FIFA gets all the stadium revenues, paid none of the expenses (they shipped a stadium up the Amazon), pays no tax (federal, state or local) and had them lift the ban on alcohol sales because Budweiser is a sponsor. It's a cover for corruption and gutting programs for the poor.

The futbol has been exciting though.

It's worse than that -- the Maracana, for one example, isn't just a stadium but a huge complex of sports facilities that used to be available to ordinary people but has been taken from them -- no more swimming pool, no more tennis courts, etc. That's not just FIFA, though, it's every level of Brazilian futebol. And at least the Maracana is a major stadium with a full calendar -- the giant stadium in Brasilia is 70,000 for a local team that is lucky to draw 5k (partly because of the ridiculously high level of fan violence that Brazilian oligarchs tolerate (shootings in stadiums are common); other stadiums have been built in places that don't even HAVE teams. And the oligarchs, who own the top players, which is illegal now according to FIFA's rules, get around that rule by creating "ghost teams" that have rosters but no fans. The president of their national association was videotaped pocketing one of the winner's medals in a youth tournament, and the president before him is the son-in-law of Joao Hangeland, the FIFA president before Blatter. The whole sport is just a cluster of corrupt fuckery.

It's not just the World Cup, either -- the fuckery began with the Confederations Cup last year, and continues with the 2016 Olympics, which will be in Rio, where the sailing events will be held amid floating raw sewage and dead bodies.

But people still love the game. FIFA doesn't own the game. CBF doesn't own the game. The people own the game. And Brazil is celebrating their team, whatever a measly 500 protesters say.

The population of Rio de Janeiro is around 6,320,000 people.

Again. 6.32 MILLION people. 500 people marched. Five hundred out of over six million people.

So less than .0079(...etc)% of the population marched in Rio.

It's totally meaningless.

of course the world cup is bad for brazil. amazon, microsoft and starucks is the worldcup for seattle.

love me some worldcup tho

Love the World Cup but it's a nightmare - needs to be finished in one country and start in a Region - for example World Cup 2022 in Seattle could have games in Vancouver BC, Spokane, Salt Lake City pretty much anywhere in the West with a soccer stadium and some Group games in Japan and Mexico

"thrilling tie"?

@7 yeah that's not a good idea. The travel would be a killer to the players the fans