Brazil struggles with World Cup preparations with 90 days remaining

With 90 days remaining until the 2014 World Cup kicks off, host country Brazil continues to face major issues. One of the biggest concerns is the readiness of the stadiums since the hosts failed to meet a number of deadlines set by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), including the most recent in December.

The stadiums are not the only concern. Brazil has quite a few wrinkles to iron out before June 12, the start of the tournament. “I am not a World Cup specialist but I will say this has not been easy, for sure,” said the FIFA secretary general, Jérôme Valcke to The Guardian last Monday. “I think things will work well but it is also true that whenever you receive something late it becomes a challenge to make it ready in time.”

The stadiums, arguably the most important part of the World Cup, are also surrounded by the most doubt.There are a total of 12 stadiums located throughout the country and four of them have not been completed. Although Brazil was awarded the World Cup in 2007, no decisions were made about host cities until two years later due to several political disagreements.

FIFA officials have tried to expedite the process, but the stadiums in São Paulo, where two construction workers were crushed by a crane, and Curitiba will not be completed until mid-May. Even though some of the stadiums have been completed, they seem to be falling apart. FIFA and organizers will now have to scramble to outfit them with the necessary repairs as well as personnel.

One of the other big concerns was the high price of tickets and how it would affect the local fans. There has been a great deal of interest from Brazil’s growing middle class and from around the world. Despite the long distance for many international football aficionados, Brazil has already sold more than 2.3 million of the 3.3 million available tickets. Approximately 60 percent of the 1.5 million general sales tickets have gone to the local population.

The next set of 160,000 tickets will go on sale on Wednesday and FIFA plans to address concerns about high ticket prices by setting aside most of the cheapest tickets for Brazilians, but critics do not think it will ease concerns.

Apart from the general worry about terrorism that follows every major sporting event, many are anxious about protesters from 2013 Confederations Cup returning to the streets. Despite protesting several issues, the major grievance was the $4 billion used for World Cup expenditures, instead of public services.

Although protests have since quieted, many are unsure of what will happen in June. Brazilians are excited about the upcoming World Cup but are still highly critical of FIFA’s demands and the precedence the tournament has taken among country officials.

People have also shown concern about how Brazilian airports will handle the influx of foreigners, as well as the need to travel cross-country to attend matches. “The Brazilian government and organizers have been at pains to dismiss the more apocalyptic predictions but have been forced to admit that many airport upgrades will not be completed in time – in Fortaleza fans will be greeted by a temporary canvas terminal,” said a report from The Guardian.

There will be roughly 2,000 domestic flights for the duration of the tournament that will help to ease the price pressures, but will increase the work load of local airports. Many fans also fear that hotel rates will not decrease, leaving them without a place to stay, but some still hold out hope that the rates will decrease as the tournament inches closer.

The issues that continue to plague this World Cup are worrying, but FIFA and Brazilian officials maintain that the spirit of the competition and event will hide the blemishes marring it.