Headlines inside the recent increase to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil next year has been decidedly mixed of late.
While the 2022 competition in Qatar had raised more ire among sports fans world wide, Brazilian authorities can’t has been impressed with images of violence marring the preparations.
Most recently police were forced to take advantage of tear gas and smoke grenades to wreck up clashes between fans waiting to purchase tickets for the inaugural match in a stadium built for the area Cup.
Fans had queued overnight at a ticket office within the north-eastern state of Bahia, but fighting broke out once it opened. Officials on the Arena Fonte Nova stadium, which cost over $300 million ($50 million greater than budgeted), had didn’t separate queues of fans, resulting in unrest.
Perhaps more seriously, the inauguration date of rebuilt Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro have been repeatedly delayed.
The stadium, set to host the overall next year, was originally as a result of reopen in December 2012, but its first match is now scheduled for April 27th.
Embarrassingly, Rio mayor Eduardo Paes was also recently forced to shut the João Havelange stadium, which was getting used to host major football matches rather than the Maracana and was scheduled to host the athletics for the 2016 Olympic Games, after it engineers warned of structural deficiencies.
Elsewhere, the president of Corinthians, the Brazilian club in control of building the Itaquera stadium in Sao Paulo, recently admitted its construction can be stopped for loss of cash.
Unless extra money is located there’s a risk of the stadium failing to be ready on time for the contest.
That stadium is because of host the outlet match of FIFA 2014.
With these problems piling up, FIFA have been remarkably sanguine, a minimum of in front of the cameras.
“It is all a matter of trust and confidence,” FIFA president Sepp Blatter told reporters last month after a gathering of the area Cup organising committee. “They would be ready since it is the area Cup and nobody can afford to not be ready for the area Cup.”
However, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke recently visited Recife to ascertain on preparations on the Arena Pernambuco, which remains incomplete despite promises it’d be ready by the top 2012.
One further infrastructure worry is the progress in upgrading the national airport network.
Many guests will see flights as essential in one of these large country, where there’s no established rail network.
But, of 13 terminals being upgraded, ten are unlikely to be completed by June 2014, a central authority-backed Institute for Applied Economic Research report said earlier this spring.
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The recently completed Arena Fonte Nova
Tourism
So, many challenges. But what does all this mean for the international traveller In brief, not likely greatly.
While the sporting infrastructure is clearly vital to the success of the tournament, the non-public sector has quietly been looking after the preparations essential to welcome the 600,000 international visitors expected within the country for the development.
Some 200 hotels are currently under construction, while another 170 hotels are slated to open in the next three years in Brazil, in accordance with consultancy Lodging Econometrics, with many designed for the sports tourism market.
Many more also are taking an extended view, catering to an emerging middle class, with investors looking to avoid the pitfalls seen after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when many hotels saw a pointy drop in occupancy after the development and not recovered.
Hilton and Grand Hyatt are both opening new properties in Rio, but budget-conscience offerings from as Novotel, Ibis, Holiday Inn, Super 8 and Tryp also are in development.
Among the foremost exciting projects is the classic Copacabana Palace, which enters its 90th year in 2013. Having recently completed a $20 million renovation, the valuables now offers a lighter, airier atmosphere, with completely redesigned rooms.
Moreover, while the issues may create headline, other stadium projects are proceeding rapidly.
In the most recent update FIFA released photos the recently completed Arena Fonte Nova.
Despite the ticketing teething problems, the Salvador stadium joins the Castelao and the Mineirao in readiness for the FIFA Confederations Cup test event later this year.
The clock might be ticking, by Brazil has an excessive amount of to lose if it runs out of time.
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