A Copa das Copas

Brasil goleia o pessimismo e faz o melhor Mundial de todos os tempos

Fizemos a melhor Copa de todos os tempos / Foto: Getty Images/Portal da Copa Os jornalistas estrangeiros se encantaram: “A melhor Copa de todos os tempos”. Jason Davis, da ESPN britânica, até lançou a ideia: “Que todas as Copas do Mundo sejam no Brasil”.

Mal desembarcou no país, o ex-jogador norte-americano Lalas, agora comentarista esportivo, elogiou o aeroporto e a segurança.

Turistas estrangeiros elogiaram as arenas multiuso e amaram o povo brasileiro.

O secretário-geral da Fifa, o francês Jerôme Valcke, não fez por menos: “O que estamos vendo fora de campo nas diferentes cidades-sede é o que todos esperávamos do Brasil. Este é o lugar onde o futebol é uma religião. Esperávamos uma festa singular, e acho que o Brasil está no caminho de entregar tudo o que dele foi esperado”.

Surpresa? Nenhuma, para quem sempre acreditou no Brasil. Estes, os que acreditaram e acreditam, poderiam até exibir um cartaz imenso, daqueles que aparecem nas arquibancadas em dia de vitória: “Eu já sabia”. Até porque a presidenta Dilma avisou antes mesmo de a bola rolar: “Não apenas vai ter Copa, como esta será a Copa das Copas”. E foi.

Brazil invested in education and health the equivalent to 212 World Cups

Putting on the World Cup cost a small fraction of what the Brazil of Lula and Dilma has invested in education and health. Some R$ 8 billion was spent on the stadiums — and, with regard to the federal government, there was no budget expenditure for this purpose; rather, the BNDES financed the work in the amount of R$ 4 billion (the remaining R$ 4 billion was raised through private resources and funding by the states). Other investments in urban mobility, airports, ports, telecommunications, security, etc., would have been made regardless of the Cup — they were simply accelerated because of the event.

On the other hand, during these same four years of preparation for the World Cup, the federal government, states and municipalities spent R$ 1.7 trillion on education and health. The equivalent of 212 World Cups. Just the National Program for Access to Technical Education and Employment (Pronatec) received, in a little more than two years, R$ 14 billion in investments, almost double the total investment in the World Cup stadiums (R$ 8 billion) — and it should be remembered these stadiums were not built with federal funds.

Español [4]
English [5]

Foreigners inject US$ 1.58 billion in our economy, a record

Foreigners left US$ 1.58 billion in our economy / Photo: Getty Images/Portal Cup

We received over 1 million foreigners with open arms, who poured US$ 1.58 billion into Brazil in just two months (June and July) and took back in their luggage an overwhelming desire to return soon to the land of football, cheerful people, competence and world-class infrastructure.

And how many of the 3.6 billion people around the world who "attended" the Cup of Cups on TV will now be planning to visit Brazil on their next vacation? The balance sheet is not yet closed, but according to a survey by the Studies and Economic Research Foundation (Fipe), together with the Ministry of Tourism, the indications are that Brazil will see a profit of some R$ 30 billion as a result of its hosting of the 2014 World Cup.

Español [9]
English [10]