Three years from the kickoff of the 2014 World Cup, not even the Minister for Sports, Orlando Silva, seems to know exactly how much the Government will invest in the organization of the most important sporting event on the planet.
At an interview granted to the “Roda Viva” program of the Cultura television station last Monday (August 8th), on being asked about the Federal expenses with this mega event, Mr. Silva could only say that “the figure has not been decided” and that “part of the investment is for the World Cup and part for Brazil”.
In stark contrast to the declarations of the minister, the Federal Audit Court (Tribunal de Contas da União - TCU) released a report in February with the expenses on stadiums, airports, ports and urban mobility, which are the four essential areas in order to provide suitable infrastructure for the hosting of the World Cup.
The study uses data from the Ministry of Sports itself and also suggests that the total cost of the work in these four key areas comes to R$ 23.5 billion, of which 98% will come from the coffers of the Brazilian Federation and also Brazilian States.
The financing for World Cup work will be made feasible by the two main federal credit institutions. The Brazilian Federal Savings Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal - CEF) will lend a total of more than R$ 6.6 billion for the urban mobility work in the 12 host cities of the forthcoming World Cup. The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social - BNDES) will finance the construction of the stadiums and also the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system known as the Transcarioca, in Rio de Janeiro, with a total of more than R$ 4.8 billion in credit for the World Cup.
According to the estimates made by the TCU, the refurbishment and construction of the 12 World Cup stadiums had a total cost of R$ 5.7 billion. From then to now, this cost has already risen to R$ 6.6 billion, according to a study conducted by the Portal 2014 Internet portal.
During the “Roda Viva” program, Mr. Silva made a point of soothing the criticism about delays to World Cup projects, assuring that at least eight stadiums will be ready by the end of 2012.
The Minister reacted with optimism when asked about the current situation of the airports, which are the main cause for concern expressed by FIFA with regard to the World Cup. Mr. Silva said that the plan to modernize the terminals “is for the Brazil of today, and not for the World Cup”, and praised the initiatives taken by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, in conceding the airports in São Paulo (Cumbica), Campinas (Viracopos) and Brasília (Juscelino Kubitschek) to private enterprise.
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04/05 | News
