Does F I F A Have Blood On It's Hands

[ChillDoubt]

or must it at least share some culpability over the latest disaster to befall the World Cup?:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-28155216

Despite papering over the cracks the FIFA World Cup has been nothing short of a PR nightmare and an unmitigated disaster, given the problems prior to and during the competition.
I wonder if there will be a mark of respect shown at the stadia prior to today's quarter finals?

[youngmafbog]

Why? FIFA didnt build it.

Much as I'd like to blame Blatter & co it really is down to the shoddy builders and the corruption in Brazil.

[ChillDoubt]

So why award the World Cup to what is effectively a third world country with millions living in abject poverty, along with the corruption and amateurish builders you describe, ymb?

[youngmafbog]

I think Brazil is around the 7th or 8th largest economy in the world so I dont see how you can exclude them or really call then 3rd world.

They have some problems, much as any fast growing economy does.

If we exclude countries without corruption then I guess the next world cup will be on the moon so it's down to degrees of corruption. What do you think would be the line for that?

[ChillDoubt]

The concensus is that it IS classed as Third World:

http://qualidadedevida-jim.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/brazil-is-third-world-country-remember.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world_countries.htm

Doubtless every bid would involve one degree of 'corruption' or another, far better then that they award it to a country that either already has the infrastructure in place or the means and capacity to deliver on time and to spec, surely?
Or are you saying that it's been an unqualified success and the FIFA decision was the correct one?

[VHG]

Not FIFA's fault if a road collapses or a workman dies while building one of the stadiums.

It could happen in any country, and there were problems in South Africa before the last World Cup.

And I found this on the internet about the Olympics:

"2 fatalities during the 1996 Barcelona Olympics construction, one fatality during the 2000 Sydney Olympics construction, 14 killed during the 2004 Greece Olympics construction and 10 killed during construction for the 2008 Beijing Olympics"

p.s. To put things in perspective it is estimated about 30,000 people died building the Panama Canal.

[ChillDoubt]

Interesting info there VHG.
From memory though I don't recall much rioting/public disquiet against the governing bodies who awarded them prior to or during those events.
The whole thing has lurched from one bad story/publicity to another, this is just the latest.

[Gromit]

No.

The flyover was being built thanks to the world cup coming to town. It was part of long term infrastructure improvements that were to be the legacy for locals after the tournament was finished. It was not meant to be ready for the tournament. In construction work, accidents can sometimes happen, a worker was killed building the London Olympic stadium but no one said Lord Coe had blood on his hands.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-205986/Wembley-Stadium-worker-killed.html

[ChillDoubt]

Lord Coe wasn't facing the ire of a large section of the population either though, Gromit:

https://news.vice.com/article/how-so-many-football-loving-brazilians-ended-up-hating-the-world-cup

http://www.gallup.com/poll/172091/majority-brazilians-expect-world-cup-hurt-economy.aspx

I'm not expecting a mark of respect for the victims at either of today's matches as that would be seen as an admission of failure or a poorly reasoned decision by FIFA in awarding the tournament in the first place.

[Gromit]

// a poorly reasoned decision by FIFA in awarding the tournament in the first place. //

This has been the best tournament for years. The crowds have been good, everyone has praised the organisation and their has been no trouble. It is too early to say if the legacy for Brazil will have been worth it, but the signs are that it has been.

[Baldric]

///The concrete and steel bridge, which was under construction,///

I, along with lots of other ABers I'm sure, was not aware that FIFA did construction work.

[ChillDoubt]

I, along with lots of other ABers I'm sure, was not aware that FIFA did construction work.
-----------------
I didn't claim they did, I'm just questioning the decision and reasoning that led to concern from inhabitants, protests and rioting, along with rushed and poorly built construction work that coincided with their event.

Time will yet tell what effect it had and how successful it was:

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/06/the-2014-world-cup-could-transform-democracy-in-brazil/372627/

http://www.goal.com/en/news/3790/world-cup-2014/2014/06/29/4921426/what-will-be-the-world-cup-legacy-for-brazils-host-cities

[ChillDoubt]

Indeed we do divebuddy, it's just that this tournament has had more than its fair share.

https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/timeline-deaths-accidents-brazils-world-cup-stadiums-192845033--sow.html

I just can't help feeling that each death/incident marrs what has been a superb tournament football-wise and I would have preferred to have seen the money spent on dragging Brazil and a lot of its inhabitants out of such abject poverty.

[ichkeria]

Trying to blame FIFA for things like this is daft and detracts attention away from their real crimes