Arquivo da tag: Copa do Mundo

Brazil 2014: More than just the World Cup (The Christian Science Monitor)

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From elections to transportation fare increases and potentially renewed protests, 2014 promises big stories to watch across Brazil.

By Rachel Glickhouse, Guest blogger / January 2, 2014

People watch fireworks exploding over Copacabana beach during New Year celebrations at the Pavao Pavaozinho slum in Rio de Janeiro, January 1, 2014. Pilar Olivares/Reuters

While 2013 [was] an incredibly interesting year forBrazil, 2014 promises to be even more fascinating. Beyond the World Cup, which promises to occupy much of the year’s headlines, here are some of the big issues to watch.

Transportation fare increases: Governments throughout Brazil backed down on raising bus and subway fares in 2013 after those increases helped spursome of the largest protests seen since redemocratization. Nevertheless, a fare increase could be coming in Rio as early as January.

Inflation and cost of living: In 2013, food prices rose over 9 percent and were the major cause of inflation this year. Overall, inflation this year is estimated at under 6 percent, while some estimates put next year’s inflation at a little over 6 percent. São Paulo and Rio in particular continue to see a rising cost of living.

Consumer debt: With more Brazilians gaining access to the banking system and credit, consumer debt has been a growing problem to keep an eye on. Over the past 12 months, the number of Brazilian families in debt has fluctuated between 60 and 65 percent. Around 20 percent of Brazilians are behind on their bills. Over three-quarters of Brazilians in debt point to credit cardsas the source of their debt; credit card interest rates in Brazil continue to be sky-high, reaching up to 500 percent a year.

Security: While in the past decade, the overall trend for homicides has been an increase in the Northeast and a drop in the Southeast, crimes like robberies andmuggings are rising in cities like Rio and São Paulo. Rio in particular has faced problems with crime this year after a period of seeming improvements.

Pacification in Rio: Though initial results were promising, this year has seen some cracks in Rio’s pacification strategy, such as outbreaks of violence in pacified favelas and revelations of police abuses, the most serious being the torture and murder of favela residents. One of the most important things revealed this year are statistics showing disappearances in pacified favelas rising as murders fall. We’ll see what happens with this trend next year. Fundamentally, the biggest problem with the strategy is the police force itself, as some police have traditionally been criminals themselves, either working directly with drug traffickers or operating in militias when off-duty. Without a major police reform, the strategy could see similar challenges next year.

Health and education policies: One of the major complaints of protesters [last] year was that the government is investing in the World Cup but not enough in hospitals and schools. In 2013, the government began importing Cuban doctors in a bid to bring medical services to underserved areas, which initially was met with controversy that has petered out a bit. Much more remains to be done though, so [this year] it will be interesting to see how the program goes. There were also big teachers’ strikes this year which could potentially happen again in 2014.

Corruption scandals: One of the most important things that happened in 2013 was when a group of defendants in the country’s biggest corruption case went to jail. Parts of the trial are going to drag on next year as some defendants get appeals, but a new corruption scandal would feed another one of the protesters’ complaints.

Protests: While it seems likely that there will be some demonstrations around the World Cup, it remains to be seen whether there will be a repeat of the 2013 protests. That will depend on all of the factors above.

Elections: Brazil will hold presidential and legislative elections in October, which means that federal policies will potentially be designed to appease voters as President Dilma Rousseff seeks reelection. It may not be a year to experiment with reforms or to raise taxes, but it could be a year of bread and circuses.

Infrastructure: While a lot of focus will be on finishing stadiums in time for the games, it remains to be seen how many transportation infrastructure projects, ranging from new highways to airport renovations, will be completed before June. In addition, it will be important to see which major infrastructure projects are moving in an election year, like the Belo Monte dam or the São Francisco water project.

– Rachel Glickhouse is the author of the blog Riogringa.com.

PL quer punir “terroristas” e grevistas na Copa (Agência Pública)

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27.02.12 Por Andrea Dip, 

Foto: Daniel Kfouri. Arte urbana de Esqueleto Coletivo

“É a ditadura transitória da FIFA” diz presidente da Comissão de Direitos Humanos da OAB-SP, sobre PL que corre no Senado em paralelo à Lei Geral da Copa

Enquanto as atenções estão voltadas para o projeto de Lei Geral da Copa (2.330/11) que está sendo votado na Câmara nesta terça-feira (28), os senadores Marcelo Crivella (PRB-RJ), Ana Amélia (PP-RS) e Walter Pinheiro (PT-BA) correm com outro Projeto de Lei no Senado, conhecido pelos movimentos sociais como “AI-5 da Copa” por, dentre outras coisas, proibir greves durante o período dos jogos e incluir o “terrorismo” no rol de crimes com punições duras e penas altas para quem “provocar terror ou pânico generalizado”.

