Protests In Brazil : UEFA Delegates get stuck in Traffic Jam caused by Protest
Oladunjoye Opeyemi
European football chiefs, including the president of the Union of European Football Associations, Michel Platini, were caught in a 135-mile traffic jam on Thursday after more than 10,000 homeless Brazilians hit the streets of Sao Paulo to protest against what they deem wasteful World Cup spending.
With Just a week to the World Cup, 12,000 people marched on the Arena Corinthians in the city to protest against the authority’s decision to spend £300 million on upgrading the stadium.
The protest ran parallel to a strike carried out by those that work on the city’s metro and these led to a complete shut-down of the transport system in Brazil’s largest city, also causing record levels of traffic in Sao Paulo. Platini as well as a number of other Uefa delegates were among those delayed, taking them nearly three hours to reach their hotel.
The demonstration presented further embarrassment for Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, who just two days ago, had responded to criticism by FIFA by saying that the country was ready to host the global event and that street protests would not affect the tournament which is due to begin in Sao Paolo on the 12 June.
However, as the metro system is the main transport link connecting the Corinthians stadium to the rest of the city, there are fears that similar strikes and protests could make the opening match of the tournament between Croatia and hosts Brazil vulnerable to disruption.
Much of the Brazilian population are angry that the government’ is willing to spend 6.5 billion on a sporting event in a country where many are unable to access decent health, transport and educational services.