Protests Over World Cup Reach Tipping Point
You would think that the thought of bringing the World Cup to your home country would cause the people to jump for joy out of national pride, but with Brazil preparing to host the 2014 World Cup, there has been widespread outrage over government spending instead.
Hosting the World Cup is not as simple as hosting the NBA Finals or the World Series. There is a lot of effort that goes into city planning and refurbishing for the millions of tourists expected to visit. In Brazil, this means refurbishing major cities and soccer stadiums to accommodate the games and tourists, which unfortunately has been much more expensive than anyone predicted.
With just a year to go before the tournament, major stadiums in Brasilia and Salvador are very far from finished as well as the stadium in Rio de Janeiro, which has faced several roadblocks in construction. To overcome these challenges as well as the numerous other spending concerns, Brazil is expected to bring forth a budget over three times that of the World Cup budget from South Africa in 2010.
To fund this immense project, the Brazilian government decided to institute fare hikes on public transportation, causing a great amount of ire among the people of Brazil. What ensued soon after was a series of massive protests in major cities throughout the country as the people took to the streets in protest. Hundreds have been injured in protests so far, and there have been countless injuries from the clashes with the police.
Many protesters have spoken to the media, echoing the concerns from those involved who are fighting for a better life in their home country. Saleswoman Graciela Cacador said she was especially frustrated.
“For many years the government has been feeding corruption. People are demonstrating against the system,” Cacador said. “They spent billions of dollars building stadiums and nothing on education and health.”
FIFA has not offered any form of a statement about the protests as of yet, but chances are they might if things get any more out of hand.
