Hi. I hope that you had an enjoyable weekend and I am very grateful to you for looking in on the Blog at the start of your week.
I doubt anyone would have predicted other than immense pride and unbridled joy resulting from Brazil hosting the 2014 soccer World Cup. This soccer mad country was to stage the four yearly sports bonanza for a second time, becoming the first South American nation to host the event twice (Mexico has achieved this but is, of course, Central American) and only the fifth world wide. All was celebration and anticipation....until last June and, since then, the problems have kept coming.
Passions previously roused and fed by soccer fanaticism for club and country were spontaneously redirected to decry and publicly protest the vast sums of public money that were purportedly being spent on the competition, while millions of Brazilians live in poverty and most struggle with very poor quality key social services such as health and education. Potential World Cup supporters became ardent critics of the Governmental excesses and skewed priorities that they believed tournament represented. Previously unimaginable news reports showed Brazilians openly criticising the almost sainted Pele and the modern heroes of the soccer field when they spoke in support of the competition, while other reports carried criticism of the considerable sums of money top players earn.
The Government sought to defend its plans, claiming that the majority of funding would be found from public-private partnerships (PPPs) and assuring the country that little will actually come from the public purse. Very few appeared to be convinced and the issue is still very much alive, with the potential for disruption of World Cup preparation and even of the matches themselves.
The issues raised in June have been followed by many others, including: doubts about the ability of the Brazilian authorities to police the tournament; concerns about whether essential infrastructure improvements will be ready on time, such as enhancements to commercial and private air travel facilities and capacity; questions about whether utilities companies will be able to handle the extra demand on their services; accusations and evidence of significant profiteering, that have resulted in a new Government group being formed to address the problem; serious concerns about anarchist groups and organised crime elements that reportedly intend to disrupt or even mount 'terror' attacks against World Cup events/locations/personnel; fears of a renewed wave of public protest against the cost of the competition and over many other public grievances....and the list could go on.
The latest issue to hit the news is a move by Federal prosecutors to seek an injunction against the use of public funds to finance temporary infrastructure work at World Cup stadiums/stadia. The work relates to tents, cabling, communications equipment for broadcasters etc. The prosecutors argue that the public interest is not served by spending public money on costs that will not leave any legacy for the people. It is reported that around R$1Bn ($546million) was to be spent on temporary infrastructure. FIFA has stated that, ''....liability related to complimentary structures were clearly stated in contracts....'', that were signed in 2007. We await the decision of the courts.
With approximately $3.5Bn allocated to refurbish the soccer stadiums/stadia it seems that court cases against the spending are mounting up, with the Supreme Federal Tribunal still to rule on a number of them. The move by the Federal prosecutors is just the latest to be made public.
As long as the Government is being truthful in its claim that PPPs will account for almost all the funding of the competition (and many doubt it), it would be great to see Brazil amaze the world with a hugely successful soccer celebration next year that brings large sums of foreign currency and trade to the country. It would be good to see it, but it is by no means a sure thing at this juncture!
Lastly, just a mention of the wonderful Lou Reed who died yesterday, aged 71. I shall probably talk a little more about him on my other Blog, tomorrow, but I grew up as one of those youngsters captivated by Perfect Day, Walk on the Wild Side, Satellite of Love etc etc.....I continue to love Transformer and can still lose myself, completely, in Perfect Day. You have a favourite Lou Reed track?
That's it for today and I am very grateful to you for joining me. The next post should be Wednesday, but I am on my travels and the post will depend on web access as I move through various airports. I shall do my best.
Stay safe.
Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment