Impact By Confederation Cup Protests Felt By Both The Brazilian Government and FIFA

Regardless whether Spain or Brazil wins the Confederation Cup, the real stars of the show were the thousands of protesters who made their presence felt throughout the tournament.

At points throughout the tournament - a dry-run preparation for the 2014 World Cup - as many as 200,000 people took to the streets to protest, the demonstrations triggered by a raise in public transportation fees. The increase in transportation fees is one of the many increases in Brazil's cost-of-living as the country hastily prepares for the World Cup.

The Brazilian Sports Ministry's most recent estimates show that the cost of preparation for the World Cup - including stadiums renovations, transportation, and security - rose from $11.4 billion to $28 billion, an increase of over 10 percent from the original proposed costs and three times Germany's costs when they hosted the 2006 World Cup.

Peaceful protesters took to the streets prior to the Confederation Cup to express their displeasure with the raise in transportation fees and World Cup costs; only to be met with officers firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd, setting the stage for tense tournament conditions - both inside the pitch and outside the stadium.

The harsh police response and the realities of the expenses that go into hosting a World Cup galvanized citizens across the soccer-crazed nation to participate in the protests as the tournament unfolded.

"Students and the middle-class Brazilians are also participating in the protests, which makes this a slightly unusual social movement," said economist Christine Rifflart. "They find it indecent to spend between 11 and 15 billion dollars to organize this sporting event, while public services and infrastructure need money."

Stadium construction for Brazil's World Cup has spiraled out of control, three times over-budget and being built on taxpayer dollars after promises the private sector would pay the bill. Stadium costs have ballooned to triple the original estimates proposed when Brazil won the bid in 2007, despite the fact that similar facilities cost less to build in other parts of the world.

"I don't understand why a stadium in Brazil needs to cost ($275 million) when there are examples of stadiums built elsewhere in the world with 40,000 or 50,000 seats that cost less than half that," said Amir Somoggi, a sports management consulting director for auditing firm BDO Brazil.

Some argue that the World Cup will boost the country's economy, with Brazilian Banco Itaú predicting an increase in the GDP by 1.5 percent over three years, 250,000 permanent new jobs, an increase of 3 million tourists in the next three years.

But if recent history is any indicator, these promises may be nothing more than lofty expectations with no substantive evidence of such economic windfalls. Though no one can underestimate the importance of the 1994 United States World Cup to the development of soccer and Major League Soccer, a 2010 study conducted by former president of the North American Association of Sports Economists, Dennis Coates, showed the US World Cup suffered a cumulative loss of $5.6 billion to $9 billion compared to the $4 billion organizers had promised.

Germany netted a $2.6 billion in profit after having spent $6 billion (second most in World Cup history only behind Brazil) but the gains were short-term.

"Germany has a large economy and such an event is a very little, tiny one. It was from the very beginning very unlikely that there would be a big impact on the economy," said Gert Wagner of the German Institute for Economic Research.

Japan reports losses of $2 to $6 million per year, with taxpayers paying the tab on the maintenance costs of eight stadiums built or renovated for the 2002 World Cup that no longer have much use.

South Africa faces a similar problem after having spent $4 billion (third most in World Cup history) on the World Cup. Annual operation and maintenance costs for modern outdoor facilities can cost $10 million or more, according to Forbes, with South Africa taxpayers - 50% who live below poverty and an unemployment rate of 25% - paying long-term expenses for hosting the event.

While accounting consultant company Grant Thornton South Africa expected a gross economic impact of $12 billion to the country's economy, early projections paint another picture. A 2010 study conducted by audit company KPMG, months after the World Cup, revealed that 309,000 foreign fans visited South Africa for the World Cup, short of the 450,000 that were estimated by organizers, bringing in a return of $491,379,900 compared to the billions invested on stadiums.

The mass protests - violent at times - have made enough of a ruckus to garner the undivided attention of both the Brazilian government and FIFA. A bus bearing FIFA logos was pelted with rocks, in one reported incident. The Italian national team was sequestered to their hotel, in the city of Salvador, after police shot gas canisters and rubber bullets to quell the city's unrest.

Protests began to ebb as the tournament reached the finals only after Brazilian Pres. Dilma Rousseff - who faces re-election next year - made concessions, including promises to invest 100 percent of oil royalties to education, hiring more foreigner doctors to provide medical services in under-developed areas of the country, and investments in more than $25 billion in improved infrastructures and public transportation.

"The aim from FIFA is not to take profit out of the country, but to put into the country," said Blatter during a Confederation Cup news conference. "We have left a legacy (in South Africa), a special fund of $100 million, this fund is controlled by the Football (Association) of (South) Africa, the government of South Africa and FIFA. I am sure an amount like that, or even higher, will be possible to have here."

Blatter believes that the unrest in Brazil is no different than the social unrest seen in countries such as Portugal, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Greece; which is why one concession not on the table is canceling or moving the the 2014 World Cup.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke admits high-level talks were held regarding canceling the Confederation Cup, but decided that the show must go on.

"The World Cup will be held in Brazil. The first game will happen in Sao Paulo, the final will be in Rio," said Valcke. "There is no plan B."