Preparativos para a Copa do Mundo de 2014 na Cidade de Manaus/AM: uma abordagem antropológica

Abstract

In the last two years, the preparations for the matches of the World Cup, that are to happen on the months of June and July of 2014, can be observed in Manaus. Since the official announcement, in 2009, that the city would receive those matches, different actions were projected, although not all of them were done, due to operational reasons, time exiguity, etc. During this preparation time, we could perceive situations that make it possible for us to say that many people from the city, especially soccer supporters and sympathizers but also people linked to public agencies, trade market, services, etc, have been living a bigger involvement with the sport (realization of sport events, presence in stadiums due to local championships, organized groups of soccer fans), as well as the creation of expectations about improvements of the urban infrastructure, realization of new businesses, etc. In these situations and other more, we can recognize the spirit of the World Cup, which has been intensifying in 2013, because this year takes up at the same time as the deadline of the construction of the new stadium, which is conventionally called Arena da Amazônia. This paper has the intention to show an anthropological approach concerning the preparations for the 2014 World Cup, in Manaus-AM, considering more than the urban improvement actions promoted by the public power and private initiative, the position that soccer has been occupying on the discussions that implicate the preparations for the event. Taking into consideration that soccer is the biggest reason for the realization of the World Cup and one of the biggest popular expressions of the world, including Brazil and Manaus, we try to interpret the vision of the soccer fans and sympathizers in Manaus, that are also citizens of Manaus and Brazilians, this set of urban changes, in a large scale, oriented to public spaces or from shared use.