O PL 728/2011, apresentado no Senado em dezembro de 2011, ainda aguarda voto do relator Álvaro Dias (PSDB-PR) na Comissão de Educação, Cultura e Esporte do Senado. Se for aprovado, vai criar oito novos tipos penais que não constam do nosso Código Penal como “terrorismo”, “violação de sistema de informática” e “revenda ilegal de ingressos”, determinando penas específicas para eles. Essa lei – transitória – valeria apenas durante os jogos da FIFA.

Na justificativa da proposta, os senadores alegam que a Lei Geral da Copa deixa de fora a tipificação de uma série de delitos, necessária para “garantir a segurança durante os jogos”.

O projeto prevê ainda que quem “cometer crimes contra a integridade da delegação, árbitros, voluntários ou autoridades públicas esportivas com o fim de intimidar ou influenciar o resultado da partida de futebol poderá pegar entre dois e cinco anos de prisão”.

Para quem “violar, bloquear ou dificultar o acesso a páginas da internet, sistema de informática ou banco de dados utilizado pela organização dos eventos” a pena seria de um a quatro anos de prisão, além de multa. E para deixar a aplicação das penas ainda mais eficaz, o projeto prevê a instauração de um “incidente de celeridade processual” (art. 15), um regime de urgência em que a comunicação do delito poderia se dar por mensagem eletrônica ou ligação telefônica e funcionaria também nos finais de semana e feriados.

O presidente da Comissão de Direitos Humanos da OAB de São Paulo Martim Sampaio considera o projeto um “atentado contra o Estado Democrático de Direito”. “É um projeto de lei absurdo que quer sobrepor os interesses de mercado à soberania popular. Uma lei para proteger a FIFA e não os cidadãos e que, além de tudo, abre precedentes para injustiças por suas definições vagas”, diz o advogado.

Para Thiago Hoshino, assessor jurídico da organização de direitos humanos Terra de Direitos e integrante do Comitê Popular da Copa de Curitiba, a questão é ainda mais complicada. Ele acredita que a junção de tantos assuntos em um mesmo projeto é uma tentativa de aprovar leis antigas que endurecem principalmente a legislação penal: “É um bloco perigoso que viola garantias básicas da Constituição. E há sempre o risco de estas leis transitórias se tornarem permanentes. A legislação da Copa é, na verdade, um grande laboratório de inovações jurídicas. Depois o que for proveitoso pode permanecer. É mais fácil tornar uma lei transitória permanente do que criar e aprovar uma nova” explica.

Terrorismo

O que chama a atenção logo de cara no projeto de lei é a tipificação de “terrorismo”, que até hoje não existe no nosso código penal. No PL, ele é definido como “o ato de provocar terror ou pânico generalizado mediante ofensa à integridade física ou privação da liberdade de pessoa, por motivo ideológico, religioso, político ou de preconceito racial, étnico ou xenófobo” com pena de no mínimo 15 e no máximo 30 anos de reclusão. Martim Sampaio diz que este é o artigo mais perigoso por não dar definições exatas sobre o termo: “Da maneira como está na lei, qualquer manifestação, passeata, protesto, ato individual ou coletivo pode ser entendido como terrorismo. Isso é um cheque em branco na mão da FIFA e do Estado”.

Documentos revelados pelo WikiLeaks revelaram a pressão americana para que o Brasil criasse uma lei para o “terrorismo”, principalmente para assegurar os megaeventos. No relatório de Lisa Kubiske, conselheira da Embaixada americana em Brasília, enviado para os EUA em 24 de dezembro de 2010, a diplomata mostra-se preocupada com as declarações de Vera Alvarez, chefe da Coordenação-Geral de Intercâmbio e Cooperação Esportiva do Itamaraty porque a brasileira “admite que terroristas podem atacar o Brasil por conta das Olimpíadas, uma declaração pouco comum de um governo que acredita que não haja terrorismo no País”.

Os banqueiros também pressionam o Estado a criar uma lei antiterrorismo há algum tempo. Também em 2010, a falta de uma legislação específica sobre terrorismo foi o principal foco em um congresso sobre lavagem de dinheiro e financiamento de grupos extremistas organizado pela Federação Brasileira de Bancos (Febraban), em São Paulo. A questão poderia custar ao Brasil a exclusão do Grupo de Ação Financeira Internacional (Gafi), órgão multinacional que atua na prevenção desses crimes.

Greves

O projeto de lei também mira reduzir o direito à greve, prevendo a ampliação dos serviços essenciais à população durante a Copa – como a manutenção de portos e aeroportos, serviços de hotelaria e vigilância – e restringe a legalidade da greve de trabalhadores destes setores, incluindo os que trabalham nas obras da Copa, de três meses antes dos eventos até o fim dos jogos. Se aprovado, os sindicatos que decidirem fazer uma paralisação terão de avisar com 15 dias de antecedência e manter ao menos 70% dos trabalhadores em atividade. O governo ainda estará autorizado a contratar trabalhadores substitutos para manter o atendimento, o que é proibido pela lei 7.283/1989 em vigor no país, que estabelece 72 horas de antecedência para o aviso de greve e não determina um percentual mínimo de empregados em atividade durante as paralisações.

