Tear gas in the air on World Cup opening day

Police and protesters clash in Sao Paulo just hours before the World Cup kicks off. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

Published

8 months ago

Categories

World, Sports

Topics

South America, World, Sports, Human Rights, Surveillance

Places

Brazil, Croatia, Sao Paulo

Transcript

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) Anti World Cup protesters clashed with police in Sao Paulo on Thursday (June 12), just hours before the opening match of the tournament kicked off. A few dozen protesters clashed with police about 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the Arena Corinthians stadium which will host the Brazil-Croatia opener at 2000 GMT. Tear gas flew as police moved in to arrest one protester who they sprayed in the eyes with what appeared to be pepper spray. The run-up to the competition has been dogged by years of construction delays and budget overruns and there have been protests against the cost of the tournament. Many Brazilians are angry over the $11.3 billion spent on hosting the World Cup when basic social services are poorly financed.