The chip on Cannavaro’s shoulder persists but Brazilian protests may be premature

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is nearly a week old and we’ve been treated to many an eye-catching moment, from Robin van Persie’s flying header to Pepe’s moment of madness. However, something far subtler has been equally noticeable since Thursday night: the chip over Fabio Cannavaro’s left shoulder in the ITV studios.

My first post last week referenced the ‘minor damage’ made to the studio by protestors after Brazil’s victory over Croatia, and the subsequent crack in the glass is almost symbolic of the divided public opinion over the country’s investment in the tournament. Images contrasting the glamour of the World Cup with the squalor of Brazil’s disadvantaged have done the usual rounds on social media, apparently fuelling the flames of international discomfort.

However, it must be noted that the protests are by no means universally supported in Brazil. Quite the contrary, in fact. The BBC’s Tim Vickery asserted last night that the protests against FIFA were minor, whilst the parties were only getting bigger. And yet, like that crack behind Italy’s World Cup winning captain, the disquiet shows no signs of going away.

As a generation and indeed a nation, we have become acutely aware of the pros and cons of hosting major sporting events. The South African World Cup was hosted in a nation that continues to have one of the widest gaps between the rich and the poor, whilst the 2012 Olympics in London were equally derided for the strain they were apparently placing upon the tax-payer. What we are less aware of, perhaps, in our Premier League bubble, is the extent of the financial draw of football and the impact it can have upon the infrastructure of an entire nation.

Fabio Cannavaro's crack (huffpost.com)

The World Cup has, in recent history, had differing effects upon a country both economically and socially. It seems as though within almost every nation that has hosted the competition, opinion has been split about its value. But using history as a basis, it appears as though Brazilian protests may be a little premature. 

Yes, the favelas continue to co-exist alongside the lavish stadiums, connected by unfinished transport networks, but this is a country that has taken on twice the usual load, with Rio hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. For some this is foolish, perhaps even greedy, and it is certainly unchartered waters. Only the US has experience of hosting a World Cup and Olympic Games in such close proximity, and the two countries’ economies are almost incomparable.

Brazil’s developing economy is undoubtedly straining under the weight of hosting the two events; images of unfinished highways are evidence enough of that. But whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, even in economic terms. Twice the burden may be being placed on the average Brazilian, but in the long-term they’ll be reaping twice the benefits.

The fact is that the Brazilian economy is growing, and the investment that a World Cup brings will help stabilise this growth. The majority of global sponsorship is found in sports – recent World Cup hosts can vouch for this: in the US, 65% of sponsors’ money is spent on sports, whilst in South Africa this figure stands at 80%.

The formation of the MLS was a direct result of the US being awarded the 1994 World Cup, opening the door for endless commercial opportunities, almost personified by the eventual move of David Beckham to LA Galaxy in 2007.

Similarly, German football benefited hugely from the 2006 World Cup, with the Bundesliga garnering international attention after they hosted the tournament. But it wasn’t only the football that benefited, as the spotlight was shone upon German industry, resulting in increased international interest in their trade. Brazilian football, for all its quality and international recognition, is waiting to be similarly tapped-into.

Though some provocative and emotional images have come out of this World Cup, it must be remembered that the benefits of being a host nation are harder to quantify. You cannot put pictures of corporate investment on a newspaper's front page, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Brazilian football has long been admired but has gone without the financial reward afforded to its European counterparts.

Hopefully, with the hosting of this tournament, Brazilian football will finally get the commercial interest it’s deserved, and it will be those that cracked the ITV window that feel the benefits of the game they apparently deplore.