Eli Alves, presidente da Comissão de Direito Trabalhista da OAB-SP, lembra que o direito à greve também é garantido na Constituição Federal e diz que a sensação que fica é a de que “o Brasil está sendo alugado para a FIFA, flexibilizando suas próprias regras para fazer a Copa no país”. Martim Sampaio lembra que as greves foram proibidas durante a ditadura militar: “A gente conquistou este direito com o fim da ditadura, muitas vidas foram perdidas neste processo. Não é possível que agora criemos uma ditadura transitória da FIFA”. E convoca: “O único jeito de não deixar esta lei ser aprovada é por pressão popular. A gente tem bons exemplos de que isso funciona como a da lei da ficha limpa. É preciso conquistar a democracia todos os dias”.

Foto de abertura gentilmente cedida por Daniel Kfouri

Fifa proíbe o São João em Salvador (Tribuna da Bahia)

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Por Alessandra Nascimento

Publicada em 25/04/2013 01:23:24

Foto: Mateus Pereira/Secom

A partir do mês de junho, quando acontecem os jogos da Copa das Confederações e Salvador abrigará algumas partidas, estão proibidas a realização de festas na cidade. A situação chegou ao conhecimento da Tribuna da Bahia por intermédio de dois moradores – um planejava realizar uma festa junina no bairro do Barbalho e o segundo em Periperi – as festas tiveram as licenças negadas pela Superintendência de Controle e Ordenamento do Uso do Solo, Sucom, por conta de uma ordem da Fifa.

A TB entrou em contato com a assessoria do órgão municipal que confirmou a suspensão de eventos na cidade no mês de junho. “A Prefeitura de Salvador irá publicar um decreto dando maiores detalhes, mas a orientação é não liberar eventos na cidade em junho”, alega.

A Tribuna entrou em contato com a Assessoria Geral de Comunicação, Agecom, e teve como informação que isso faz parte de um acordo firmado entre a Fifa, o governo federal e as cidades sedes dos jogos. “O governo brasileiro assinou o acordo com a entidade e tem que aceitar as regras. Foi assim nos Estados Unidos e na África do Sul. Nos circuitos oficiais como Avenida Paralela, Avenida Bonocô, Orla, Dique do Tororó, Vitória, Ribeira, dentre outros pontos da cidade terão que exibir toda a comunicação visual com os patrocinadores da Copa. A Sucom deverá apreender quem estiver desrespeitando as regras”, alerta a assessoria.

Celeuma – Não é a primeira vez que ocorre episódios emblemáticos envolvendo a Fifa. A entidade havia proibido a comercialização de acarajés no entorno do estádio. A regra da Fifa recomendava o afastamento desse tipo de comércio num perímetro de até dois quilômetros das praças de jogos.

A atitude foi tomada porque o acarajé não deveria ser concorrente aos hambúrgueres produzidos pela rede McDonald’s, patrocinadora oficial da Fifa. Aparentemente a entidade teria voltado atrás e liberado a comercialização do bolinho, que é tombado pelo Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional, Iphan, como patrimônio imaterial.

Escritório da Copa se manifesta

A Tribuna da Bahia entrou em contato com o Escritório da Copa, Ecopa, que disse desconhecer a informação de restrição a eventos na cidade durante o mês de junho. “Cada evento é analisado individualmente pelos órgãos competentes e a sua aprovação leva em conta todas as condições necessárias, de acordo com a regulamentação vigente. Não há nenhum impedimento em relação à realização de eventos na cidade. Pelo contrario, tanto a Prefeitura, quanto o Governo de Estado estão elaborando uma ampla programação de eventos que oportunamente será divulgada, para que todo o cidadão soteropolitano possa ter lazer, cultura e entretenimento durante a realização dos jogos em nossa cidade”, informou a nota da assessoria da Ecopa.

Questionada se a Fifa teria “alugado” a cidade, a Ecopa se manifestou. “Salvador, bem como todas as cidades-sede, tem recebido investimentos em diversas áreas (infraestrutura, requalificação de espaços urbanos, mobilidade, segurança, capacitação de mão de obra, saúde, equipamentos públicos, cultura, turismo), o que tem dinamizado a sua economia, através da geração de emprego e renda para os mais variados setores, trazendo benefícios para toda a população. Tudo isso vem gerando oportunidades que impulsionam o desenvolvimento da cidade e elas estão acontecendo justamente por conta da realização dos jogos. Uma vez bem sucedidos, Salvador poderá se posicionar cada vez mais como uma cidade apta a receber novos eventos em inúmeras áreas”, sinaliza e acrescenta: “Salvador está cumprindo rigorosamente o que determina a Lei Geral da Copa (Lei Federal nº. 12.663/12), no sentido de garantir a realização de todas as atividades previstas com pleno êxito. Assim, estamos trabalhando intensamente para que a capital baiana se torne uma cidade cada vez melhor e seja ainda mais desfrutada por todos os soteropolitanos”.

