Health & Safety
since the disasters of Hillsborough and Heysel, but stadium problems are not entirely a thing of the past, with Brazil’s recent history not without incident either. A collapsed fence and stampede led to 150 fans being injured at Vasco Da Gama’s São Januário stadium in 2000, whilst in 2007, seven people died and 30 were injured when part of a 60,000 capacity stadium collapsed, in the Bahia region, during fan celebrations.
Unsurprisingly, of the 12 stadiums to be used at the World Cup, two are brand new sites and the rest either rebuilds or upgrades. FIFA and the Brazilian Sports Minister, Aldo Rebelo, have moved to assure that the World Cup will be delivered on time, and safely. Rebelo commented on the matter: “There is a safety plan to ensure the local population and visitors will enjoy the maximum level of safety during the events. In all of this, we seek to work with federal and state security agencies, so all people — not just tourists — can be safe.”
Similar concerns were raised (and allayed) when FIFA took the World Cup to South Africa, and it must be noted that safety is a recurring topic for sports journalists in the build-up to major tournaments. However, fears are sometimes realised; as was the case at Euro 2012 when Polish locals in Warsaw clashed with Russian supporters marching to the national stadium, leading to 183 arrests. Where the heightened economics of football goes, the threat of crime is likely to follow, and Brazil is no
exception. As recently as November, the sister of Brazilian international, Hulk – now playing in Russia for Zenit St. Petersburg – was kidnapped. The mothers of Luis Fabiano and Robinho, two other prominent Brazilian strikers, have also been kidnapped there in recent years.
Despite plans to invest £320billion in infrastructure and urban development, Brazil is home to cities with polarised economics, such as Rio, with its sprawling favelas, despite huge tourism. Touching on the growing tension in Sao Paulo between police and the city’s largest criminal gang, FIFA General Secretary, Jerome Valcke, has warned Brazil ahead of the tournament of the increasing crime rate in cities like Sao Paulo. Last year, over 4,000 people were killed there, including nearly a hundred members of the police.
“Stadium problems are not entirely a thing of the past, with Brazil’s recent history not being without incident.”
Of course, with major organisations such as FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) helping developments, the sense is that their influence will ensure nothing disastrous occurs. That being said, FIFA’s approach to health and safety has come under scrutiny. A brief read of Human Rights Watch’s 2013 World Report reveals the startling situation for workers in Qatar, which is set to host the World Cup in 2022. The 1.2million migrant workers helping to
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develop the state’s infrastructure and stadiums are forbidden from changing jobs without their sponsoring employer’s consent. Workers fleeing their jobs can be reported by their employer as absconding and, as such, detained or deported. Laws intended to protect workers are rarely enforced. FIFA have hardly covered themselves in glory when it comes to people’s welfare.
While we haven’t seen any major disasters at recent sporting events, the Kiss nightclub fire has undoubtedly alarmed the nations heading to Brazil in the next few years. With FIFA and the IOC’s support, Brazil is still expected to perform on the world stage. Nonetheless, events in Santa Maria have proven that health and safety, while sometimes a target for satire, is still a highly important matter.
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