Security Advisory: World Cup

And we’re off again!  All of the 8 group winners are through to the quarterfinals for the first time ever.

The big story in Brazil yesterday was the collapse of an overpass under construction that tragically killed several people riding in the bus it fell on in Belo Horizonte, one of the host cities.  Although there were many concerns about the quality of construction of the stadia, there has been little to worry about thus far and with only 8 matches remaining, these concerns seem unnecessary; touch wood.

Today’s early game is France vs Germany in Rio (31C, 100% Humidity, clear) at the Maracana.  There are no concerns about this match. Typically, both countries have fans whom are reasonably well behaved. The later game is Brazil vs Colombia in Fortaleza (30C, 65%, clear).  Security services have been put on standby in order to respond in case of a Brazilian loss, not only in Fortaleza, but throughout the country as well.  The concern is the potential for wide scale rioting in the face of defeat as has been seen in a number of other cities including Vancouver after they lost the Stanley Cup finals.