Is Brazil Ready for the World Cup?

It’s not long to go now. In a few short weeks, the FIFA World Cup will begin, bringing thousands of visitors and hundreds of athletes, coaches, managers, and members of the media into the country. And in Brazil, the mood is already tense. On April 29, protests against the event broke out in Tatuapé, a neighborhood in eastern São Paulo, one of Brazil’s largest cities, and the host city for the opening match between Brazil and Croatia on June 12th. About 3,000 demonstrators took to the streets, disrupting traffic and setting fire to World Cup souvenirs.

The country is divided between those who welcome the competition and those who oppose it. In São Paulo, those in favor say it’s an international event that could be happening anywhere else in the world—this time, it’s in Brazil, so the country is duty-bound to put on a once-in-a-lifetime show. It’s up to its citizens to put their support behind it, ensuring it runs smoothly. They should demonstrate to the world that Brazil is up to the challenge as host country. Those who don’t like it, they say, should simply accept it. There’s no way back.

But others say the money being spent on the World Cup should have been spent on the Brazilian people, invested in health care, education, on alleviating poverty and putting adequate infrastructure in place, and on improving water quality and supplies.

They argue, too, that, in terms of security, much of the country is not up to the task: violent crime is a huge problem and many say Brazilian authorities have underestimated this to an alarming degree.

Very few of the world’s countries are able to organize a World Cup without help from public coffers. Because Brazil’s infrastructure is in need of substantial development, the Brazilian tax payer will be landed with an enormous bill, much more than the United States or France (which hosted the competition in 1994 and 1998, respectively), countries that already had strong transport links and security in place and which were able to finance the necessary accommodation and venues in time for the event. For this year’s World Cup, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is responsible for some of the financing, but, in cities where state funds are being used, the public will have to shoulder the burden of much of the cost. 

Over 3,000 people in Rio de Janeiro alone face homelessness, forced to move on because of the World Cup. In one community in Vila Autódromo, in the Barra da Tijuca section of the city, over 350 families are under threat of removal because of road building work in the area, though some of them have lived there for 40 or 50 years. The consequences for these communities will be dire.

Those hoping to make money out of the competition will also be out of luck because of the Brazilian government’s contractual agreements with FIFA. “Informal work” is forbidden within a two-mile radius of the Arena Corinthians (or Inaugurate de Itaquera) stadium, making it impossible for street merchants and hawkers to do business. "People have an illusion that we will profit from the World Cup, but we will actually be brutally suppressed,” said Roberto Morales, one of the plenary organizers of São Paulo’s social and civic activist movement. “The Cup will be big business for sport entrepreneurs,” he said, and for multinational food and drink companies, like McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. Large Brazilian food suppliers like Garoto will also make huge profits.

“Football is the sport most adored by Brazilians,” said 56-year-old São Paulo resident Samuel Lopes Roiz.  He says people are “thrilled” that Brazil has the opportunity to be the home of the World Cup. “But our country is going through a very difficult time,” he says. “Here, education and public health are precarious, the transport system hardly has the capacity to serve residents. We are not against the World Cup, we are against the way it has been done.” When it’s over, he says, nothing built for it will benefit the population. On the contrary, he says, the city will be worse off, unable to invest in services and goods the people need. “We don’t have infrastructure for us,” says Lopes Roiz. So those visiting for the competition won’t have it either. 

Water scarcity is a huge problem for São Paulo. The situation is critical, with the reservoirs that supply the city at the lowest level in years. This will, residents say, compromise tourists’ comfort—at the very least.

All of this aside, what about the Arena Corinthians stadium, which will host the opening match? The arena is still waiting for crucial upgrades, from toilet facilities to traffic signaling and new bleachers.

Football fans and tourists might be ready for the World Cup. Broadcasters, tourist guides, football players and their coaches are all making their final preparations for one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.  But what about Brazil? Is it ready? If São Paulo is anything to go by, the answer is no.