In 2007 it was announced that brazil would be the country to hold the 2014 World Cup. At the time the people of Brazil couldn’t be more proud. Brazilians are well known to be some of the most passionate soccer fans in the world. They are the country with the most world cup titles, having won 5 cups. In addition to all the great players the country has had, many consider brazilian soccer player, “Pele” to be the best who ever played the game. In a country where soccer is a huge part of the culture, Brazilians had reason to be proud to host the most important soccer tournament in the world. Seven years later however, the excitement has certainly disappeared for most.
Brazil is the biggest country in south america, and has one of the more stable economies in latin america. However, the country is still plagued with numerous social and economic problems. As with most underdeveloped countries, the gap between the rich and the poor is a big one in brazil. Perhaps as result of this violence rates are high and the country is plagued with problems in its infrastructure including roads and the health system. With all these problems many people wonder why the government is spending over 11 billion dollars to prepare for the world cup. The government had proposed numerous projects like better airports, transportation, and stadiums. People have been protesting since the qualifier games last year, that public money should not be used for these projects. A lot of money is being spent but it wont make the Country better overall. For example, stadiums that seat 45,000 are being built in small cities where only about 500 locals go to games. In addition many proposed public transportation projects won’t be finished in time for the WC and some have even been abandoned. In many areas there are trenches that make it harder to get around, instead of the better roads that were promised. The pride Brazilians felt has turned into shame in their country and a sort of resentment against the sport they love most.