World Cup Weekly: Close Call, Curitiba! Donovan's Last? And, The Civil Unrest Juggernaut Rolls On..

Arena da Baixada Concept

A month ago, the city of Curitiba, Brazil was close to being stripped of its World Cup hosting rights because its stadium, the Arena da Baixada, was so far behind schedule that it was expected not to be ready in time. 

On Tuesday, those concerns were put to bed. Four group stage matches will take place in the south Brazilian city after FIFA assessor Charles Botta declared that sufficient progress had been made to give Curitiba the green light for hosting its allocated share of World Cup games. 

FIFA made the decision not to look for an alternative stadium - the venue at Porto Alegre was being touted as a replacement - after receiving financial guarantees for the work still to be done in Curitiba.

The stadium is 91 percent complete, according to its owners, the soccer club Atletico Paranaense. Hundreds of extra workers have been brought in to ensure that construction will conclude well in time for the first kick-off on June 16. 

The revised estimate provides a mid-May completion date. Ricardo Trade, the CEO of the local organizing committee, said that this estimate would leave enough time for proper testing of the stadium, but stressed that there is “no time to lose,” as Curitiba races towards its most important deadline.

The club’s president, Mario Celso Petraglia, admitted “they did not have a realistic view” of the time frames they would need to undertake a project of this magnitude when they commissioned the build. 

LA Galaxy's Landon Donovan

One player who is unlikely to see the Curitiba pitch is United States’ Landon Donovan. The 31 year-old striker and U.S.’s leading goal scorer said he expects the 2014 World Cup to be his last tournament. His team will not play in the city, which would mean Donavan is unlikely to have an opportunity to play at the Arena da Baixada. 

Donavan has indicated that his retirement from international football is not far off and has all but ruled out the possibility of playing in the 2018 edition in Russia. “It’s hard for me to imagine, sitting here, that I’ll be able to walk in four years, much less play soccer,” he said “If it is my last World Cup, I want to make sure I enjoy every minute.” 

Donavan’s career may have its cutoff date set, but there is nothing similar in sight for the civil unrest in Brazil with protests continuing steadily over the last week. Brasilia was the latest to play host to the wave of unrest sweeping the country, which saw 15,000 people from the Landless Worker Movement march from the Mane Garrincha football stadium to the office of President Dilma Rousseff. 

Protests outside the State Building, Brasilia

The workers held the demonstration in commemoration of 30 years of their union’s existence, which aims to campaign for agrarian reform. They want some of what they call “unproductive” land, owned by the state or big businesses, to be allocated to landless farmers and they are making a lot of noise about it. They erected a tent under the World Cup stadium and stayed there for four days before heading to the state building. 

Aggressive clashes ensued as protesters threatened to invade the building. They were dispersed by riot police, with injuries on both sides, ending with 30 police officers and 12 protesters needing medical treatment. 

-Firdose Moonda

Firdose Moonda is The Atlantic Post's South Africa Correspondent and covers sports news. She is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Unrest in Brazil as FIFA World Cup Approaches

Protesters outside the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia. Source: Reuters

As eyes shift towards Brazil for both the FIFA World Cup, set for June 2014 and the 2016 Rio Olympics, spectators may not be entirely satisfied with what they see. In the past few years, Brazil has been in the international spotlight for numerous riots and disasters, and this has not changed even as the Cup approaches.

Riots have been starting up again with a vengeance as the World Cup draws near. Brazilians view the cup as a chance to show their causes and protests on a world stage. They know that the world's eyes will be on Brazil during this month of soccer and that more and more people will witness their demonstrations. Gangs and large groups of political activists have been planning their events in correspondence with the World Cup so that their efforts may be broadcast to as many people as possible. 

Numerous protests have already begun to take place in Brazil, months before the World Cup is set to begin. The riots are varying in goals, but have a broad audience. Many of the rioters are overflow from previous riots held at the Confederations Cup. The country is going through many changes as it is leading up to hosting the World Cup. Brazil’s economy will vastly profit from hosting the World Cup this year, as well as the Olympics in two years.

In exchange for a large profit from hosting these games, the host nation must supply the various stadiums, lodging and entertainment needed for a month long event. This detail of the Cup has been the main concern to the rioters. Protesters have been focusing on anti-government riots with sentiments concerning themselves with frivolous spending. Rioters are opposing the use of so much money in paying for a sporting event. They would rather have Brazil’s money used for educational purposes.

Percentage distribution of protesters and their causes. Source: Folha

Even though the country has been putting forth vast amounts of money in preparation for the Cup, the president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, says that he has been unhappy with Brazil in this regard. Brazil was granted the site for the World Cup seven years ago and still has managed to be behind on their deadlines for improving the various stadiums that the month long games will be played in. The seemingly easy task of refurbishing stadiums and hotels to accommodate the many visitors to the country has not been completed whatsoever. Blatter has, since, explained that he is not concerned that the first game, set to start on June 12, will not take place, only that Brazil’s preparedness seems to lack.

The Arena da Baixada stadium at Curitaba, still woefully incomplete in December '13. Source: Folha

However, Brazil’s lack of progress with preparations compounded with the continuing riots has lead Blatter to wonder about the success of the entire World Cup. This attitude has spread to the rest of the world as even plane tickets and hotel prices have reached such a high that now the main concern is that travelers will not even be able to physically make it to Brazil. Another factor in the travel to Brazil is that perhaps visitors will not desire to come to Brazil due to its unrest in recent years and most importantly the recent months. 

Hosting a World Cup is an excellent opportunity for a country to receive positive publicity and economic growth, but this year (similar to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa) it appears as though most of Brazil’s energy will be spent ensuring the security of all attendees rather than the success of its soccer games. 

-Brynn Rollo

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