Brazilian Protestors Stone FIFA Buses – Reports
UBERLANDIA, Brazil, Brazilians angry at the cost of next year’s World Cup have hurled stones at two FIFA minibuses and attacked a hotel hosting members of football’s governing body, local media reported Friday, according to RIA Novosti.
The incident took place in the city of Salvador hours after Uruguay had beaten Nigeria 2-1 in a Confederations Cup match at the city’s new $350 million World Cup stadium.
Protestors threw stones at the minibuses and broke a window at the Sheraton hotel, which is hosting FIFA delegates, the Globo Esporte news portal said. It was not clear whether any FIFA officials were in the vehicles at the time.
Video posted online appears to show broken windows on the abandoned buses but no serious damage.
Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets over the past week. The protests were initially directed at rising bus fares but are increasingly focused on the $13 billion cost of the World Cup and similarly lavish spending on the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Several stars of Brazil’s football team have voiced sympathy for the protestors.