The World Cup
世界杯
Pitch imperfect
球场不够完美
They think it's all over budget
他们认为超出预算
Down to the finishing touches
开赛在即，已到最后收尾工作
FOOTBALL'S World Cup was meant to display Brazil's coming-of-age as a global player. Instead, the preparations have illustrated the improvisation for which the country is nearly as famous as its footballers. With less than a month to go, organisers are scrambling to get everything ready. A swanky new terminal opened at Guarulhos Airport in Sao Paulo on May 11th. But just eight airlines will be operating there next month, not 25 as planned. Chunks of the airport in Belo Horizonte, another host city, are wrapped in scaffolding and sprinkled with dust—and will remain so well after the tournament ends in July.
足球世界杯是巴西这个世界足球强国显示其成熟老道的绝好时机。然而，其糟糕的筹备，就像其足球运动员即兴表演那样闻名于世。距世界杯开幕已不足一个月，可是组委会正仓促地想要一切在一个月内各就各位。5月11日，位于圣保罗的Guarulhos机场，一个超炫豪华的机场航站楼建成开始对外开放。然而下个月，只有8个而不是计划的25个航空公司可以在这里起落。而位于另一个主办城市贝洛哈里桑塔的机场，绝大部分依然围着脚手架，到处是灰尘，而这个状态可能直到六月世界杯赛结束都不大会有所改观。
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Unfinished work at Arena Corinthians stadium in Sao Paulo means only 40,000 fans will attend a pre-tournament test game on May 18th, well shy of the 68,000 expected at the opening match on June 12th. The media centre at the stadium in Curitiba won't be ready for the event; journalists will slum it in a tent.
圣保罗哥林蒂安斯体育场作为世界杯的竞技场现在尚未完工，这意味着仅有4万球迷可以参加5月18号举行的赛前测试，这远远少于六月12号世界杯首场赛事的6.8万人。库里蒂巴市体育场的媒体中心届时可能无法为大赛服务，记者只能挤在自搭的帐篷中。
Red tape and overlapping federal, state and municipal fiefs have snarled projects. Jerme Valcke, secretary-general of FIFA, football's governing body, has described dealing with Brazilian authorities as “hell”. Eight construction workers have died in accidents, six more than in South Africa four years ago. FIFA insists stadiums will be ready when fans start pouring in. But delays have left little time to install and test telecommunications kit, prompting worries over patchy television and radio transmission.
繁文缛节官僚习气以及冗杂的联邦、政府和市级区划让各个项目混乱不堪。国际足球联盟足球赛事的领导机构的总秘书长Jerme Valcke将与巴西当局的办事风格描述为“极不像话”。8名建筑工人在施工事故中丧生，这比四年前南非世界杯多整整6人。国际足球联盟坚持要求体育馆必须在观众前来参与赛前测试之前一切准备就绪。但是由于一再拖延，几乎没有时间安装、测试电信设备，这给不完善的电视转播和广播转播买下隐忧。
Cost overruns, partly blamed on alleged price-gouging, mean that, measured by the cost of a seat, Brazil now boasts ten of the world's 20 most expensive football venues, according to KPMG, a consultancy. The whitest of these elephants, in Brasília, may end up consuming 2 billion reais, nearly triple the initial estimate. After the Cup it is unlikely ever to draw capacity crowds again, as the city lacks a good league side.
足球世界杯筹备成本远远超出预算，部分原因是由于价格欺骗。意思是，以一个座位的成本作为衡量手段，根据毕马威会计事务所的数据，现在巴西拥有世界上最贵的20个足球竞技场。在巴西利亚，这些造价昂贵而使用价值又不太高的场馆最终可能花费20亿里亚尔，是最初预算的3倍。在世界杯赛事之后，因为这个城市缺乏一个好的联赛赛事它不可能再整场爆满。
A promised public-works bonanza has not materialised. Brazil's government insisted on staging games in 12 cities, rather than the required eight, in order to spread the benefits across the country. It succeeded only in spreading itself thin. Just five of 35 planned urban-mobility schemes are complete. Fans will use buses or taxis to get to most city centres.
因此一个颇具前景的市政工程金矿也无法带来物质财富。巴西政府为了均衡举办世界杯带来的红利，坚持在12个城市举行赛事而非按照要求在8个城市举办。而这，只会让传播世界杯赛事的成功几率降低。而35个城市交通方案也仅有5个竣工。最后，球迷只能通过公交车或者计程车前往各个位于市中心的赛场。
Support for hosting the World Cup has fallen sharply, from 79% after it was awarded to Brazil in 2007 to 48% now, according to Datafolha, a pollster. Given Brazilians' love of football and knack for making merry, the tournament is almost certain to be a blast. But the legacy has been left in the changing-rooms.
根据圣保罗页报的民意调查，巴西国内民众对世界杯的支持也急剧下降，由2007年申办成功之初的78%降至现在的48%，世界杯赛几乎注定了将是猛烈的一击。而这一现象已经在更衣室得到验证。 |