By Samindra Kunti
June 16 – The 2014 World Cup did not only bring tears to Brazil on the field, but a year later the tournament has left a questionable legacy.
Brazil suffered a humiliating 7-1 defeat at the hands of Germany in the semi-finals. The team of Luiz Felipe Scolari was completely outclassed as Germany scored five times within the first 29 minutes. The Germans would go on to lift the World Cup, defeating Argentina and Lionel Messi 1-0 in a tense final at the Maracana.
Brazil had the consolation of a World Cup legacy of a tournament that generated record profits of $2.6 billion for FIFA, but an investigate report by Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo shows that eight out of 12 World Cup stadiums are not profitable and face an uncertain financial future, while $3.5 billion worth of 35 projects budgeted in 2010 are not complete and a handful have simply been abandoned.
The remodeled Maracana, the venue for the World Cup final, finished 2014 with a $24.8 million deficit. The newly-build stadiums in Natal, Fortazela, Manaus, Brasilia and Cuiaba don’t house top-flight clubs as permanent tenants and are struggling to survive. In Recife a dispute over the stadium has lead to a lawsuit between the city and construction giant Odebrecht.
In Rio de Janeiro all World Cup-related transport projects have been completed. In the Amazon city of Manaus, a monorail and a planned express bus service have been cancelled. In Fortaleza a light-rail system is only half complete, pending the award of a new contract. The planned metro connection between Guarulhos International Airpot and the city has been canceled in Sao Paulo.
Brazil would have been the host of this year’s Copa America, but the country abandoned the plan as Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic Games. In 2019 the Copa America is set to return to Brazil.
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