In 2007, FIFA announced that Brazil would host the 2014 World Cup that would feature 12 new and refurbished stadiums encompassed in one of the most soccer crazed countries in the world. During this period the economy in Brazil was flourishing with the GDP up 4.5% compared to the previous year and at an all time high for the country itself. Fast forward to 2014 and there economy has almost collapsed, with many markets struggling and poverty at a high. The government still believed that they could respect the opportunity to host the World Cup and push through with the construction; however, there were some serious issues. A major problem among this construction of the stadiums was the placement, as they were put up in essentially the middle of the jungle far from the more prominent and wealthier parts of Brazil. Thus the 2014 World Cup was caught in a huge controversy that portrayed almost a textbook definition of class antagonism. Class antagonism is casually defined as "class warfare or class struggle, is the tension or antagonism which exists in society due to competing socioeconomic interests and desires between people of different classes." Many reporters and news stations reported accounts of different peoples opinions ranging from Brazils President, Dilma Rousseff to locals who were devastated by the Cup. I have chosen 5 different perspectives from various people who have strong opinions on the controversy. Looking at these different perspectives is an effective way to see class antagonism taking place.
The first perspective that I had researched was the "people of Brazil". Now when I say the people, these were people who were unrelated to the government and who were against the governments wishes to use $11 billion to build and fund the World Cup project in Brazil. Anthony Ling was among the many who had a strong opinion of the governments actions. He claims that nearly 250,000 people were displaced from their homes in order to produce the world cup.