奇速英语

巴西世界杯安保投资为南非五倍

It isn’t hard to figure out when the U.S. World Cup team is heading to practice.

Shortly before its arrival at Sao Paulo FC’s sprawling training center, the U.S. team’s temporary home in Brazil, a group of at least 10 camouflage-clad(穿迷彩服的) soldiers carrying shotguns and automatic weapons line both sides of the six-lane Avenida Marques de Sao Vicente.

A helicopter hovers overhead, following the team bus as it runs on the narrow, traffic-jammed streets between the hotel and the Barra Funda district in the center of the city. State Department personnel(工作人员) walk back and forth, whispering into the tiny wireless devices hidden in their sleeves.

The Brazilian Intelligence Agency says it has provided its highest level of protection to seven of the 32 teams in the World Cup, including the U.S. That’s helped make this the most heavily policed World Cup in history, with a security force of 170,000 — almost as large as Britain’s armed forces — having been deployed(部署) around the Europe-sized country.

And that, like the tournament itself, is proving costly: Brazil is spending an estimated $840 million on security, nearly five times what South Africa spent during the last World Cup four years ago.

The BIA did not name the other six teams selected for special attention but security has been especially tight around the teams from Brazil, Argentina and England.

The English, who are based in Rio de Janeiro, have been practicing at a military facility, with submarines occasionally surfacing in the channel behind it. When the team arrived in Brazil this month, it was greeted by dozens of regular army soldiers and serious-looking police, well armed and carrying protective plastic shields(塑料防护盾牌).

Spokesman Buethe said U.S. Soccer is confident the security that has been provided for its team is more than adequate.

“We work closely with the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security to ensure that appropriate measures are put in place for the World Cup,” he said. “We are confident Brazilian authorities are preparing well for the World Cup and will be able to handle security challenges.”