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46 Friday Sports Friday, July 20, 2018 Brazil World Cup legacy ‘left little to celebrate’ A legacy of unfinished works, huge debts and missing funds RIO DE JANEIRO: When Brazil hosted the World spent on building 12 stadiums, only seven percent the time, Eduardo Paes, said the World Cup legacy renovations at the famous Maracana stadium in Cup in 2014 the country dreamt of glory, but the came from private investors. was marked by “white elephants and feeble private Rio, which hosted the World Cup final and later the beloved national team was thrashed and the tour- “Spending went greatly over projections, with investment.” His own management of the Olympic Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. nament left a legacy of unfinished works, huge a lot less being completed than had been prom- legacy would later receive equally harsh criticism. In 2012, former Brazilian star striker Romario, debts and missing funds. Brazil were hoping to add ised,” said Paulo Henrique Azevedo at Gesporte, Azevedo said the basic error committed in Brazil who is now a senator, was predicting that the a sixth trophy to their record five World Cup tri- which studies sports management at the University for the World Cup was “building too many stadi- World Cup would be “the biggest robbery in his- umphs, while officials promised that private finance of Brasilia. “In numerous cities, transport infra- ums for political reasons.” Some of the 12 stadiums tory.” For ordinary Brazilians, the Germany defeat would spare taxpayers the budgetary pain. structure projects were not only unfinished but to- built, like in Manaus, Cuiaba and Brasilia, were in was probably the bitterest part of the experience. The optimistic view seemed credible when the tally abandoned, despite having already cost cities with no big team to take over the facilities “In the collective memory, that 7-1 humiliation hosting rights were awarded to Brazil in 2007. The millions of reais,” he said. This included airports, once the tournament was over. looms larger than all the mistakes committed by economy was booming and two years later Rio tram lines and dozens of other projects that, ac- Brazil,” wrote sports journalist Rodrigo Mattos in would be named to host the 2016 Olympics. But cording to a study by Folha de S Paulo newspaper, Corruption his 2016 book “Ladroes de Bola,” or “Thieves of things turned out differently - and not just because would eventually have brought benefits to 2.5 mil- For Brazil’s notoriously corrupt local and federal the ball.” On the plus side, the actual tournament the home side went out in a humiliating 7-1 semi- lion people. politicians, the spending spree was a bonanza in passed off smoothly, an experience that paved the final defeat to Germany. The original budget of 17 Rio de Janeiro was the one city that saw all its overbilling, skimming and pay-to-play schemes way for the equally successful hosting of the billion reais ballooned to 27 billion reais (about projects completed, but only in time for the with contractors. For example, organizers paid Olympics — despite the behind-the-scenes infra- $11.5 billion at that time). And of the 8.3 billion reais Olympics rather than the World Cup. The mayor at three times the market rate for concrete during structure and corruption problems. — AFP South Africa living French fans with mixed legacy sentenced of 2010 World Cup JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s turn as World for robberies, Cup hosts in 2010 left the country with 10 world- class stadiums and an influx of tourists-but also violence vast bills to pay. Eight years on, the tournament is also held up as a rare moment of national unity in a country still deeply divided 24 years after the end PARIS: A French court gave two men sus- of apartheid. Deputy sports minister Gert Oost- pended sentences Wednesday and fined a huizen still brims with pride at the organization of third for robbery and violence on the side- the first World Cup to be held on African soil. lines of France’s World Cup victory cele- “We built stadiums and infrastructure. We brations. One fan, wearing a shirt of the were way ahead of schedule, everything went French football team, was given a six- perfectly, everything was in place,” he said. “From JOHANNESBURG: In this ﬁle photo, light beams splay out from Soccer City stadium early in month suspended sentence for breaking that perspective it did give South Africa a great Soweto - a suburb of Johannesburg, during the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. South Africa’s into a Piaggio scooter showroom near the mark in the world.” “But