Veja mais
— A posição oficial da Fifa e as restrições que faz

World Cup: Rio favelas being ‘socially cleansed’ in runup to sporting events (The Guardian)

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Slum dwellers say thousands forced out of their homes to make way for building projects for tournament and 2016 Olympics

 and  in Rio de Janeiro

The Guardian, Thursday 5 December 2013 17.58 GMT

Boys play football in the Borel favela

Boys playing football in the Borel favela in Rio de Janeira, which will host seven World Cup games followed by the Olympics in 2016. Photograph: Buda Mendes/Getty

The World Cup and the Olympics are being used as a pretext for “social cleansing” as tens of thousands of Rio slum dwellers are driven out to the city periphery, favela residents say.

While millions of eyes turn to north-eastern Brazil for the World Cup draw on Friday, poor communities in Rio de Janeiro are still struggling to be heard as they fight against evictions they say are related to the city’s mega sporting events.

Next year, Rio will host seven games, including the final, followed in 2016 by the Olympics. The city’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, describes this as an opportunity for the city to modernise and create a legacy for future generations. But many of those on the frontline of change feel they are the victims of social cleansing.

At least 19,000 families have been moved to make way for roads, renovated stadiums, an athletes’ village, an ambitious redevelopment of the port area and other projects that have been launched or accelerated to prepare the city for the world’s two biggest sporting events.

“The authorities wouldn’t even enter our community in the past and there was no mention of moving us, but then Brazil won the right to host the World Cup and everything changed,” Maria do Socorro told a hearing in the city council building this week. Socorro’s home of 40 years in the Indiana favela has been marked for demolition.

Countless communities are affected. Among the best known are Vila Autódromo, which will be the site of the main Olympic stadium and athletes’ village; Providência, which is close to the port redevelopment and Indiana, which is about 10 minutes’ drive from the newly refurbished Maracanã stadium.

As was the case in Beijing, London and South Africa before their mega events, the government says such programmes are necessary to modernise the city. Numerous relocations have been carried out in the past as Rio has evolved, but politicians and campaigners say the forthcoming sporting events are driving the process forward at an unprecedented rate, and often in violation of the law. “The government is obliged to publicise preliminary studies, listen to the views of affected communities and offer alternative housing close to their old homes, but the Rio municipality has not complied with any of these laws,” said Renato Cinco, a council member for the leftwing PSOL party.

“People are being moved more than 40km [25 miles] from their homes with very little prior notice and no compensation.”

Civil society groups say the relocations are motivated by surging land values. As new infrastructure is put in place for the World Cup and Olympics, property prices rise in the surrounding areas.

Maracanã stadium

The revamped Maracanã stadium, which is 10 minutes’ drive from the Indiana favela. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

“There is a process of gentrification taking place in the whole city that is connected to the sports events and how the government sees the city: it is no longer a place for residents, but as a business to sell to foreign investors. That’s what the World Cup is about,” said Renata Neder of Amnesty.

“There have been waves of evictions in the past, but this latest one that began after Rio was chosen to host the mega events may be the biggest one yet in terms of numbers.

“The authorities insist that due process has been followed and no residents have been forcibly relocated. The Rio 2016 chief operating officer, Leo Gryner, said the high-profile case of Vila Autódromo showed how far the government was willing to go to accommodate residents.

“In Vila Autódromo the mayor said he would move people to a new place and build nice housing projects for people to move to a new area. People started protesting, saying you couldn’t evict people because of the Olympics. So after some time, the city admitted they should not have forced them to go. They talked to each one of the people living in that area, roughly half said they wanted to move and the other half wanted to stay,” he said.

“Then when they started to see the project going up they realised it was very nice and so they came here to demonstrate and demand to be moved to the new housing! The city talked to everyone.” This is refuted by residents.

That is disputed by residents. And in less prominent cases, residents complain of being harassed by officials and engineers who tell them their homes are not safe. In some cases, this is true. Thousands have died over the years in the floods and landslides that affect many river and hillside favelas during the annual rainy season.

But a visit to the Indiana favela, which sits next to the river Maracanã, suggested the genuine threat to a handful of homes may be being used to justify the clearance of swaths of the community.

Several houses, including two wooden shacks, sat below the flood line and looked too poorly built to withstand a deluge. But the majority of homes marked for demolition – including several that had already been destroyed – were on seemingly firm concrete foundations several metres above the flood line.

“It is true that there are risks from the river, but only in certain places. The problem is that the government is arbitrarily trying to move everyone, even those who are not at risk,” said Ines Ferreira de Abril, a local health worker.”

Many people have already moved out under the relentless pressure from the government. They are going house by house and ultimately, they want to get rid of all of us because this land is very valuable now. They want us out of the way before the big events.”

