:00:00. > :00:00.trip was the first person to alert authorities ` before the crew made a
:00:00. > :00:26.distress call to the coastguard. Welcome to HARDtalk. In just a
:00:27. > :00:33.couple of time, the World Cup will kick off here in Rozelle. It will be
:00:34. > :00:38.the combination of years of preparation and billions of dollars
:00:39. > :00:44.of investment. In arenas like this one. The brand`new national stadium
:00:45. > :00:50.in resilient. In this country, they love their football and they love to
:00:51. > :00:53.party so there is a huge sense of anticipation but there is another
:00:54. > :00:59.feeling in the air too. Trepidation. Because some of the World Cup
:01:00. > :01:03.stadium are not ready. Allegations of corruption are swirling around.
:01:04. > :01:08.There is a fear that this World Cup may be remembered not just for the
:01:09. > :01:15.goal scored on the pitch but the protests of them.
:01:16. > :01:27.My guess the date is one of Brazil's injuring football heroes. Romario.
:01:28. > :01:44.This is believed most beautiful spot in all of resilient.
:01:45. > :01:50.He was a World Cup winner in 1994, scorer of 1000 goals, a footballing
:01:51. > :01:55.rebel with a millionaire lifestyle was now an outspoken socialist MP.
:01:56. > :01:56.It's funny because it's a very calm, very clean city, with very dirty
:01:57. > :02:13.politics. You might think he would be one of
:02:14. > :02:20.the World Cup's most enthusiastic ambassadors. In fact, he is one of
:02:21. > :02:25.its harshest critics. Why? Romario, welcome to HARDtalk.
:02:26. > :02:29.The World Cup is little more than two months away and, as one of
:02:30. > :02:31.Brazil's greatest footballing stars, we might expect you to be feeling
:02:32. > :02:59.excited. Are you feeling excited? And yet you have been one of the
:03:00. > :03:07.leading voices, very critical of the way the organisation of the World
:03:08. > :03:37.Cup has gone. How are you feeling about that organisation right now?
:03:38. > :03:45.It looks as though the World Cup will cost billions of dollars. Many
:03:46. > :03:48.of the stadiums that have been built have cost hundreds of millions of
:03:49. > :03:50.dollars and some of them will get barely used after the World Cup has
:03:51. > :03:58.finished. If you had been in charge of
:03:59. > :04:57.organising this tournament, how would you do it?
:04:58. > :05:02.You said not so long ago that when you see in this country schools
:05:03. > :05:05.where kids get no lunch, classrooms don't have air`conditioning and
:05:06. > :05:09.where hospitals are short of beds, if we had spent 30% less on the
:05:10. > :05:16.World Cup we would have money for things that really matter. It sounds
:05:17. > :05:18.like you are very angry with the decisions made by the football
:05:19. > :06:08.authorities and the central government?
:06:09. > :06:55.Who is getting rich off this World Cup?
:06:56. > :07:02.You seem to have declared war on a number of different targets. You
:07:03. > :07:05.called the Brazilian football bosses cancer, you accused the president of
:07:06. > :07:15.Fifa Sepp Blatter of being a thief, the director`general of Fifa you
:07:16. > :07:18.called a blackmailer. Is that the right kind of language to be using
:07:19. > :08:21.when Brazil is under the spotlight across the world?
:08:22. > :08:26.But in saying the things you have said in such an outspoken way, you
:08:27. > :08:33.have fallen out with quite a few of Brazil's registered footballers. ``
:08:34. > :08:36.greatest footballers. For example, Pele says Brazil's own people are in
:08:37. > :08:39.danger of spoiling this World Cup party. People should understand that
:08:40. > :08:44.football brings in money and benefits to the people of our
:08:45. > :08:47.country. Ronaldo, a great striker like yourself, says new stadiums
:08:48. > :09:01.have to be built as part of the World Cup preparation.
:09:02. > :09:09.You say only two voices but after all Pele is Brazil's greatest
:09:10. > :09:10.footballer. When you called him an imbecile, it seemed to show a
:09:11. > :10:19.certain lack of respect. Let's talk about the protests. In
:10:20. > :10:23.the last year we've seen serious street protest in Brazil and there
:10:24. > :10:31.is much talk of more protests being targeted at the World Cup itself.
