By Andrew Warshaw in Jordan
May 14- The demonstrations and street protests that have marred Brazil’s reputation and increased safety fears in the buildup to the World Cup will be aimed more at politicians than football if they are repeated during the tournament.
That was the claim made today at Soccerex Asian Forum by Pitagoras Dytz, a legal adviser to the Brazilian Sports Ministry.
FIFA and the global public at large have been shocked at the extent of the outpouring of emotion in cities across the host nation which reached a peak during the Confederations Cup dress rehearsal last year and have continued on a sporadic basis.
Initial protests were sparked by transport hikes and lack of funding for public services but were soon linked to the huge cost of the World Cup. Brazilian authorities have drafted in thousands of additional staff to cope with any demonstrations and Dytz told delegates: “What we saw in Brazil with these demonstrations at the Confederations Cup was an expression of the consolidation of our democracy.
“These games are seen by all the world which brings opportunities for all these demonstrations among the local population because it puts in question a lot of the political decisions around the World Cup and the Olympic Games.
“But we saw, during the Confederations Cup, demonstrations about social issues and not against the World Cup. We made a research about that and we know it’s not because of that.
“The people want the World Cup but they want other changes also, such as social change. This is a big legacy that the Cup can bring for us. It’s a moment of political and social change inside the country. South Africa went through the same thing in 2010.”