RE: “With Cup a month away, a lot to be done in Brazil.”

Dear Editor,

 Please consider the following letter in response to Tales Azzoni’s May 13 article “With Cup a month away, a lot to be done in Brazil.”

 The Sacramento Bee’s May 13 article (“With Cup a month away, a lot to be done in Brazil”) does a great job in covering the Brazilian government’s dash to complete stadiums and in shedding light on issues concerning Brazilian World Cup preparations, particularly with regard to debt and global concerns over stadium completion. While succeeding in mentioning Brazil’s $11.8 billion investment on stadiums, the piece fails to mention the negative effects of the event for Brazil’s poor. Most disconcerting is the fact that through their continued assurances and announcements to allocate $180 billion to FIFA projects, Brazilian government officials have chosen to ignore their own populace in order to accommodate the needs of tourists. Construction has displaced thousands of Brazilians and caused the death of eight stadium workers. As such, when considering FIFA’s cost, we should ensure that the poor are a priority as they struggle with increasing costs in food and accentuated transportation issues.

Sincerely,

Otto Raul Tielemans Jr., Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs

In response to the Sacramento Bee’s article: “With Cup a month away, a lot to be done in Brazil.”

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