How Brazil’s World Cup has sold its people short in the Amazon

 


"Of all the 12 stadiums hosting Brazil’s World Cup, Arena Amazônia in Manaus has been by far the most controversial. Even aside from the much-discussed inclement weather in the region – with levels of 80% humidity in June – the logistics of building a stadium on an urban island in the rainforest required planning that would have deterred Fitzcarraldo. Instead of dragging a steamer over a mountain, tonnes of stainless steel were shipped across the Atlantic from Portugal and down Amazonian tributaries. By the time the stadium was built, $300m had been spent and three construction workers had died, for a stadium where only four World Cup games will be held. Underlining the extravagance of the project, a stadium had, in fact, already existed in Manaus, but it was torn down in order to meet Fifa’s regulations. While there are plans for the new stadium to be used for games after the World Cup, football matches up in remote Manaus only attract, at most, 1,000 people. Arena Amazônia accommodates 42,000. Some have described it as the ultimate “white elephant.” HBO’s John Oliver, somewhat more evocatively, opted for “the world’s most expensive bird toilet."

read story by Hadley Freeman

How Brazil’s World Cup has sold its people short in the Amazon | Football | The Guardian