Brazil protesters block access to Confed Cup arena

Some 200 homeless activists todayday burned tires and blocked access to Brasilia’s Mane Garrincha, one of the six host stadiums for the upcoming Confederations Cup, police said.

A plume of black smoke could be seen rising above the stadium area from various parts of the Brazilian capital.

Brazil faces Japan on Saturday at the Mane Garrincha in the opening game of the two-week Confederations Cup, a dry run for next year’s World Cup.

A police spokesman said the protest was organized by the Homeless Workers Movement (MTST) which is campaigning to reduce Brazil’s housing shortage by staging squatters’ occupations in abandoned government buildings.

In addition to burning tires and traffic cones, the protesters formed human chains to block access to the arena.

Some carried placards proclaiming: “The Cup for whom?”, a criticism of the 71,000-seat stadium’s $475 million price tag.

“Traffic is paralyzed but there are no clashes,” a police official said, adding that negotiations with the protesters were under way.

The Brasilia protest coincided with demonstrations in several other Brazilian cities, including Sao Paulo, Rio, Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Natal, over a hike in mass transit fares.