• This article was amended on 6 December 2013 to clarify that Leo Gryner’s comments about Vila Autódromo are disputed by residents. This article was further amended on 11 December 2013 to correct Renato Cinco’s name, from Renata Silva as the original said.

A Lesson from South Africa: Are Construction Cartels Dramatically Increasing Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Infrastructure Costs? (MR Zine)

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09.11.13
by Eddie Cottle, Paulo Capela, and André Furlan Meirinho

Introduction

The 2008 report of the Competition Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the construction sector found that “[u]nfortunately the construction industry has tended to suffer from cartel activity, as shown by the spate of well-publicized recent matters around the world.”  There were 19 countries included in this OECD roundtable, including South Africa.  South Africa presented its report on the massive cost overruns in relation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup stadiums about which it, at the time, suspected of bid rigging.1

Through the collusive practice of bid rigging and excessive overpricing, construction companies extract huge financial gains for themselves at the expense of workers and the taxpayers of host countries.  This means that the development goals that governments set themselves when hosting the World Cup are offset in part by massive transfers of wealth to private companies at the expense of job creation and income redistribution, thus stifling the economic multiplier that is intended.  It is in this context that the nationwide discontent emerged in Brazil involving over one million people.

By early June this year, demonstrators across major cities in Brazil had expressed their legitimate anger against rising transport costs, the poor quality of health and education provision, and the soaring costs of hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  It is important to note that this social discontent was preceded by a national wildcat strike wave that had occurred between February 2011 and April 2013.  Of the 25 recorded strikes at World Cup stadiums, 17 were wildcat in nature involving some 30,000 workers.  Despite these favorable circumstances, however, the national “day of action” organized by eight national trade union confederations, including CUT, on 11 July failed to articulate both worker and demonstrator grievances concerning the World Cup.

Lessons from South Africa

South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup cost escalation was significant.  Former South African Finance Minister Trevor Manual initially attributed the cost increases to the country’s vulnerability to the 2008-09 world economic crisis.  The minister failed to observe that in October 2007 the Competition Commission of South Africa had set up a team to review the construction materials and services sector.

The initial cost estimate was calculated at R2.3 billion (US$286 million) and was to be paid by the South African government, largely to fund the stadia and related infrastructure.  However, the 2010 estimated total cost (likely very much underestimated) for the South Africa government was already R39.3 billion (US$5.1 billion) — “an enormous 1,709% increase from the original estimate.”  The stadium costs increased from the initial estimate of R1.5 billion (US$187 million) to the latest cost estimate of over R17.4 billion (US$2.5 billion), representing a 1,008% increase.

Five major construction companies in South Africa — Aveng, Murray & Roberts, Group Five, Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO), and Basil Read — were principal contractors in the building of the main stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and various related infrastructure projects, from which they have made substantial profits.  In 2007 they were already all under investigation by the Competition Commission of South Africa for suspected collusion and uncompetitive practices with regard to these projects.  Unfortunately, the commission did not investigate the actions of international companies.

On 17 July 2013, at the tribunal of the Competition Commission of South Africa it was conservatively estimated that some R4.7 billion (US$476 million) of “unfair profits” were made by construction companies for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and other projects.  They were consequently fined a total of R1.5-billion (US$152 million).  Construction companies that did not agree to the settlement now face possible prosecution.

The Brazilian Construction Sector

According to the Brazilian 2014 Portal, construction companies contracted for the World Cup and related infrastructure are Odebrecht, Andrade Gutierrez, Galvão Engenharia, OAS Empreendimentos, Mendes Júnior, Via Engineering, Andrade Mendonça, Construcap, Egesa, Hap, and Engevix.  The two largest Brazilian construction companies involved in the World Cup are Andrade Gutierrez and Odebrecht.

As the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics draw closer, Brazil’s construction sector is set to move out of its unexpected slump demonstrated by its poor performance in achieving growth of 4.2% in 2011 and 2.2% in 2012.  The poor performance is related to the fact that by May 2012 only 25% of the transport projects had completed the bidding process and that by the end of the same month 41% of works for the World Cup had not yet started.  The construction sector is to complete the construction of 13 airports, 7 ports, 37 transport projects, and the building or refurbishment of 12 stadiums for the World Cup.   The construction sector employs 2.5 million formal workers and an estimated 1.5 million informal workers.  The delays contributed to the unemployment rate in Brazil, which increased to 5.6% in February 2013.

The construction sector appears to experience dramatic fluctuations in their annual net profits.  Engevix, for example, had posted -85% in 2010 but posted a 256% increase in 2011.  Companies such as OAS Empreendimentos which had an increase in net profit of 2,244% in 2010 had a 360% decrease in 2011.  Andrade Gutierrez realized a net profit increase of 23% in 2010 and 28% in 2011 while Odebrecht reported a 148% increase in its net profit in 2010, the highest profit in its history.2  Andrade Gutierrez and Odebrecht are two companies that are responsible for 7 of the 12 World Cup stadiums.

