Security Advisory: World Cup

Two games of 64 remain and the sky hasn’t fallen!  All in all, Brazil has done very well maintaining law and order in 12 cities over a month. A few incidents here and there but none of the cataclysmic even that were forecasted by naysayers before the tournament.

This evening’s losers’ final between the Netherlands and Brazil in Brasilia (27C, 50% Humidity, slight chance of rain) has the potential to be a brilliant match but unfortunately neither team seems very keen to hold aloft the honour of third place. Let’s hope that they find some motivation when the national anthems play.

From a security standpoint, Brasilia has not given much cause for concern.  There were teething issues regarding the time it took to gain entry into the stadium but since the first week, all has gone well.  Expect Brazilians to be celebrating their team’s performance despite the crushing defeat to Germany.  This is still the World Cup and a semi-final appearance is a pretty respectable performance so it is anticipated that the country will put aside the defeat and celebrate the good performance of the team and, more importantly, the country as a whole for putting on such a successful tournament.

As always, if you’re going to the match, leave plenty of time to get there and keep your tickets and valuables out of sight.  Tickets are still a hugely valuable commodity and worth the risk of mugging a tourist for the opportunity of watching the final Brazil match.  If you’re watching at a Fan Fest, be aware that there have been reports of robberies there in the past so don’t go out with a whole wallet full of cards and cash; divide things up and take only what you need to have a good time so if you do get robbed it doesn’t ruin the whole holiday.

Have fun and enjoy the match!