Brazil 2014: Brazil kicks off a troubled World Cup tournament

Chelsea midfielder Oscar put the seal on the win with a late strike from distance to trigger delirium.

What better platform to make a statement than one watched by billions around the planet?

President Dilma Rousseff: “I hear and respect those opinions but I don’t agree with them. It is a false dilemma” Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff says her country is ready, on and off the pitch, for the football World Cup which starts on Thursday. In a TV address, she said “the pessimists” had been defeated by the determination of the Brazilian people. She rejected criticism of overspending, saying that the tournament would leave a lasting legacy of infrastructure. Brazil has seen a year...

>The pretenders are gone. The 16 teams remaining in Brazil are the best sides in the world, the outstanding sides left in what is shaping up to be a tournament for the ages.

>Uruguay star Luis Suarez was suspended for nine matches for biting an opponent yesterday as World Cup chiefs struck back with the heaviest sanction against a player in the tournament’s history.

Players expected to figure prominently would mostly be from up and coming developing countries!

There were fears of mass protests, unfinished stadiums and rampant crime, but a week into the World Cup, there is a carnival atmosphere in Brazil and the worst doubts have largely dissipated.

AFP Sports looks at why things went pear-shaped in Brazil for reigning World Cup champs, Spain. 

There were fears of mass protests, unfinished stadiums and rampant crime, but a week into the World Cup, there is a carnival atmosphere in Brazil and the worst doubts have largely dissipated.