It happened at the World Cups of South Africa and Germany. Governments accrued debt, cities’ social landscapes were “cleaned up,” inequality increased and political abuses hid behind the “joy of the cup.”
This year, Brazilian cities in the 2014 World Cup will be no exception.
The same streets that celebrated the arrival of the leftist Workers’ Party 10 years ago are now experiencing rebellion, disconformity and anger as seen in multiple protests this last year. The protests are the result of widespread discontent over investment in the World Cup at the expense of alleviating poverty.
According to Brazilian newspaper, “O Estado de Sao Paulo,” Brazil invested over $3.7 billion in construction and remodeling of stadiums alone. This is three times more than the initial budget proposed by the government in 2007.
Many observers believe this increase is related to fraud and corruption. The situation led Ricardo Teixeira, ex-chair of the Brazilian Confederation of Football (CBF) to resign from his position in 2012, after leading the institution for 23 years.
The construction of stadiums has been costly and has had devastating social implications. To build these stadiums, mass displacement of people and their homes—mostly “favelas,” or slums—has been carried out to build supporting highways and buildings.
The National Union for the World Cup, a conglomeration of citizens organizing against the negative effects of the cup. According to this group approximately 250,000 people in the 12 cities hosting the cup have been or will be displaced from their homes due to the construction of infrastructure under Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
Additionally, the cost of rent, food and transportation in these cities has increased, while the average monthly salary remains stagnant at 700 reals ($300).
In Rio de Janeiro, the “Rio $urreal-Don’t Pay” community—a movement that encourages its members to publish photos of their bills with the name of the place where they were forced to pay high prices—denounces a ‘surreal’ situation, where salads cost $10 and rent has increased more than 30 percent over the last two years.
It’s been estimated that inflation, which is now at 6.19 percent, will continue to increase with the arrival of 600,000 foreign visitors to the tournament. According to economist José Julio Sena even though there is not an objective explanation for the exorbitant prices, “There are people who take advantage of the situation.”
In response to social discontent, the Brazilian government has increased its security measures, especially in favelas—as in the Complexo Da Maré in Rio de Janeiro—that will be closely monitored during the Cup.
A force of 250 thousand soldiers, military, and police combined, will participate in controlling the crowds. Local governments are planning to shut down the streets surrounding the stadiums to prevent any possible social unrest.
Futbol legends like Pelé have asked Brazilians to “let the World Cup happen,” and protest later on.
Meanwhile, street protests continue and have taken on different shapes.
In many cities, youth adopted a strategy called “rolezinho” that consists of the mass occupation of luxurious shopping centers. On May 5, 150 youth participated in the occupation of the Tacaruna Shopping Center in Pernambuco.
In other cities, like Ciubá, the “landless” movement and “Brazilian Workers without Homes” camped around the stadium to put a halt to the death of construction workers. To date, eight construction workers have died building the stadiums. On May 17 in Sao Paulo, citizens expressed their discontent by hitting the streets to demand higher salaries, better transportation and more investment in housing.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff visited de Corinthians Arena Stadium in Sao Paulo on May 8, where the inaugural match between Brazil and Croatia will take place on June 12. Rousseff did not mention the two workers who died during the construction of the stadium, nor the 2,000 families who were protesting outside demanding affordable housing in the city.
—Translation Gabriela Sierra Alonso