FIFA Confident In World Cup Security Despite Protests, Secretary General Says

FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke said that he is "confident Brazil’s security can protect the tournament amid increasing concerns over violent protests in the country," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. Valcke "gave his backing to Brazil’s police" just three days after they used rubber bullets, tear gas and percussion grenades in the country’s two largest cities -- Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo -- after "planned demonstrations by striking teachers turned violent." Mass demonstrations "have continued since June when a record number of people took to the streets to complain" about issues ranging from a "lack of decent health and education provision to political corruption and public spending on sporting events." Valcke: "What has happened at the Confederations Cup and the way the authorities reacted was definitely very good and gave a lot of confidence to all the teams, commercial partners and all of us on the capacity to be able to control the situation" (BLOOMBERG, 10/10).