Has King Pele lost his sense of patriotism? Questioned by the German agency SID, a few days before the start of the Football Confederations Cup (June 15 to 30), the former Seleçao striker did not hide a hint of concern about the state of progress of the huge 2014 World Cup project. “The stadiums and infrastructure worry us a little,” said Pelé. The government now sees that it intervened too late and that there are financial difficulties (…) I hope that we can make up for this delay so that everything is ready to organize a great World Cup. »
One year before the event, everything is still possible. Pelé hopes it, the political class swears it, the supporters doubt it. But immediately, the picture presented by Brazil to FIFA and the foreign media leaves an impression of immense disorder. Four of the six stadiums where the Confederations Cup matches will be played were delivered late. In Salvador, part of the roof of the new enclosure tore after heavy rains last month, “due to human error. »
Best example: the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia. One of the jewels of the system, built in 1974, but expanded and renovated for the 2014 World Cup. Its work was to cost around 280 million euros. The final bill is approaching €530 million. During a recent test match, between Santos and Flamengo, the wait was so long at security checks to access the stands that the organizers finally decided to eliminate them. It took hours to get to the refreshments.
Elsewhere, the situation is often very comparable. At the Maracana, the brand new seats still smell like plastic, but they are already falling apart. In Fortaleza, it took more than five hours for spectators at a Paul McCartney concert to reach the city center by car, even though it was only 5 kilometers away.
Prediction from Gesner de Oliveira, an infrastructure expert: “Without good regulation and investment incentives, it’s going to be a disaster. » Proof of the general concern, this admission from the Minister of Sports, Aldo Robelo: “It is not enough to increase the capacity of airports if they cannot operate satisfactorily, if there are queues of endless waiting and delays in the sending and arrival of luggage. » On the highways, traffic jams sometimes reach 200 km!
At FIFA, the situation continues to worry. The leaders of the institution have increased the alarm signals and threats in recent months. Behind the scenes, they also operated the calculator. According to the latest estimates, the 2014 World Cup is expected to bring in $4 billion in revenue, 60% of which comes from TV rights. There, at least, everything is fine.