Brazilian Stadium Cost Overruns

Brazilian and foreign construction companies such as the German architectural firm GMP are the main beneficiaries of the World Cup-related infrastructure outlay, which is currently calculated at US $18 billion, with 78% of the total spending coming from public funds.  According to the Brazilian Ministry of Sports, the overall economic impact will exceed US$100 billion, creating 332,000 permanent jobs (2009-2014) and 381,000 temporary jobs in 2014.

The fact that by May 2012 about 41% of the works for the World Cup had not yet started led the Federal Government to change its procedures for approving projects with an “exceptionality status” created to increase the speed of the approval rate for FIFA World Cup 2014 infrastructure projects.  Construction companies will opportunistically use this situation to their advantage to collude to fix the official bidding costs way above their value, resulting in enormous cost overruns which will have to be paid by the Brazilian government with public funds.

The most reliable source for the original cost estimate of each of the stadiums is contained in the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Bid Book.  Since Brazil’s Bid Book is not made public (as is the case with all bid books), it is not possible to review the original cost for each stadium.  It is, however, reasonable to assume that since the Brazil Bid Book had been submitted to FIFA by 31 July 2007 and the FIFA Inspection Team conducted their inspection visit on 23 August 2007, the figure in the team’s report of US$1.1 billion for all the stadiums is reflective of the original Bid Book figures.  The FIFA Inspection Report of 2007 thus grossly underestimated the cost for the Brazil World Cup stadia which increased 327% in 2013, reaching a whopping US$3.6 bn.

The cost escalations at Mané Garrincha Stadium (Brasília) and Maracanã Stadium (Rio de Janeiro) have more than doubled their prices since 2010, which now total R$2.9 billion or US$1.3 bn.  The two stadiums alone therefore cost more than the original US$1.1 billion for the entire FIFA World Cup stadia estimate.  At the current rate of cost escalations, it is probable that Brazil could own the most expensive FIFA World Cup in world cup history.

Towards a Construction Sector Cartel Investigation

The Brazilian Congress was to decide whether or not to probe the stadium cost overruns and allegations of corruption.

We believe that there are sufficient grounds for the Brazilian government to open a full investigation into the operations of a construction cartel: the Competition Committee Report of the OECD; the overwhelming evidence of South Africa’s Competition Commission Report, especially in relation to the 2010 FIFA World Cup; and the dramatic cost increases of Brazil’s stadium costs when compared to the 2007 FIFA Inspection Team Report.

Further evidence for the need of such an investigation is the recent decision by the São Paulo State to “file a lawsuit . . . against Siemens AG (SI) to try to recover money the company allegedly overcharged the state for trains sold by a consortium to city and regional transportation networks.”  This case should demonstrate the need to ensure that the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) involved in the Siemens investigation extends its investigation into the construction sector.  Such an investigation into the affairs of the construction cartel should not be limited to Brazilian companies only but also extended to international companies involved in construction-related activities.

Finally, it is necessary that the Brazilian government responds to the appeal by civil society for greater transparency and accountability in the affairs of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and make public the official Brazilian Bid Book.

1  This preliminary report of the Institute for Latin American Studies (IELA) concerns the operation of construction cartels involved in the FIFA World Cup.  The full report can be downloaded at www.iela.ufsc.br.

2  At the time of writing this paper, most of the companies had not yet released their 2013 Annual Reports, which could provide a different outlook to what is being presented here as the financial position is likely to have improved as indicated earlier.

AP Interview: Brazil Sports Minister complained to FIFA about high World Cup ticket prices (Washington Post)

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(Bebeto Matthews/ Associated Press ) – Aldo Rebelo, Brazil’s minister of sport, speaks during an interview Tuesday, June 4, 2013, in New York. Rebelo complained to FIFA about high prices contemplated for next year’s World Cup, and said soccer’s governing body will give 50,000 free tickets to poor communities and make half-price seats available to the elderly and students.

By Associated Press, Published: June 4

NEW YORK — Brazil’s Minister of Sport complained to FIFA about high prices contemplated for next year’s World Cup, and said soccer’s governing body will give 50,000 free tickets to poor communities and make half-price seats available to the elderly and students.

FIFA said last week it will announce prices on July 1 for the 2014 tournament and ticket sales will start Aug. 20. For the 2010 World Cup, prices were announced in November 2007 and sales started in February 2009.

Non-premium prices for the 2010 tournament in South Africa ranged from $70-$450 for the opener and $20-$160 for other first-round matches, and escalated to $150-$900 for the final.

During an interview Thursday at The Associated Press, Aldo Rebelo said prices for the tournament in Brazil, to be played from June 12-July 14, became an issue.

“I spoke with FIFA representatives, stating that this was unacceptable, that the prices were so high,” he said through a translator. “This is really a celebration of the people of Brazil. Soccer is very important for the whole population in Brazil. So I mentioned to FIFA representatives, how about that part of the population that cannot afford those expensive tickets?”

