Brazil opens World Cup

Brazil opened the World Cup on Thursday with a football-style carnival at the Corinthians Arena. The opening Brazil-Croatia match was to follow at 5 p.m. local time (20:00 UTC), with more than 61,000 fans expected to pack the stadium. The 32-nation tournament was officially opened by the symbolic gesture of three children sending doves into the air in the center circle of the pitch right before kickoff.

Twelve heads of state or government are among the VIP guests in the stadium, including Brazilian President Dilma Roussef. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was also expected to be in the crowd, along with under-fire FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has urged his compatriots to rally behind the players as they attempt to capture their first title on home soil.

"To all Brazilians I want to tell you the time has arrived. This is our World Cup," he said on the eve of the tournament.

Ornate opening ceremony

The pre-match fanfare included a performance by US pop star Jennifer Lopez, hundreds of dancers, drummers and gymnasts and a paraplegic who kicked a football in a robotic silver suit. Lopez had initially said she was pulling out of the opening ceremony due to "production issues," but changed her mind with two days to go. Her song "We Are One," is the official tune of the World Cup, but has been panned as a disappointing follow-up to previous tournament classics.

"The opening ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people, football," said Belgian artistic director Daphne Cornez.

Organizers said 20 hours of practice involving more than 1,200 people went into preparing the 25-minute opening ceremony. The event featured a giant LED ball made up of more than 90,000 light clusters.

Thousands of fans have also flocked to Rio's Copacabana beach to watch the event at the Fan Fest space. A 133-square-meter screen was erected, and the area was decorated with yellow and green, the colors of the Brazilian flag.

Rio's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue has been illuminated by the colors of all nations taking part in the tournament. Some 600,000 fans were expected to travel to the capital city for the event.

Under the shadow of protests

The opening day of the World Cup was marked by clashes between protesters and police in Sao Paulo. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered on the main highway leading into the Corinthians Arena, with police pushing them back with tear gas and stun grenades. Other protests were held in Rio de Janeiro and around the country.

Preparations for the World Cup have been hampered by months of protests, illustrating the widespread public anger over the $11 billion spent on the month-long tournament. The government has responded by boosting security during the event, deploying 150,000 soldiers and police, along with 20,000 private security officers.

dr/pfd (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)