The once-in-a-lifetime experience would cost you dearly
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With the Fifa World Cup less than 90 days away, hosts Brazil and football fans are encountering problems of their own.
It is expected that around 600,000 visitors will make the trip to the Samba country to witness the month-long tournament from June 12 to July 13.
Match tickets have been sold like hot cakes. More than 2.3 million of the total 3.3 million tickets available for the first World Cup in Brazil since 1950 had been allocated before the latest round of sales, mostly to Brazilian fans.
Fifa said about 1.5 million tickets went to the general public, with the rest accounting for hospitality programmes, commercial affiliates and other groups.
However, South America’s biggest country is facing a huge challenge to get all the stadiums ready in time for the competition.
Construction work on three stadiums is yet to finish, including the one hosting the opening match in Sao Paulo, giving heebie-jeebies to Fifa executives.
Another concern is the handling of security. Demonstrators are out on the streets in many cities of Brazil, railing against government expenditure for the World Cup that so far has exceeded US$11 billion.
Police last month fired tear gas and stun grenades and arrested hundreds of demonstrators in Sao Paolo.
These are some of the reasons that the world’s biggest sporting event will this time be uniquely different from the previous ones.
Football’s world governing body, Fifa, wiser from previous experiences, announced last Wednesday that there would be no speeches at the opening ceremony of this World Cup.
Last year, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was booed by fans at the opening match of the Confederations Cup – a curtain-raiser for the World Cup.
Fifa chief Sepp Blatter expressed concerns about the growing unrest and hoped the event would play a part in calming protesters.
The safety aspect is a matter of concern for football fans too. Also, there are widespread fears that fans will have to spend a fortune for the once-in-a-lifetime experience as hotels and airlines have raised charges to sky-high levels.
Reports are emerging that hotels have jacked up room rates as much as 300 per cent in some of the 12 cities hosting important matches.
TravelMail research last November found examples of flights during the tournament retailing at figures 900 per cent higher than the standard fare for popular routes like Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro.
These days travellers who prefer to travel by themselves rely heavily on the internet to search and book their trips.
But football fans should be wary of scams, especially in a world tournament like this. In Euro 2012, many fans faced accommodation problems in Poland and Ukraine and were forced to stay in camps and tents.
Since it is difficult to know whether the agency you have booked is genuine or a fraud, here are a few “dos” and “don’ts” before you book the trip online:
_ Don’t just rely on one review but do a thorough online search to ensure the company’s credentials hold up.
_ Check whether the web address is legitimate.
_ Never pay cash directly into an owner’s bank account. Pay by credit card.
_ Study receipts, invoices and terms and conditions, and beware of any companies that don’t provide any at all.
_ Use your instincts. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Good luck and see you in Brazil!
