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| Brazil World Cup: Clashes at Sao Paulo and Rio protests | Brazil World Cup: Clashes at Sao Paulo and Rio protests |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police clashed with protesters in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and several other host cities on Thursday as the World Cup got under way in Brazil. | |
| Officers used tear gas on crowds in Sao Paulo hours before Brazil's team beat Croatia 3-1 in the opening match. | |
| Several people were also injured after scuffles broke out in Rio de Janeiro. | |
| Protesters are angry at how much the government has spent on preparations for the World Cup and the Olympics, which Rio will host in 2016. | |
| Earlier, striking airport workers in Rio de Janeiro blocked a road outside the airport, demanding a wage increase and a World Cup bonus. | Earlier, striking airport workers in Rio de Janeiro blocked a road outside the airport, demanding a wage increase and a World Cup bonus. |
| The strike was to have lasted for 24 hours but union leaders called it off early for legal reasons. | The strike was to have lasted for 24 hours but union leaders called it off early for legal reasons. |
| Striking teachers also staged a rally in Rio city centre, further disrupting traffic. | Striking teachers also staged a rally in Rio city centre, further disrupting traffic. |
| Chanting | Chanting |
| BBC correspondents in Sao Paulo said police charged protesters with batons and riot shields and fired rubber bullets and tear gas near a metro station on the route to the Arena Corinthians. | |
| Police moved in after the demonstrators, chanting "there won't be a Cup", tried to block the road. | Police moved in after the demonstrators, chanting "there won't be a Cup", tried to block the road. |
| US news channel CNN said Barbara Arvanitidis, one of its journalists, was among those injured in Sao Paulo, suffering a suspected broken arm. | |
| A photographer working for the AP news agency was also injured after a stun grenade exploded near him. | |
| The violence happened about 13km (8 miles) from the stadium where Brazil later beat Croatia, thanks to two goals from Neymar. | |
| There were also clashes in Rio, the capital Brasilia, and two other World Cup host cities - Belo Horizonte and Porto Alegre. | |
| In Belo Horizonte, where England will play Costa Rica on 24 June, about 200 people took part in a demonstration against the tournament. | |
| Protesters in the southeastern city overturned a police car and smashed the windows of banks and shops. At least one hotel shut its doors and asked guests not to venture outside. | |
| "I'm totally against the Cup," one protester in Sao Paulo told AP. "We're in a country where the money doesn't go to the community, and meanwhile we see all these millions spent on stadiums." | |
| Further protests are planned across Brazil over the course of the tournament. | |
| Last year, more than a million people joined protests across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup. | Last year, more than a million people joined protests across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup. |
| Since then, other smaller anti-World Cup protests have been staged in Brazil, with some descending into violence. | Since then, other smaller anti-World Cup protests have been staged in Brazil, with some descending into violence. |