Iran's Host City Curitiba is Ready for the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is underway. For the southern city of Curitiba, the competition truly starts  on June 16, when Iran faces Nigeria at 4pm local time. Fifteen kilometers’ worth of road surfacing materials has arrived, ordered by the council to pave the way between the airport and the downtown area. The Arena da Baixada has been given a makeover, with improvements throughout the venue and mobility services upgraded. The bus station has been renovated and monitoring equipment is in place. The Arena da Baixada is finally ready to receive 42,000 fans. The city is prepared.

People are preparing too. There are two protests planned in Curitiba on June 16. One of them has been organized by Brazilian LGBT organization Grupo Dignidade, headed up by Toni Reis, Brazil’s most famous LGBT activist. Reis’s campaigning has received international attention, not least because of his personal battle to obtain a permanent Brazilian resident permit for his partner, who was born in the United Kingdom, an objective that was achieved in 2003 in a landmark court case for Brazil. Curitiba will play host to teams from countries with some of the most anti-gay legislation in place in the world: Iran, Nigeria, Algeria and Russia. Iranian and Nigerian law allows for the death penalty to be used against homosexuals, as do seven other countries around the world, according to research from the International Lesbian and Gay Association (Ilga). Reis believes the protests will call attention to homophobia around the world: “It is not an act against the World Cup or against people from these countries. It is against the laws that kill homosexuals”, he says. 

The second protest scheduled for June 16 has been organized by a group called “Não Vai Ter Copa” (there won’t be a Wold Cup). The group is one of the so called “black bloc” protesters: those who take part usually dress all in black, cover their faces, and use violence and destruction as a routine part of their demonstrations. The local Curitiba group is galvanizing support though social networks, calling for people to join them downtown at 4pm on Monday to voice their outrage. A Facebook page apparently affiliated to the group says that “being against the World Cup is a way to be against the influence of economic power over political decisions, which should consider the people’s interest.”

Local authorities have been monitoring these groups for several months. According to Gazeta do Povo, Curitiba’s main newspaper, some protesters are planning to enter the Baixada Stadium illegally and instigate a riot during matches. The newspaper claims to have been given specific details about the group’s plans to protest, including about the location they’ll position protesters, apparently outside of each exit and entryway to the stadium. The Parana State Security Office has informed the public that the government is prepared to deal with rioters and anyone causing problems, and that those traveling to the matches or visiting the city as a tourist have no reason to worry. 

To assure that both fans and those living and working in the city feel secure, the Federal Government of Brazil launched a cooperation program between Brazil’s national security agency and police departments from countries participating in the Word Cup. Each country has sent seven officers to Brazil. Some of them will remain at Brazil’s national security headquarters in the capital, Brasilia. Others will be based at stadiums during their countries' matches, wearing country-specific, recognizable police uniforms so that they can be easily identified by people from those countries. These representatives will be there to promote an atmosphere of order and safety, but they won’t have the authority to make arrests or carry arms. They will, however, be in direct communication with the local police, able to connect people from their country to the relevant authority if required.

On the Streets of Curitiba

In Curitiba, there are fewer Brazilian flags hanging outside people’s windows and cars than one might expect. That doesn’t mean the people there aren’t looking forward to the World Cup: the city’s inhabitants are known for their understated cool demeanor—in fact, Curitibans are sometimes regarded as a bit aloof, more European than Brazilian, many would say. The explanation for this is simple: the city of Curitiba was built by immigrants from all over the world, many of them from Europe: Germans, Ukrainians, Polish, Italians and Portuguese. The city is famous for being well-organized and clean; it was the first in the country to run a waste-sorting program.

“I always tell foreigners who t come to Curitiba: the people from my city are shy but love to receive visitors. Just start a conversation or ask for help–you will be warmly welcomed”, says Ana Paula Benradt, owner of Unimundo, a travel agency in Curitiba.

They also, of course, love football. Not only Brazilian football, but international football too. Jean Carlo de Almeida has bought tickets to all the matches taking place in Curitiba: “FIFA’s World Cup is the top event for a person who likes football, such as myself,” he says. This is the first time that Almeida will attend a World Cup game and looks forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience, something he will look back on for years to come. He is also excited about all the tourists who will visit Curitiba. “I would like to visit many countries around the world,” he says, and, for that reason, he plans to greet tourists with open arms.

Henrique Lenz Cesar Filho, president of the State of Parana’s Brazilian Association of Hotels, says that Curitiba has over 18,000 beds available for arriving tourists. June 2014 will break tourism records in Curitiba, and he believes all of the hotels will be full. “It will be a month to remember”, he says. Lenz also owns the city’s Lancaster Hotel, which is planning a special menu for foreign guests, including lamb or chicken kebab for Iranian visitors and grilled veal for Nigerians. “We will serve Brazilian food as well as traditional dishes from the countries that will be playing in Curitiba.”

Restaurant manager Elisabete Pereira is getting more excited by the day. She and the restaurant’s owner, Edir Terezinha Veiga, can’t wait for the crowds to arrive, not least because the restaurant is just outside Curitiba’s Arena da Baixada. Even better, it’s right beside the part of the arena where team buses will arrive. “Everybody comes here to see the players, even for a few seconds. And while they wait, we sell.” The restaurant normally serves the traditional Portuguese-Brazilian dish feijoada—a bean stew with pork and beef—every Saturday, but the specialty won’t be available during the World Cup. “We decided to serve snacks and fast food,” says Pereira.  “Nobody will have the time to seat and eat a whole feijoada before the match.” Pereira says the restaurant is ready for the huge increase in customers. “It doesn’t matter who wins the game inside the stadium. We know our restaurant will be the winner in this World Cup,” she says, with a celebratory grin.

Follow Tatiana Escosteguy on Twitter: @tatiescosteguy

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