I know that this is a sport blog and therefore politics and such should not be on here, but because the information I'm about to share could have major implications on one of the worlds biggest sporting events coming up this summer. The 2014 FIFA World Cup. I know these events took place earlier this summer but I just wanted to touch on how this might effect the upcoming world cup.
As I've understood, these protests started almost a year ago in Natal, where people were unhappy about the increase of bus fare prices. These protest also occurred later in other cities where bus fare prices where also increased. But the protests have now become expressions of general discontent. People are not happy about the cost of living in Brazil, the high rates of corruption, the National Chamber’s plans to kind of protect politicians who have been involved in criminal activities and, last but not least, the funding of major sports events (the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics).
The World Cup and the Olympics are much more expensive than planned. People just do not understand why so much money is invested in stadiums and other sporting events related stuff than investing in health care, education, infrastructure and all that kind of stuff. And people are upset and angry at the Brazilian government and FIFA. I can only agree with these people. The stadiums that are being put up are amazing and I would never want to see them leave. But I haven’t paid for them and the people out there on the streets in Brazil have. Instead of having proper health care and education, they have these awesome stadiums. I wouldn’t be happy about that either.
The World Cup and the Olympics are much more expensive than planned. People just do not understand why so much money is invested in stadiums and other sporting events related stuff than investing in health care, education, infrastructure and all that kind of stuff. And people are upset and angry at the Brazilian government and FIFA. I can only agree with these people. The stadiums that are being put up are amazing and I would never want to see them leave. But I haven’t paid for them and the people out there on the streets in Brazil have. Instead of having proper health care and education, they have these awesome stadiums. I wouldn’t be happy about that either.
Also, the way the police is handling the protests is just ridiculous. I read about teargas, rubber-bullets and pepper-spray being used to shut down the protests. And that’s just crossing the line. You can not do that in a democratic society. FIFA wants to keep protesters away from the stadiums during the Confederations Cup. FIFA wants to create a perfect image for the world to see, like the ConfedCup and the World Cup are being held in paradise or super-duper-awesome-land where everything is golden. These people have the right to protest and just because FIFA is in town doesn’t mean you can crack down hard on protesters.
The world cup is one of the things I'm looking forward to the most in the next year of my life, and Although I do understand where these protesters are coming from with their argument, that doesn't mean I'm not going to support the world cup and watch as much of it as I can, because it does only happen once every 4 years and you have to take advantage of the opportunities while you can.
If I lived in Brazil I wouldn't be happy about that either. Sports are nice to watch and stadiums are always very large. If these stadiums are costing people their heath and education, FIFA needs to realize what is more important.
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