Brazil is set to host the Confederations Cup in 2013 and the World Cup in 2014, but doubts remain as to whether they are ready to host both events. (Klafurba/Wikimedia Commons

With the Confederations Cup, the precursor to the World Cup in 2014, only a few weeks away, the Brazilian government and authorities, along with FIFA, seem to be in a race against time, with a number of concerns including issues related to the facilities, accommodation and even the unethical treatment of impoverished citizens in Rio De Janeiro.

Security robots will be put in place by the Brazilian government at the Confederations Cup and by extension, at the 2014 World Cup. These robots are supposedly capable of diffusing explosives, inspecting dangerous areas, and detecting chemical/explosive devices. This could potentially be very useful, but in light of the numerous other concerns and issues that Brazil seem to be facing with the Confederations Cup a few weeks away, to create a set of full robots with a video game-ish joysticks for $7 million could be seen by some as excessive and unnecessary. Whether this investment is worth the money, only time will tell.

Brazil is also working hard to get its stadiums in place for the Confederations Cup, and is behind schedule at this point – in particular, at Rio De Janeiro's historical Maracana stadium and the National Stadium in Brasilia. The general secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, did concede that they were behind schedule, but also brushed off speculation of this being a potential problem, stating that, "If not everything is 100% in the area around the stadium, it will not be the end of the world," referring to the Confederations Cup in particular.

The Brazilian football legend Ronaldo also implored people to focus on the football and not the stadium delays:

"We are 30 days away from the Confederations Cup and I don't think there is anybody who doesn't think we won't have the stadiums ready. It's a certainty, however we need to completely change our focus."

Ronaldo, Golden Boot winner in the 2002 World Cup, believes that it is time for people to focus on the football as opposed to issues relating to the stadiums for the 2013 Confederations Cup. (Antônio Cruz/Wikimedia Commons)

However, the stadiums, if completed in time for the Confederations Cup starting in mid-June, are the only part of what is expected for the 2014 WC that can be tested.  

For instance, eNCA reports that 4G connectivity has been unreliable at certain locations despite the government's guarantee of 4G connectivity for the Confederations Cup. Also, the airport in Belo Horizonte, which hosts one the first semi-finals on June 26, is still being renovated.

Meanwhile, public transportation to deal with the crowd expected for the Confederations Cup is not in place as of now. And finally, Recife, a host city for both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup, is reported to not have enough hotels to deal with the expected number of visitors.

The preparation for both the Confederations Cup and the World Cup in Rio De Janeiro in particular seems to be affecting poor people in the area, with eNCA citing the Popular World Cup Committee's report that over 8000 families have been displaced.

It is noteworthy to consider that this was not only in order to modernize these areas or work on infrastructure, but to simply remove poor people from these areas that will be invested in for the World Cup. One can only hope that these poor people are given the right compensation, but this is far from likely.