4 - FIFA/CIES International University Network

EVENTS
Mané Garrincha Stadium (L), Arena da Baixada (C), Vivaldão Stadium (R) - JorgeBrazil
Stadia
The stadium issue is the most contentious
criticism of Brazil’s preparations and will likely
remain so. The overall cost of stadia stands at
$2.7 billion: $226 million for each.
“In terms of stadia, the plan was to keep
government funds restricted to infrastructure
improvements and create partnerships between
stadium owners and corporations to fund
stadium expansion and renovation plans,”
Minto notes. “However, with football club’s on
task to meet FIFA deadlines to raise funds for
renovations of their stadia, progress was slow,
and recently Morumbi, a major stadium in Sao
Paulo, the financial centre of the country and
Brazil’s largest city, was crossed off of FIFA’s list.”
FIFA would like to have Sao Paulo, the
largest city in Latin America, as a site, but
none of the current proposals has met with the
world governing body’s approval. The idea of a
completely new stadium was floated - local club
Corinthians would be the primary tenant and the
national team would frequently play there - but
Sao Paulo officials will not commit municipal
monies to the project.
Another major local club, Palmeiras, is
renovating its stadium along FIFA guidelines,
but it has been proposed only as a training
ground, not as a venue. Capacity at the Palestra
Italia will increase from 30,000 to 45,000 by
2012, big enough to be the site of some games,
but not the opening match. Morumbi would seat
about 70,000 post-renovation, but after a May
deadline to commit $135 million to the project
was not met FIFA dropped the venue. One other
stadium in Sao Paulo, Pacaembu, seats about
40,000, but has not been part of planning for
the tournament.
Yet optimism abounds in the city. “We will do
everything possible for the opener of the World
Cup to be in Sao Paulo,” said Brazilian soccer
federation president Ricardo Teixeira says. “We
will find solutions, there is still time,” adds Sao
Paulo state governor Alberto Goldman, although
not as much time as Teixeira and Goldman
might believe. Silva claims additionally that
Sao Paulo is “the only bottleneck” in the 2014
preparations because the other 11 cities are
“preparing at a very good pace”.
Budgeting for several other areas of concern
has not yet been announced, but Brazil will
almost certainly face heavy costs for security.
South Africa spent millions more dollars in
that area than was projected and South African
organisers will help Brazilian security advisers
in their planning.
“Brazil may be the world’s eighth-largest
economy, claim the most World Cup titles in
history, and boasts an undeniable passion for
football, but its infrastructure may just be too
far behind to give FIFA what it expects of a
host nation for the spectacle that the World
Cup has become,” adds Minto. “President
Lula won international acclaim and generated
nationalistic fervor within Brazil with his
successful bids for both the World Cup and
Olympic Games, and for Brazilians, hosting
their first World Cup since 1950 will be three
weeks of unparalleled celebration.
“However, with the current administration
funding many of the required investments and
his term set to end in October of 2010, Lula’s
successor, and future generations of Brazilians,
will be stuck with a very expensive tab.”
For all of these expenditures, what will Brazil
get out of hosting the next World Cup - and then
the Olympics beyond it? The federal government
forecasts the 2014 World Cup will generate an
additional $104 billion in economic activity for
Brazil through investment, tourism, an increase
in household consumption, and the recycling
of resources. If Brazil pulls it off, the Olympics
could be even more lucrative for Rio.
“We will work in a timely and transparent
manner to prepare Brazil for the World Cup
and for the future,” adds Minister Silva. “We are
focusing on sustainable development, which will
not only result in Brazil successfully hosting the
2014 matches, but also improve the country for
the Brazilian people.”
SportBusiness International • No.160 • 09.10 29