World Cup Watch: Brazil's Identity Crisis

The World Cup is 18 days away. I am giddy with excitement, exacerbated by successfully picking up my tickets on Friday and the fact that Brazil flags and bunting has started going up in shops and bars all over the city. Finally, the fever is creeping in. But it is far later than normal, I’m told. Usually, the decorations go up over a month before the World Cup’s opening and Brazilians throw themselves exuberantly into everything that it entails: parties, bank holidays and, fairly regularly, watching their country win. But this year has been different. Delays and overspending, two things that seem to happen at every major sporting event, have tarnished the build-up to what should be Brazil’s moment in the sun. But unlike other major sporting events, protests by the local people have overshadowed the preparations even more. I don’t know how much has been heard about them outside of Brazil, but here they are a really big deal.

A happy man with my World Cup tickets

The main reason for the protesting, as far as I’m aware, is that the government have spent billions of reais on the ‘Copa’. This is in a country where social inequality is huge, millions are in poverty and basic infrastructure can be painfully limited. However, you could arguably be forgiven for thinking that the Brazilian public might see past the problems for the reward of hosting the World Cup. I mean, Brazilians spend all day on the beach, watching football or partying, right?

That’s the thing, they don’t. It’s true that football and the beach are big parts of life in Rio de Janeiro, but far less than the British media might have you believe. I find it very interesting to see that all British advertising for the World Cup seems to be exclusively based in Rio, just one of 12 cities to be hosting matches during the tournament. It is true that Rio is the centre of the Brazilian stereotype and its picturesque landscape naturally makes it the most appealing place to visit. But this is a huge country and there is so much more to it, in terms of landscape and culture. In the next month or so I will be visiting other places, but I won’t be scratching the surface of what is on offer.

Someone who did ‘scratch the surface’ is Michael Palin, who wrote a book and made a television show about Brazil. It’s a good read and gives you a taste of the vast diversity in the country, but the picture it paints is very positive, conforming to the stereotype that everyone here is constantly delighted. I met Tim Vickery, the BBC’s South American football correspondent, who said that Palin’s book is now almost irrelevant because so much has changed in the couple of years since he wrote it. He would now have to focus much more on the social unrest, protests against the Copa and the government, as well as showing that not all Brazilians are ecstatic with their current state of affairs.

Palin's Brazilian experience

Vickery stated that there has never been a more fascinating time to be here. The country is changing before our eyes, as the people realise the power their voice can have. The general election takes place at the beginning of October and there is a definite possibility that the World Cup will influence its outcome. I believe there will be protests during the tournament; it will be unavoidable. For that reason, pressure will be on those election candidates to deliver what the people want, especially as the eyes of the world will be on Brazil.

Looking specifically at the World Cup protests, it is easy to see why people are so annoyed. The stadia have taken the brunt of the abuse. The enormous delays in construction as well as the deaths of several workers have attracted attention. And perhaps most irritatingly, these are all things that the government could have avoided. FIFA suggested 8-10 stadia for the tournament, but the Brazilian organisers decided to have 12 host cities, in order to spread the tournament around the country. Several cities, Manaus and Brasilia, for example, have no good club teams and it is unlikely that these will ever reach full capacity again, except perhaps if Brazil were to play a friendly there. As a result, no private companies have taken an interest in funding the projects, meaning that all of the money has come from the government and, therefore, the taxpayer’s pocket. Quite how FIFA agreed to this is beyond me.

A protestor burns a World Cup sticker book

Secondly, politicians and Ronaldo, the World Cup’s all-time top goal scorer and a member of the 2014 World Cup team, have been talking about “o jeitinho brasileiro”, which would translate as “the Brazilian way”. This refers to the act of getting things done, but in a far more relaxed manner and ‘leaving everything to the last minute’ kind of way. Holding “o jeitinho brasileiro” responsible for your arriving late to a party might be just about acceptable, but for the construction of 12 stadia, not to mention drastically improving public transport, airports, roads, hotels, public services and security, it is ludicrous, quite frankly.

If anything, what the situation has demonstrated to me is that England should be hosting another World Cup very soon. FIFA’s attempts to spread the World Cup to Asia and Africa are all well and good, but Japan, South Korea and South Africa are all dealing with the problem of stadia becoming ‘white elephants’. Brazil, even with its well-documented footballing traditions will probably face the same problems. The decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup was a disgrace, but the one saving grace is that the Qataris have enough money to throw at it, without feeling the wrath of the people. FIFA needs to give the tournament to countries with footballing tradition that are capable of managing it.

For Brazil, it remains to be seen how the Copa will pan out. Stadia should be full and the public will get behind it, but I am certain the ramifications of the protests will be felt. The country could even begin to show the world that life here it is not just a samba-fuelled, football, 24-hour beach party. Gone are the days where a World Cup win might make everyone forget about the social problems. Whatever happens, the tournament should throw up a few shocks.