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook estimates Brazil’s per capita income at $12,000 last July 1, ranked 106th among nations. Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host, is first at $102,800 and the United States is 15th at $49,800.

“FIFA has donated 50,000 tickets to these poor communities and Indigenous communities,” Rebelo said. “And also we have 50 percent discount for the elderly population and for students.”

For the Confederations Cup, an eight-nation warm-up tournament this month, FIFA is making available half-price tickets to Brazilian residents who are either students, 60 or older by June 30 or in the Bolsa Família government assistance program.

Brazil is spending an estimated $3.5 billion on stadium construction and renovation for the World Cup, and Rio de Janeiro also is getting ready to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. Among the construction projects are new highways, avenues and mass transit.

“The infrastructure investments are really geared toward all communities. The investments were already planned for before or regardless of the World Cup and the Olympics,” Rebelo said. “The whole population will benefit from these improvements in infrastructure.”

Estadio Olímpico Joao Havelange, built in Rio for the 2007 Pan American Games, will host track and field during the 2016 Olympics. City councilmen introduced legislation last month to change the stadium name to Joao Saldanha, Brazil’s coach during qualifying for the 1970 World Cup, after a FIFA ethics report concluded Havelange accepted bribes in a World Cup kickback scandal in the 1990s. Havelange resigned as an IOC member in 2011 and quit this year as FIFA’s honorary president.

“Havelange was a name that was very important and very well received not only within soccer but within the sports industry as a whole,” Rebelo said. “After investigations, he no longer occupies any positions within FIFA or within the International Olympic Committee. However, the mistakes committed by Joao Havelange do not really delete any of the benefits that he brought either to FIFA or to the International Olympic Committee.”

Rebelo said the stadium construction for the World Cup — six venues will be new and the other six renovated — can’t be compared with the venues erected for World Cups in South Korea in 2002 or in South Africa, many of which are underutilized.

“In the ‘70s, Brazil built a lot of big stadiums and these stadiums were geared only toward soccer, nothing else. But these stadiums nowadays are completely different,” he said, predicting they will be used for “conferences, musical shows, restaurants, also trade shows.”

“This,” he said, “will allow the possibility for these stadiums to have some income, because these spaces will be rented for a high rate.”

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Brazil worried about stadium gentrification at World Cup (Reuters)

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Brazil World Cup

Aerial view shows the new rooftop of the Maracana Stadium, which is undergoing renovations.

Felipe Dana/AP

TURIN — The Brazilian government is worried ordinary fans could be priced out of the country’s modernized stadiums in an unwanted legacy from hosting the 2014 World Cup.

Brazil is building two brand new stadiums and remodeling another 10 which will leave the country with a glut of all-seater, state-of-the-art arenas once next year’s tournament is finished.

It will be a new experience for many Brazilian fans who for years have had to put up with dilapidated arenas, dubious catering and overflowing toilets.

The worry is that many of those who provided the throbbing atmosphere at top matches will no longer be able to afford to go to games as administrators look to gentrify the soccer-going public to increase income.

“To have socially exclusive stadiums as a result of the World Cup investments is not the legacy we want,” deputy sports minister Luis Fernandes told Reuters in an interview.

“The government is very concerned with this issue and it has to be addressed very seriously. I think we could have a gentrification of the stadiums.

“Some stadium administrators are quite explicit in saying that, to be economically feasible, they would have to shift the type of attendance at games,” he added.

“It would change from one where what predominates is the so-called D and E class, to one where there will be a heavy predominance of what they call class A and B spectators who will not only buy the tickets but will also consume in the stadium.

“But if you want to shift the social origin of the spectators so you can have people that can afford to buy other merchandise and food besides tickets, that could be a negative side effect.”

Until recently, there has been almost nothing to buy inside Brazilian stadiums apart from rudimentary fast food and soft drinks. Supporters often prefer to buy counterfeit merchandise from unlicensed street vendors, known as camelos, in front of the stadium.

Nine of Brazil’s 12 World Cup stadiums are owned by the governments of the respective states and will be handed over to private administrators who will hope to make money from selling merchandise inside.

“Football had and has a very central role in building national identity in Brazil,” added Fernandes. “So we are very concerned with that aspect and will be dealing with it in terms of national and state legislation.”

A similar phenomenon has already taken place in England where stadiums have improved vastly over the past 20 years, but working-class fans have been priced out and replaced by middle-class ones.

However, while the shift in England, was built on the back of growing popularity for football, attendances at many Brazilian games are shrinking with an average of 13,000 for last year’s national championship first division.

Fans of Cruzeiro have already noticed the difference. Cheapest tickets for some of the team’s matches have cost 60 Reais ($29.87) since the re-opening of Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao stadium.

Meanwhile, cheapest tickets for the re-opening the Castelao stadium in Fortaleza cost 50 Reais for a double bill of matches in the local state championship, more than at many European first division clubs.

