A stadium with barriers

the reopening of São januário and the impacts on street workers

Abstract

 Inaugurated in 1927, the São Januário stadium, located in the northern zone of Rio de Janeiro, has often been looked down upon due to its proximity to the Barreira do Vasco favela. In June 2023, a judicial decision marked by strongly prejudiced expressions led to the closure of this sports facility belonging to Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, with security concerns cited as the main justification for the measure. Three months after its closure, the stadium's reopening was celebrated following extensive discussions about how the shutdown had significantly impacted local commerce. Paradoxically, the reopening witnessed a new restriction, this time targeting street vendors, who faced barriers that prevented them from working in certain areas around the stadium. Using Goren Yiftachel's concept of gray spaces, literature reviews, an analysis of the Term of Conduct Adjustment, field visits, and interviews, this study aims to analyze the impacts faced by these workers, who saw spaces being closed off to them, while the only areas available for their sales were unregulated and unrestricted. Based on this analysis, it is possible to foresee a potential worsening of this issue with the possibility of the stadium's renovation, which could accelerate the exclusion of the surrounding area as a whole, further harming street vendors.