Many sacrifices but few perks for World Cup volunteers

Volunteers find reasons to complain - from housing to meals and match tickets

The day after Brazil lost to Germany in the host country's worst World Cup loss ever, thousands of volunteers pulled the brim of their official hats down low to head to another day of working at this event, which began last month as the nation's pride but is now its raw humiliation.

It is likely to be a tough week for the volunteers who must watch two teams not named Brazil play in the final. But, really, it has been a tough month for some volunteers anyway. The grumbling among the 15,000 volunteers at this World Cup started early, with a complaint here, a criticism there, and it grew as the weeks went on.

But the ones I talked to weren't griping about working without a paycheck, even though FIFA could easily pay workers with the $2 billion profit it is expected to take home from Brazil. Instead of demanding even a few bucks a day, this year's volunteers just wanted a few perks and a peek at the games. Some of the 1,100-plus international volunteers were upset with big things: not receiving housing or having job training only in Portuguese. Others were bothered by small things, like not getting enough money for transportation on workdays or being restricted to one drink, a piece of fruit and one plate of food per meal.

But what they really wanted was a chance to see the event that wouldn't have been possible without the work they are doing for free.

"They should at least give everyone a ticket, or have a section of seats for volunteers," says Hans van de Vrugt, who finally received his credentials last week to volunteer at his 10th World Cup after showing up every day at Maracanã for more than two weeks. To pay for his trip, he had saved for a year, working as a high school football referee in Arizona.

Volunteerism at events like the World Cup is booming. About 152,100 people applied to be official volunteers here, according to FIFA, more than double the number who applied to volunteer at the 2010 World Cup.

It is safe to say that the event could not have gone on without its volunteer army. Some volunteers recognised the crucial role they play - like those working security checkpoints or handing out credentials - and wished FIFA would treat them like essential parts of the moneymaking machine.

"I come here because I love football, not because I expected to be paid or to get anything for free," a volunteer from Italy said. "But I think that they should treat us with more respect. It's like we're just numbers to them."

What if they held a World Cup one day and no one showed up to open the doors?

©2014 The New York Times