????400家私營企業(yè)聯(lián)名簽署了一項反對使用奴隸勞工的協(xié)議，安德里斯說，他們已經(jīng)承諾抵制這種“臟企業(yè)”?！斑@是一個非常有效的體系，巴西政府的莊嚴態(tài)度由此可見一斑。它可以作為秘魯和巴拉圭等周邊國家學習的典范?！?/p>

????不過，僅憑政府的善意還不足以支配巴西人民的行為。針對腐敗、劣質公共服務和利潤分配不均的大規(guī)模街頭抗議等問題已經(jīng)讓世界杯的準備工作陷入了泥沼。巴西足球傳奇人物貝利在接受德國雜志《體育圖片報》(Sport Bild)采訪時稱，世界杯準備工作“丟人現(xiàn)眼”，他指責“邪惡的人偷走了所有的錢?！?/p>

????康奈爾大學的卡薩諾瓦說，甚至在這場耗資140億美元的盛事還沒有開始前，巴西公眾就已經(jīng)發(fā)出了暴風驟雨般的反對聲浪?！叭绻臀鞔嬖谝粋€共同的宗教，那就是足球。但最近的調查顯示，超過一半的巴西人反對世界杯。共識已經(jīng)瓦解?！?/p>

????巴西試圖彰顯自己作為一種經(jīng)濟增長替代模式的形象，但街頭抗議活動使得這番雄心壯志面臨特別嚴峻的挑戰(zhàn)?！鞍臀鲹碛幸惶捉橛谥袊兔绹g的國家資本主義制度。為了讓社會變得更加平等，中央政府已經(jīng)采取了多種干預手段。多年來，這套制度還算奏效，。但現(xiàn)在，就連精英階層也開始抱怨腐敗和不平等問題。”

????撇開爭議不談，這屆世界杯肯定不是已經(jīng)注定了要失敗的命運，以編撰國家品牌指數(shù)(Country Brand Index)著稱的未來品牌戰(zhàn)略咨詢公司(FutureBrand)執(zhí)行董事古斯塔沃?康尼斯奇澤爾這樣說道?！笆堑?，巴西政府應該更好地解釋舉辦世界杯的好處。沒錯，在目前這種情況下，這并不是一件容易做到的事情。但至少人們正在討論這件事，就糾正錯誤觀念、改變敘事方式而言，這是一個很好的起點。要是沒有人關注，解決問題的難度就會大得多?！?/p>

????康尼斯奇澤爾說，從國際上看，巴西已經(jīng)開始收獲舉辦世界杯的正面效應。在2013年拉美版國家品牌指數(shù)中，巴西位列首位，阿根廷和哥斯達黎加緊隨其后。隨著巴西不斷加快奧運會的準備進程，這種影響只會進一步增大?！皫缀蹩梢员ＷC的是，到2016年年底，巴西將出現(xiàn)在每個人的腦海之中?！?/p>

????卡薩諾瓦說，如此大規(guī)模的宣傳活動特別有利于旅游業(yè)。他的家鄉(xiāng)巴塞羅那曾經(jīng)主辦過1992年奧運會?！澳菆鲶w育盛事徹底改變了我們國家的形象。主辦奧運會前，西班牙仍然很難給自己貼上度假勝地的標簽。現(xiàn)在，它是世界上最熱門的旅行目的地之一?！保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng)）

????譯者：葉寒

????A group of 400 private companies have committed to boycott such “dirty companies” as part of a pact against the use of slave labor, says Andrees. “It’s a very effective system that shows the seriousness of the Brazilian government…. It could serve as a model for neighboring countries, such as Peru and Paraguay.”

????The government’s best intentions have not been enough to sway the Brazilian people, though. The run up to the World Cup has been bogged down by massive street protests against corruption, the poor quality of public services, and the unequal distribution of profits. In an interview with German magazine Sport Bild, Brazilian football legend Pele has called the preparations “a disgrace,” blaming “the evil people who have stolen all the money.”

????The public backlash has rained on Brazil’s $14 billion parade even before it has started, says Cornell’s Casanova. “If Brazil has one common religion, it is soccer. Yet the latest surveys show that more than half of the population is against the World Cup. The consensus is broken.”

????The street protests are especially challenging for Brazil’s ambitions to present itself as an alternative model for economic growth, says Casanova. “Brazil has a system of state capitalism, something in between China and the United States, where the central government has intervened in a number of ways to make society more equal. It has worked for years, but now even the elites are complaining about corruption and inequality.

????Controversy aside, the event is certainly not doomed to fail, says Gustavo Koniszczer, managing director at branding firm FutureBrand, which compiles a Country Brand Index. “Yes, the Brazilian government should do a better job explaining the benefits, and yes, under these circumstances that is not going to be easy. But at least people are talking, which is a good starting point for correcting misconceptions and changing the narrative. It’s much harder to address the problem if nobody pays attention.”

????From an international point of view, Brazil is already enjoying some of the positive effects of organizing the World Cup, says Koniszczer. In the 2013 Latin American version of the Country Brand Index, Brazil ranks first, after Argentina and Costa Rica. The impact will only increase as the country prepares for the Olympics. “It pretty much guarantees that Brazil will be on everybody’s mind until the end of 2016.”

????Such massive publicity will particularly benefit tourism, says Casanova, who is originally from Barcelona, host of the 1992 Olympics. “That event changed the image of my country completely. Before the games, Spain still had trouble profiling itself as a vacation spot. Now, it is one of the top destinations in the world.”