Less than a thousand days until the World Cup.
Two major construction projects, the Maracanã stadium and the Guarulhos water treatment plant, are at a standstill. Will the ball keep rolling now?
On Friday the 16th, the calendar marked the passing of a symbolic date: one thousand days until the opening game of the 2014 World Cup. And anyone concerned about a minimally organized World Cup should already be on edge. Two crucial projects – the main stadium and the largest airport – are at a standstill. The first, the Maracanã, because the workers went on strike due to the contractors' refusal to grant minimum benefits, such as meal vouchers. The second, the Guarulhos International Airport, because the contract was awarded without bidding, on an urgent basis. To make matters worse, the Attorney General of the Republic, Roberto Gurgel, is questioning the legality of the Differentiated Contracting Regime, which loosens the rules for public works.
In concrete terms, what has the government done so far? It promises to launch an online portal in the coming days to provide transparency regarding the spending on World Cup projects. And, although the official discourse is that the schedule is being met, a visit to the host cities is enough to realize that almost everything is behind schedule. Not only the stadiums, but also the urban mobility projects that should prepare the cities with subways, avenues, and bus corridors to host a large-scale event like a World Cup.
One might argue that the rules in Brazil are complex, that the bidding law is archaic, and a series of other excuses, but the fact is that the public machine is also paralyzed by the whirlwind of accusations in Brasília. Two ministries crucial to the organization of the World Cup – the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Cities – have been hit by the scandals. In the first, a minister, Alfredo Nascimento, has already fallen. In the second, the current minister, Mário Negromonte, seems to be next in line. And in Tourism, which should be treated as a strategic portfolio in a country that receives far fewer international visitors than it should given its immense natural potential (with or without the World Cup), the choice of an ally of José Sarney – in the physiological logic of quid pro quo – does not seem to be the most appropriate.
The one thing Brazil cannot claim is that there wasn't enough time to organize the World Cup. The FIFA announcement was made on October 30, 2007 – almost four years ago. More than a thousand days have passed, and less than a thousand remain until the first World Cup match. And the shorter the construction schedule, the better it will be for the contractors. Any expense, any budget overrun, any emergency program will be justified by the need for Brazil not to embarrass itself. Will the ball roll then? Or will the ball even roll? And another detail: 2014 is not just a World Cup year. It's also a year of general elections. Just imagine!