it was much more than turn as World Cup hosts in 2010 left the country with 10 world-class stadiums and an inﬂux Champs-Elysees boulevard where hun- that. More important was the nation-building and of tourists-but also vast bills to pay. — AFP dreds of thousands had gathered to wel- the social cohesion that we achieved. We felt come home the winning team. A witness proudly South African-and simply African.” To us centre of the world stage-it was good for South for itself — (but) it’s costing us between 15 and 18 had photographed the suspect sitting on a prepare for the most-widely watched event on Africa’s image and for tourism,” said Mike Schus- million rand ($1.11 million to $1.34 million) a year,” scooter in the showroom. The man, a 23- the planet, the government of the day spent 30 sler, director of market analysts Economists.co.za. said Frank Haas, leader of the opposition in north- year-old fork lift driver, admitted to the billion rands (3 billion euros, $3.53 billion in “But we didn’t make our money back from the use eastern Polokwane. “It’s a burden, whether we can robbery, but denied taking part in any vi- today’s money) on roads, airports, stadiums and other infrastructure. of stadiums. Some municipalities are left with a bill justify to the community the almost 20 million rand olence, blaming his actions on excessive to pay-and they will be left for a long time.” Fol- a year, that’s actually the big question.” For Oost- alcohol. The impact was felt almost immediately with a boost to economic growth as well as 60,000 lowing the tournament, the government handed huizen, the deputy sports minister, the answer is A 19-year-old student, who was caught control of the stadiums to their respective city an emphatic yes. “We’re not talking billions here... stealing sunglasses from a Grand Optical new jobs created just from the construction of the 10 stadiums. From June 1 to July 11 when the tour- councils-including responsibility for maintenance. It’s not like it’s draining the whole budget of little store on the Champs Elysees, was ordered Those in the major cities like Cape Town and provinces or municipalities because of this mon- to pay a fine of 1,000 euros ($1,200). “In nament finished, South Africa welcomed 1.4 million foreign visitors-compared to 1.1 million a year Johannesburg fared better, finding use as concert ster that we have built,” he told AFP at his office the euphoria, everyone converged on the earlier. But did South Africa truly benefit once the venues, rugby grounds while still attracting na- in Pretoria. store. I followed. I was stupid,” he told the fans’ noisy vuvuzela horns had been stored away tional and international football. Johannesburg “You must see it as a good investment, it is part judge. A third man was given a three-month outsourced the running of its ground to the private of a legacy, an instrument of getting people to- and the FIFA bandwagon had moved on to Brazil? sector. “The responsibility put on stadium man- suspended sentence for throwing bottles at “The returns were much higher than the spend- gether and showcasing what we can do as the police officers. “I don’t know what went agers is to commercialize the venues, attract ing-much, much higher,” said Gillian Saunders of events, generate revenue, maintain the venues to African continent.” Oosthuizen listed several tour- through my head. I’m sorry,” he said. He the accountants Grant Thornton. “There is a lot of naments hosted in South Africa since the World also claimed to have been drunk, even if a world-standard and share profits with the mu- infrastructure that we got like telecommunica- nicipality,” said the city’s sport supremo Siyanda Cup-mostly minor affairs except for the 2013 Cup breathalyser tests had been negative. tions, roads around the stadium areas that we Mnukwa. “The stadiums are not weighing heavily of African Nations. In May nearly 85,000 packed Nearly 300 people were arrested across wouldn’t have got,” she said, adding that there on the municipality.” Elsewhere in South Africa, into Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, known as Soc- the whole of France on the sidelines of the had been a subsequent “World Cup effect”. the stadiums have proved less productive. cer City when it hosted the 2010 World Cup final victory celebrations, with 57 arrests made between Spain and the Netherlands, to watch an in Paris, prosecutors said. — AFP ‘Good for S Africa’s image’ ‘It’s a burden’ exhibition match that featured stars from “It was a good marketing exercise, that had put “Initially we were told that the stadium will pay Barcelona. — AFP.

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