SPORTS
Brazil has been hit by a wave of protests as it hosts the eight-team Confederations Cup, a dry-run for the World Cup which will be staged in 12 cities.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter glossed over the nationwide protests which have formed the backdrop to the Confederations Cup in Brazil, saying football had played a "positive part" for the country. Blatter was confident next year's World Cup, also in Brazil, would be a success and his spokesman Walter De Gregorio cited a poll which said 71 percent of the population still wanted the country to host the 2014 tournament.
"FIFA has come out of this stronger," Blatter told a news conference at the Maracana. "Football has played a positive part here and given emotion. When we say football connects people, it connected people in the stadium, perhaps unfortunately it connected people in the street. "I can understand this social unrest, absolutely, but on the other hand, football brings at this time to the whole continent these emotions and hope." Brazil has been hit by a wave of protests as it hosts the eight-team Confederations Cup, a dry-run for the World Cup which will be staged in 12 cities.
Although the protesters have a multitude of grievances, one of their main complaints has been the contrast between shiny new stadiums for the events and poor state of public services including health, education and transport. They are also angry Brazil has broken a promise not to spend public money on stadiums, while failing to build many of the planned infrastructure projects. The protests have featured riot police firing rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators but Blatter preferred to concentrate on praising the stadiums and the quality of football.
ATTRACTIVE MATCHES
"From the organisational point of view, when we come to stadiums and the football games, I'm particularly happy with what has happened there," he said. "On the pitch, this was the best Confederations Cup in quality we have ever organised, the matches very tense, attractive." FIFA has been criticised in Brazil for making a tax-free profit out of the World Cup and leaving the hosts to make all the investments, something which Blatter challenged.
"The aim of FIFA is not to take profit out of the country but to put into the country the necessary help and means to make sure this World Cup is a success," he said. "The World Cup provides practically 90 percent of the income of FIFA to ensure we can develop the game around the world. "Hope is in football.
We play football in all perturbed countries, not just where there are belligerent situations like Syria and Afghanistan. Look at European countries, there is social unrest, in Portugal, France, Italy, Spain, in Turkey, in Greece and football is still played. "I'm sure the World Cup next year will be a success and I trust the organisation and the organisation of the security." Blatter, who left the tournament last week as the protests reached their peak, hit back at Brazilian media which suggested he had fled the country without warning, saying he had to be present at the world under-20 championship in Turkey which overlaps with the Confederations Cup. "In no way can it be said I escaped my responsibilities, on the contrary I assumed two responsibilities at the same time," he said.
When is Shab-e-Barat 2025 – February 13 or 14? Check history, significance
THIS is India's last railway station where train never stops, know why
GBS outbreak: Mumbai reports its first death due to Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Ram Gopal Varma questions Rajinikanth's acting, says 'I don’t know if he can exist without...'
Who was Acharya Satyendra Das? Ayodhya Ram temple's chief priest who passed away in Lucknow
Old wedding card mentioning IIT degrees of couple creates buzz on social media; see viral post
Chunky Panday says Shatrughan Sinha advised him to 'make people wait': 'If you are punctual...'
UP Court summons Rahul Gandhi on March 24 over 2022 remarks against Army
Indian consulate in Marseille to strengthen 'people-to-people ties': PM Modi
India’s Top 5 Richest YouTubers: Know who’s earning more than Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia?
Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal are working to revolutionise mobile calling in India by...
DNA TV Show: UP CM Yogi Adityanath's multi-level plan for Maghi Purnima
Tejasswi Prakash reveals why she joined Celebrity MasterChef: 'I am obsessed with...'
Delhi-NCR schools holiday: Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, schools closed tomorrow due to...
'We can teach children AI but...': Sudha Murty urges govt to provide funds to schools to promote...
THIS startup gives whopping bonus to employees for loyalty, they get Rs...
JEE Main 2025 Toppers List Released: Meet 14 candidates who scored 100 percentile this year
JEE Main Result 2025 DECLARED: Get direct link, steps to check NTA score and other details HERE
SHOCKING! Noida family held under ‘digital arrest’ for 5 days, loses Rs 1 crore to cyber fraud
Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna shoot for Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar in Mumbai, pictures get leaked
Why are hobby classes integral to Podar International School’s curriculum in Khopoli?
Mukesh Ambani buys Rs 6437604000 stake in THIS cricket team, not Mumbai Indians
World's richest man Elon Musk loses Rs 789330000000 in four days, net worth slips below Rs...
'Need global standards': PM Modi pushes for AI governance at Paris AI Summit
Ashutosh Rana slams Prabhas, Saif Ali Khan-starrer Adipurush: 'Audiences will not accept...'
Ahead of PM Modi-Donald Trump meet, India considers cutting tariffs on THESE items imported from US
Communication platforms are fast evolving into super apps
Mumbai Police reaches Ranveer Allahbadia's home in connection to India's Got Latent controversy
Junaid Khan says Aamir Khan, Reena Dutta spent ‘ridongculous’ amount on his...
Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant's warm gesture towards kid wins internet, watch viral video
Ajith Kumar recalls 'bad crash’ ahead of Portugal race: ‘When I crashed...'
India's Got Latent episode feat Ranveer Allahbadia blocked after government orders
Samay Raina performs in Seattle, enjoys with friends amid Ranveer Allahbadia controversy
Good news for Gautam Adani as Adani stocks rally up to 4.5% due to Donald Trump's this BIG move...
Amid rumours of dissent, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal holds meeting with Punjab CM Mann, MLAs in Delhi
Woman makes 'Valentine edition parantha' for husband, netizens amused, watch viral video
How cashless treatment and telemedicine are transforming health insurance plans in India?
Top 3 astrologers of India: Newly updated list of 2025
A complete guide to documents needed for a personal loan
Mitolyn Reviews and Complaints - Mitolyn Supplement - Mitolyn Reviews Consumer Reports
Muslim wedding card goes viral for THIS bizarre reason, leaves netizens amused, check here
Surat: School students parade luxury cars to celebrate farewell, probe underway, watch viral video
Elon Musk offers this huge amount to buy ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Sam Altman says 'no thank you but...'
Pune: Pakistani currency note found in housing society near National Defence Academy; probe on
YouTube removes Ranveer Allahbadia's controversial video after Modi government's notice
Here's why Not Like Us singer Kendrick Lamar won't get paid for Super Bowl Halftime Show performance
Meet Samay Raina, creator of India's Got Latent, accused of promoting vulgarity, he is from...
Bank Holiday February 2025: Banks to remain closed in THIS state today due to...