:10:32. > :10:34.Let me be clear with you. Do you believe people should be out on the
:10:35. > :11:18.streets, protesting and demonstrating at the World Cup?
:11:19. > :11:23.Is there not a danger that you are stirring things up, by saying people
:11:24. > :11:30.have the right and should protest, using the World Cup as a focus for
:11:31. > :11:31.their anger? You are creating a situation which could lead to
:11:32. > :12:28.violence, could lead to real danger. You have been very critical during
:12:29. > :12:37.this interview of the football authorities in Brazil and Fifa. Do
:12:38. > :13:47.you see anything positive coming out of the World Cup for Brazil?
:13:48. > :13:53.Let me get a little bit personal with you and explore your own
:13:54. > :14:00.beliefs and what shape them because you, of course one of Brazil's
:14:01. > :14:05.greatest football stars but you were raised in a favela. I wonder if your
:14:06. > :14:11.childhood and you're up bringing have played a crucial role in what
:14:12. > :14:13.has become your political career as a socialist. Is your background what
:14:14. > :15:02.defines you? It seems something happened to you
:15:03. > :15:08.in the course of your career, the switch from sport to politics. I
:15:09. > :15:13.just wondered what it was, you had a reputation for being, sort of, the
:15:14. > :15:17.bad boy of football. You enjoyed life, stayed out late, you were
:15:18. > :15:23.something like a party animal. Now, you have become a politician, known
:15:24. > :15:27.to your attendance record and seriousness. What happened? `` known
:15:28. > :16:36.for your. It is interesting how you put it,
:16:37. > :16:40.you say you have not changed, you are still the same Romario. You are
:16:41. > :16:43.under intense pressure, you are a celebrity and Brazilians watch your
:16:44. > :16:47.every move. This your for example you have had some trouble with the
:16:48. > :16:52.police and a drink`driving charge. The Brazilian media was all over
:16:53. > :16:57.it. Because you are now an elected politician. You have two live to a
:16:58. > :17:49.high standard. ``to live. Tell me a little bit about the
:17:50. > :17:53.particular focus you have put in your politics on the plight of the
:17:54. > :17:54.disabled in Brazil. It is very close to home, isn't it? Born out of
:17:55. > :19:12.personal experience for you? Before we end, I want to switch back
:19:13. > :19:19.from politics to football. Let me ask you about the status of football
:19:20. > :19:24.in Brazil today, `` the state of football. There is something very
:19:25. > :19:29.strange that happens in Brazil to talented young footballers, they
:19:30. > :19:34.grabbed, at the age of 12, 14, 15, taken from their homes, and many are
:19:35. > :19:39.encouraged, very early, to move to Europe, and they are still young
:19:40. > :19:45.kids. Often forced huge sums of money. They are living a long way
:19:46. > :19:50.from home on a different continent. `` often forced huge sums. I wonder
:19:51. > :19:52.about the way that Holland is developed in Brazil today, is it
:19:53. > :20:20.healthy? `` talent. If I may, let me ask you this:
:20:21. > :20:26.thinking back to your own situation when you were taken in your early
:20:27. > :20:33.20s to Holland, many Brazilians, even younger, they are playing in
:20:34. > :20:36.big leagues. Is there a danger of Brazilian players being treated as
:20:37. > :20:40.little more than a commodity, a piece of meat? To be traded by big
:20:41. > :21:50.businessmen. This seems to be the irony of this
:21:51. > :21:54.World Cup year in Brazil, we are going to celebrate football in the
:21:55. > :21:56.nation which is best at football, Brazil, but the domestic game is
:21:57. > :21:59.full of corruption, there is violence, the crowds and attendances
:22:00. > :22:03.in many of the stadiums is going down. You could argue that football
:22:04. > :22:39.in Brazil is actually facing a crisis?
:22:40. > :22:44.You have already made it plain to me that you do not believe the
:22:45. > :22:47.currently does of Brazilian football are capable of change. Maybe... You
:22:48. > :23:43.can do it? I cannot leave your house without
:23:44. > :23:46.asking you the simple and obvious question: Who is going to win the
:23:47. > :24:06.World Cup? We will wait and see, but for now,
:24:07. > :24:14.Romario, thank you very much for being on HARDtalk.