World Cup leaves Brazil costly stadiums, poor public transport

By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) – When the final whistle blows at the World Cup, Brazilians will be left with some of the world’s costliest soccer stadiums and few of the public transport improvements they were promised. Long-overdue airport upgrades have been made just in time for the World Cup which starts on June 12 but many of the longer-term investments in rapid transit systems in Brazil’s main cities have been delayed or scrapped. Seven years have passed since Brazil won the right to host this World Cup. Then-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to use the tournament to shake off underdevelopment and modernize Brazil, a coming out party for an emerging power on the global stage.