens to cast a dark shadow over the event.
Anger at the cost of staging the tournament combined with demand for more public investment in health care, education and public transport provoked demonstrations and strikes in several Brazilian cities during the June 2013 Confederations Cup, a warm-up tournament for the World Cup. Two weeks ago, 50 cities organized street marches to protest Brazil’s hosting of the tournament. Thousands of police officers were drafted in to control demonstrators, many of whom chanted “Não vai ter copa” (There’s not going to be a cup).
With the world’s attention focused on Brazil, activists have vowed to step up protests during the tournament. Authorities are assuming violence will erupt at some stage, most likely in the major cities of Sao Paolo and Rio de Janiero, where many big games are scheduled.The Brazilian government is expected to spend 11.7 billion dollars on the World Cup and argues that the country will receive an economic boost to the tune of 180 billion. Nonetheless, it has faced huge criticism for failing to complete much of the infrastructure it promised to undertake after earning the right to host the global event six years ago. Numerous projects will be left half-finished, delayed until after the tournament or simply abandoned. Airports and roads slated for upgrades won’t be ready on time and some of the stadiums to be used for the 64 games will lack roofs, media centers, wi-fi and other essential facilities. Such has been the scramble to finish construction that some of the stadiums will not have hosted proper test events prior to their opening games.
Despite this widespread pessimism, organizers continue to stress that “everything will be ready on time.” They must surely be praying that the Brazilian team manages to reach the final – a game FIFA claims was watched by almost 900 million people in 2010 – and thus moderate the anger of this soccer-mad nation. Failure to make the final rounds will nullify any feel-good factor and could provoke a violent reaction, some observers speculate.