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RIO DE JANEIRO. — One month from the start of the World Cup soccer finals, Brazil is scrambling to get the stage ready for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi while dousing lingering anger at the multi-billion dollar price tag.
As championships around the world draw to a close, Ronaldo and Messi are bracing to headline a galaxy of stars at the four-week showpiece which kicks off on June 12 in Sao Paulo.
Organisers hope Brazil’s opening game against Croatia at the futuristic Corinthians Arena will draw a line under the pre-tournament chaos, allowing football to finally take centre-stage.
The stadium has itself become emblematic of the problems faced during the build-up, where the logistical complexities of staging the 32-team extravaganza have at times appeared overwhelming. Construction of the US$424 million stadium ground to a halt in November, when a giant crane toppled over and killed two workers. A third labourer died in an accident in March.
The 68 000-capacity venue is one of 12 World Cup stadiums that were supposed to be ready by the end of December. Only six were completed on time, with final delivery to Fifa pushed back to May 15. Eight workers have died so far during construction of World Cup venues, with the most recent involving a 32-year-old man electrocuted at the Pantanal Arena in Cuiaba on Thursday.
“We’ve been through hell,” Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said last week as he reflected on the campaign to press Brazilian officials to speed up construction. We’re supporting Brazil to ensure that it’s a success because the whole of Fifa is based around the success of the World Cup,” Valcke said. “If the World Cup is a failure then we, Fifa, are in trouble.” The estimated US$11 billion Brazil is spending on the tournament has angered many in a country grappling with chronically under-funded health and public services, poor transport and violent crime.
The scale of the protests at the Confederations Cup appeared to catch Brazilian authorities off-guard, and a massive security blanket will be draped across the World Cup in an effort to avoid similar scenes.
Around 150 000 police and soldiers and some 20 000 private security officers will be deployed across the 12 host venues to counter protesters whose slogan is “the Cup will not take place.” — AFP.
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