As Brazilian cities prepare for the World Cup’s Opening Ceremonies, violent demonstrations have broken out in São Paulo and Rio De Jenairo this morning in opposition to the upcoming games. After fighting a running battle with police for most of the morning, anti-FIFA activists were dispersed by police employing tear gas and water cannons.

Protesters are demanding that the government’s “FIFA Quality” label, which has lead to billions of dollars in investment in sports-related projects, also be applied to infrastructure and public services throughout the country. Lead by local organizing committees, nightly protests have attracted crowds numbering in the thousands, with demonstrations on May 27th in Brasilia reaching an estimated 2.5 million people. The ongoing unrest has caused traffic deadlocks in most major cities and lead to violent confrontations with police, including an incident where a group of indigenous Brazilians are accused of shooting an officer shot in the leg with an arrow.

Organized by the National Coalition of Local Committees for a people’s World Cup and Olympics (ANCOP), these ongoing demonstrations are the long-anticipated result of efforts initiated by organized social movements, universities and civil society entities. Committees in each of the 12 host cities of the games are aiming to put protesters on the street during the matches, in front of stadiums, and in “fan fests” produced by FIFA.

After the demonstration in the Federal District, Minister of Justice Jose Eduardo Cardozo stated that “All tourists, including foreigners, may feel secure because the police forces will be present to ensure compliance with the law. People are free to express themselves, but we will not allow abuses.” President Dilma Rousseff later followed up on the minister’s comments, telling reporters “It is the image of Brazil that will be at stake.” She further warned that the government will not hesitate to employ the army will if further “abuses” are found.

Foreign delegations appear to have been spooked by the continuing violence, going so far as to maintain a news blackout on team arrivals to prevent possible demonstrations. Embassy staff from both the United States and Russia have been observed conducting ‘practice runs’ between the airport and downtown hotels, presumably to test whether the safety of any visiting athletes may be at risk.

Accusations that protests are endangering foreign tourists and players have not been received well by local organizers. Leading figures involved with the movement have gone out of their way to make clear that they are not taking to the streets against foreigners. “The protest is against the misuse of public money, the lack of investment in basic infrastructure and corruption in construction of the stadiums” stated one of ANCOP’s organizers in an interview published by Der Spiegel.

Statements by prominent Brazilians involved in World Cup planning have done little to calm tempers. In response to the continued instability, head of the Local Organizing Committee of the World Cup Joana Havelange posted on Instagram, “Whatever money has gone had been spent or stolen already. If it was necessary to protest. . . then people should have done so beforehand.” As both a prominent committee member and the daughter of disgraced former Brazilian Football Federation president Ricardo Teixeira, her comments have stirred local anger and resulted in state prosecutors requesting an investigation into the misappropriation of public funds.

What about FIFA?

Potentially the most profitable non-profit organization in the world, FIFA grossed over $2.35 billion duringthe South African Cup, with only 100 million of that profit returned to South Africa. Of this amount, $30 million was used for the construction of the headquarters of the South African Football Federation. The Brazilian World Cup has already provided FIFA the greatest profit in the history of the organization, with revenues increased by 30.8% since the previous games in 2010.

Repeated studies have shown that big government spending on mega-events like the World Cup does not result in appreciable improvements in living conditions for the majority of the population, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable. Claims that the World Cup amounts to little more than a subsidy for the wealthy have been bolstered by government- approved tax exemptions of more than $250 million for the construction of stadiums, providing a huge windfall for some of the wealthiest Brazilians.

With the Opening Ceremonies of the tournament merely days away, it remains to see whether the government will follow through with its threats to crack down on protesters. Despite Brazil’s well-known love for football, opposition to the Cup end up overshadowing the games themselves.