The FIFA World Cup in Brazil is nearly a week old, and despite fears heading into the tournament, the "situation in South America’s largest country is hardly bleak" thus far, according to Sam Borden of the N.Y. TIMES. For those fans who "enjoy eye-popping goals, surprising results and stylish soccer, this tournament has, so far, been an incredible success." Still, from a "logistical perspective, not all has gone swimmingly, particularly for some people on the ground who may appreciate smaller details like consistent electricity, fully finished stadiums and correctly numbered stadium seats." For them, the "early returns on the World Cup are a bit more complex." The range of problems "has been broad." Some "have had to do with construction, like the visible electrical wires in São Paulo’s stadium or the workers still installing air-conditioning units and carpeting hours before kickoff in Cuiabá," while others "have had to do with employee relations." Some "have been cosmetic, like the burned-out grass in Manaus, which led workers to spray-paint patches of the field green." None of it "has been wholly detrimental ... yet each day has brought a new bump which, in many cases, is something one would never imagine as a potential problem." For instance, on Sunday in Porto Alegre, the stadium’s sound system "failed as the teams walked onto the field, leaving players from France and Honduras infuriated as they stood around waiting for national anthems that were never played." Brazilian organizers "have been a mixture of defensive and apologetic about the mishaps." There have "been plenty of avoidable issues." Some fans attending games at Arena das Dunas in Natal "received emails informing them that they would need to exchange their tickets for new ones because a portion of the seats at the stadium had not been installed" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/18).
PUNY PROTESTS: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's David Luhnow notes so far, protests against the tournament "have been small, limited to so-called Black Bloc activists." Some fear that this "could change if Brazil crash out of the tournament early, but others say that even then, the show will go on." The stadium in Natal, where the U.S. on Monday defeated Ghana, "is still surrounded by the detritus of construction." Inside, there "aren't enough concession stands -- a complaint heard in many of the stadiums." Even after FIFA "pushed Brazil to change its laws to allow stadiums to sell beer, the lack of concessions meant long lines." Scotland fan Steven Black said that he "walked right into the VIP section of the stadium in Salvador and wasn't asked for identification" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/18).
MISSING THE RAINFOREST FOR THE TREES? In DC, Rick Maese notes tournament organizers "decided to stage four World Cup matches in the Amazon ... both a unique proposition and a logistical headache." Even as Manaus and the surrounding communities "have excitedly embraced the tournament, many view the matches here as a needless endeavor, an expensive novelty that has come to symbolize the expense and waste associated with staging the month-long event." Local residents fear that the $300M Arena Amazonia stadium that "should be part of the tournament’s legacy could ultimately become just another of Manaus’s long list of problems." Right now, "nothing is scheduled for the space beyond the four soccer games." This is a "lot of money and effort for what will amount to about six hours of soccer action" (WASHINGTON POST, 6/18).
