21 Shocking Images That Uncover The World Cup’s Dark Side

The FIFA World Cup is always a roller coaster of emotion. We root for our favorite teams, boo when the referees make terrible decisions and feel a deep, unalienable sense of nationalistic pride when our team fights for a win, despite all odds.
Yet with all of the success and thrills presented by the World Cup every four years, the tournament’s seedy underbelly is hard to conceal. From increasingly violent demonstrations to brutal player-on-player contact to a thriving demand for prostitutes, the World Cup has an undeniable dark side. These shocking images explore the dark realities of the booming phenomenon that is the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Demonstrators continue to protest the Brazil World Cup games. Source: Imgur

Street art conveys the complaints of Brazilians who do not support the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Source: Urban Times

Security teams and military troops flock to Brazil to control protests and fans during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Source: Huffington Post

Though troops were sent to Rio de Janeiro to shake up nearby drug dealers and criminals, the streets are still largely unsafe. Source: Business Insider

Portugal’s Pepe gets a yellow card after arguing with Thomas Muller in the game against Germany. Source: USA Today

People flee through clouds of tear gas in a June 20th protest. Source: Mashable

Sex workers prepare for the surge of tourists at the World Cup. Source: News Fine

Pepe (Portugal) fouls Germany’s Thomas Mueller and is sent off of the field. Source: The Star

Troops raid a pre-World Cup Rio de Janeiro to reduce violent activity in the city’s slums. Source: Business Insider

Nigeria’s Michael Babatunde is taken away on a stretcher after being injured on the field. Source: Malay Mail Online

Anti-FIFA protests turn dangerous as demonstrators clash with police. Source: Afrowood

Italy’s Giorigo Chiellini is bitten by a member of the Uruguay team. Source: TIME

Street art conveys the anti-World Cup sentiment running rampant throughout the streets of Brazil. Source: Slate

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez is fined for the third time in his career for biting an opponent. Source: NY Daily News

Prostitutes in Brazil learn English in preparation for the 2014 World Cup. Source: NY Daily News

Protesters hold up red cards to signify their opposition to the 2014 World Cup. Source: Mashable

Brazil has taken lengthy security precautions to reduce violence during the World Cup. Source: NBC News

Rio de Janeiro’s impoverished slums are a steep contrast to the excess of the World Cup. Source: Business Insider

The Ivory Coast’s Giovanni Sio fouls Greece’s Giorgos Samaras, giving the team a free penalty kick. Source: USA Today Sports

Rio de Janeiro is one of the oldest and largest Red Light Districts in the world. Source: Mirror

Masses of people stage anti-FIFA and anti-government protests throughout Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities. (Photo Credit: Resampled News)

(via All That Is Interesting)