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10 • Touchline • Issue 18
So the screws were turned, and the rush to finish the work
has been linked by some to human right abuses and even
to deaths. Seven construction workers have died since the
beginning of construction, three on the Manaus stadium
alone.
Corporatisation
The World Cup is a marketing dream. Football sells itself, and
FIFA makes no pretence of being a non-profit organisation.
Ticket sales are a bonanza, but the real money comes from
the big sponsors: the usual suspects are all accounted
for; Coca Cola, Budweiser, Samsung, Nike. . .they all have a
considerable slice of the pie. They are all squeezing for the
best product placement spots, and will not be denied. The
Brazilian government has been forced to change – or at least
freeze - a variety of laws in order to keep them sweet.
One notable example is a law recently changed to
accommodate Budweiser. Concerned by football violence,
law-makers in 2003 banned the sale of alcohol inside the
stadiums. Brazil’s president was recently forced to change the
law once more so that Bud could make its brand exclusively
available to punters at the World Cup.
To keep McDonald’s and the other refreshment companies
happy, another law makes it impossible for unaffiliated
purveyors of snacks to sell from carts in the vicinity of the
stadiums, as it would not be in keeping with brand imaging
to have delicious local foods like acerajé or coxinhas after or
before a match.
Seemingly, a major part of FIFA’s vision for the matches is to
make the area around the stadiums into a corporate theme
park, where only official sponsors are allowed on pain of
litigation. Another law passed by the government makes it
illegal to sell non-official merchandise within a two-kilometre
radius of the stadium. And forget about showing a match
without FIFA getting to wet its beak. Only officially sanctioned
bars and cafes will be showing the matches.
Of course, The World Cup is trademarked to FIFA: it is their
tournament and they have the right to make money from
their product. But the heavy handedness of their commercial
pillaging threatens to cause dissatisfaction in the community
that it seeks to glorify.
Adidas recently did nothing to endear itself to the Brazilian
population with a tee-shirt design that was cheeky at best,
offensively prejudiced at worst. Hoping to capitalize on the
stereotype of Brazil as a land of beautiful, approachable
women, the shirt featured a bikini-clad woman with the
slogan “Lookin’ to Score”. The company got slammed and the
design was withdrawn. But you get the feeling that many
Brazilians are getting a bit tired of the whole thing.
Polarisation
Getting tired of the whole thing is quite an understatement
when you look back to the riots that occurred during the
Confederations Cup of 2013. Billed as a dress rehearsal
for the World Cup, last June millions took to the streets to
protest against the inequalities that these mega-events both
highlight and contribute to.
While the government was spending millions on stadiums,
they took the time to raise bus prices. A clear tax on the poor,
it caused massive unrest, the largest in 20 years. The so-called
“FIFA Standard” is a level to which the governing body wish
the host nation to elevate its infrastructure. Opponents claim
that before metro lines get built, the government should be
looking to its health care and education systems, which are in
desperate need of cash. There remains a chronic shortage of
nurses and doctors.
There remains a large proportion of the population opposed
to the World Cup, and around Brazil banners extolling FIFA
to “go home” can be seen. In fact, surveys say that 50% of the
population are against the hosting of the World Cup. In this, a
nation that elevates football to a religion.
Another criticism of the government and FIFA has been the
mass uprooting of people in the poorer areas of the major
cities. In Rio de Janeiro alone, an estimated 30,000 families
have been moved from their homes. Their compensation
packages have been estimated as 25% lower than that
required to buy a comparative dwelling. Opponents suggest
that the evictions are a long-term play, where after the
cup ends, the now-vacant land can be re-developed for an
enormous and exclusive profit.
There is every chance that the World Cup we see on our
televisions will be everything FIFA promises. It will be a
glorious summation of Brazil’s new status in the world,
enlivened by state-of-the art stadiums and glorious football.
Chances are, aside from a few glitches, it will run wonderfully.
But beneath the air-brushed beauty, there may remain a
legacy of exploitation and inequality.
CORPORATISATION
POLARISATION