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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says her country is ready, on and off the pitch, for the football World Cup which starts on Thursday.
巴西总统迪尔玛·罗塞夫称,对于周四开赛的世界杯,巴西已经准备好了,不管场上还是场下。
In a TV address, she said "the pessimists1(悲观主义者)" had been defeated by the determination of the Brazilian people.
She rejected criticism of overspending, saying that the tournament would leave a lasting2 legacy3 of infrastructure4(基础设施).
Brazil has seen a year of protests against bad governance and perceived excessive spending on the World Cup.
Metro5 strikes are also threatening to disrupt the opening game in Sao Paulo and the final in Rio de Janeiro.
The head of the World Cup local organising committee, Ricardo Trade, told the BBC that while a strike would be "a nightmare", the authorities were prepared and "inside the stadium, it will be a show".
He insisted that Brazil would deliver.
Speaking less than 48 hours before the start of the tournament, President Rousseff said that visitors would not be taking away infrastructure projects "in their suitcases", which would instead remain in the country as a benefit for everyone.
She defended the $11bn expenditure7 on the tournament, calling it a "false dilemma" that World Cup spending somehow diminished investments in health and education.
The budget for these areas between 2010 and 2013 was many times greater than the investment in stadiums, she added.
"Rest assured of this, the World Cup accounts are being meticulously8(细致地) scrutinised by the country's auditing9 institutions," she said.
It follows criticism by local residents who say that many promised development projects have been delayed or never materialised.
The World Cup will kick off on Thursday with a match between the hosts Brazil and Croatia at the Itaquerao stadium, or Arena10 Corinthians, in the outskirts11 of Sao Paulo.
However, work is still continuing to prepare the stadium ahead of the opening match.
Meanwhile. union leaders are threatening to resume a metro strike in Sao Paulo during the tournament if their demands are not met.
They are calling for staff threatened with dismissal for their involvement in strike-related disturbances12 to be reinstated,
A five-day stoppage that began last week caused widescale traffic chaos13, with fears that a repeat of the disruption could prevent fans and employees from attending group stage matches. The strike was suspended on Monday.
President Rousseff has said she would not allow demonstrations14 to disrupt the tournament.
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