It is a race against time in Sao Paulo to get the building work finished. From the moment Brazil won the right to host football’s World Cup it has been a tale of construction woes and street protests. <br /><br />But as excited fans count the hours before kick-off Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been defending the cost of staging the tournament.<br /><br />“There are people who claim the resources for the Cup should have been directed to healthcare and education. I hear and respect those opinions, but I don’t agree with them. It’s a false dilemma.,” said President Rousseff adding, “From 2010 the amount invested in education and healthcare in Brazil has been 212 times more than the amount invested in the stadiums.” <br /><br />But in Rio de Janeiro there was yet another protest.<br /><br />The president of an NGO called “Rio de Paz” claimed the use of public funds was immoral:<br /><br />“Billions of reals worth of taxes have been spent on this World Cup, in a country where children don’t have access to quality education, where people are dying because of a lack of treatment in public hospitals.The Brazilian people have been hurt …damaged in their inner beings and that’s why many aren’t getting involved in the World Cup,” said Antonio Cost.<br /><br />The tournament which gets started on Thursday is the most expensive World Cup since the competition began 84 years ago.<br /><br />President Rousseff who is seeking a second term in October is hoping Brazilian success on the pitch will finally win the country over.