Fernandes pointed out that soccer had such a strong influence in Brazil that memories of the 1950 tournament, which the country hosted but the team lost to Uruguay in the deciding match, were still dragged up.

“It has deep historical, roots,” he said, explaining that Brazilians suffered from what writer Nelson Rodrigues described as “the stray dog complex”.

“Brazilians suffered an inferiority complex and when we lost that match against Uruguay, it reinforced that,” he said. “We were the stray dogs and the others were the pedigrees.

“People felt condemned to be inferior. Football was the first area which inspired national pride up, where we thought Brazil can do it.”

© 2013 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130422/brazil-world-cup-stadium-gentrification/#ixzz2RJKId1TK

Novo Maracanã ameaça índios que vivem ao lado da obra (UOL)

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17/06/2012

Vídeo: Novo Maracanã ameaça índios que vivem ao lado da obra

O Maracanã completou 62 anos no último sábado em meio a um processo de transformação. Em obras para a Copa de 2014, o estádio está ganhando uma nova arquibancada, cobertura e seu entorno será revitalizado. Essa modernização, porém, é um problema para um grupo de moradores que há seis anos habita um terreno colado ao estádio.

Os prejudicados são cerca de 20 índios da Aldeia Maracanã, que terão de deixar suas casas por causa da reforma do estádio. Eles vivem na área onde, anos atrás, funcionou o Museu do Índio, que também deve ser demolido por causa das obras

Atualizado em 18/06/2012 às 16h21

*   *   *

Reforma do Maracanã para Copa deve demolir prédio de museu e remover aldeia indígena

Vinicius Konchinski – 17/06/2012

Do UOL, no Rio de Janeiro

Governo do Rio de Janeiro quer transformar área ocupada em área de evacuação do MaracanãSergio Moraes/Reuters

Governo do Rio de Janeiro quer transformar área ocupada em área de evacuação do Maracanã

O Maracanã completou 62 anos no último sábado em meio a um processo de transformação. Em obras para a Copa de 2014, o estádio está ganhando uma nova arquibancada, cobertura e seu entorno será revitalizado. Essa modernização, porém, é um problema para um grupo de moradores que há seis anos habita um terreno colado ao estádio.

Os prejudicados são cerca de 20 índios da Aldeia Maracanã, que terão de deixar suas casas por causa da reforma do estádio. Eles vivem na área onde, anos atrás, funcionou o Museu do Índio, que também deve ser demolido por causa das obras.

O prédio do museu foi inaugurado no século XIX e pertence à Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (Conab), órgão do governo federal. Ele estava abandonado quando os índios chegaram ao local.

Hoje, no terreno espremido entre a avenida Presidente Castelo Branco e o canteiro de obras do Maracanã, há hoje seis casas construídas pelos próprios indígenas. Foram erguidas também duas grandes ocas onde eles se reúnem e comem juntos.

Na base do improviso, os índios plantam no terreno alguns alimentos para subsistência e ganham algum dinheiro vendendo artesanato. Eles também usam o antigo prédio do Museu do Índio como centro cultural e sonham conseguir sua propriedade definitiva para revitalizarem o local, que serviria de ponto de encontro para índios de todo o país.

“Esse imóvel já faz parte da história do movimento indígena”, afirma Xamakari Apurinã, uma das lideranças da aldeia. “Queremos que esse prédio seja transformado em centro de referência indígena, onde os 240 povos do Brasil possam expor sua cultura.”

Xamakari e os outros índios sabem, entretanto, que esse projeto esbarra no grande plano que o governo estadual tem para o Maracanã. Com tudo o que está sendo projetado para o estádio, o governo não quer que a aldeia continue ali.

Segundo o governador Sérgio Cabral, a área da aldeia e o antigo prédio do Museu do Índio devem dar lugar aos novos acessos para o Maracanã. Por isso, o estado já está negociando a compra do imóvel junto à Conab. “Ali vai ser uma área de mobilidade. Uma área que é exigida pela Fifa e que está correta”, afirmou Cabral, na última sexta-feira.

O próprio vídeo do projeto de reforma do Maracanã para a Copa do Mundo (assista à esquerda) já mostra a área do estádio sem a aldeia. Sobre os índios que vivem ali, o governador disse que eles serão “muito bem cuidados pela Funai”.

Esses índios, porém, não querem sair do entorno do Maracanã e prometem lutar até o fim pela posse do terreno. Segundo eles, aquela área tem uma importância histórica. Já foi habitada por uma tribo chamada Maracanã, mesmo nome de um um rio que passa no local e, claro, do maior estádio do Rio de Janeiro. Por tudo isso, ficar ali é questão de honra.

“A ocupação do terreno é uma forma de mostrar a resistência dos índios contra tudo o que foi feito contra a gente desde o descobrimento do Brasil”, disse Dauá Puri, que também vive na Aldeia Maracanã. “Esse local precisa ser usado para preservação da cultura do índios.”