Inside the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, it was raining goals. Outside of it, it was raining protests.

Even though the Brazil Selecao won the Confederations Cup by defeating Spain, 3-0, it did not appease the sentiments of around 5,000 anti-government protesters. They are airing out that while their government can spend huge amounts of money for big international sporting events, they cannot do the same to improve public services.

About half an hour before the Confederations Cup finals, riots emerged a few yards away from Maracana due to a scuffle between the protesters and the police. The authorities threw tear gas and stun grenades to make the unrest dissipate while protesters brought had dangerous fireworks and Molotov cocktails for retaliation.

The protest might not be as big as the ones did before but this is related to previous protests that were done while the Confederations Cup was in play. On the 20th of June, the protest group staged simultaneous rallies throughout the country and it was estimated that a total of 1 million people joined. But in recent days, the protests are becoming smaller while the government now tries to ease the anger.

This anger was highly evident during the latest rally as protesters were trying to force their way through the security barricades that the police have erected around the stadium. Despite aggressive efforts, the protesters were not able to break through. Also, the protesters remain undeterred even though they have reduced in numbers. They won't simply give their leaders a free pass for their non-action on more important issues.

Due to the intense protests, President Dilma Rousseff's popularity has taken a nose dive. After the demonstrations, a national survey shows a free fall of her approval rating which puts her re-election hopes in jeopardy. Rousseff did not attend the Confederations Cup finals between Brazil and Spain. Several government officials and even football greats like Pele did not attend the finals match.

While the Confederations Cup is already a big sporting event, the Brazil protests can hurt the country's chances of hosting the World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016. Brazil was already named host of the next world cup but the sport's governing body, FIFA, could move the World Cup to another location if the situation does not improve.

Protests in Brazil began in early June when bus and subway fares in Sao Paolo were increased by ten cents. This surprising development gave rise to protests in other cities but their grievances of widespread corruption, lousy health care system and ineffective education measures are all the same. The unrest also caught the government by surprise as they try to respond to the worsening situation.

The fare hike was eventually trashed to appease the protesters but the fight of the people has gone beyond the original cause. On the 21st of June, President Rousseff gave a pre-recorded speech on television but it did nothing to address the situation. Three days after, she initiated a meeting between the protest leaders and all local government leaders wherein she announced a $23 billion investment to improve transportation schemes.

Aside from this, she also revealed the government's initiative to hire foreign doctors to improve health care especially in underserved areas. These measures are part of her new five-point plan to elevate the quality of public services and to eliminate corruption. Likewise, the Brazilian president will address the Congress about a plebiscite for political reforms.

Rousseff's actions seems to be on the right track as local newspapers report that most protests have died down. The Estado de Sao Paolo reports that close to 500 protests were staged during the last three weeks and 150 of them were done in the 20th of June alone. But though the rage is in control, protesters are not having second thoughts on doing it again especially if there is a major event in their country.

As early as now, they are eyeing events such as Pope Francis' visit in July, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio as potential occurrences for new protests. But despite the rising tension outside the Maracana Stadium, authorities were able to make sure that the game will be played peacefully as about 6,000 police and 500 investigators were tasked to maintain peace and order for the Confederations Cup Finals.

Prior to the clash outside Maracana, protesters shouted anti-government chants that are focused on the alleged wrong delegation of public funds to the construction of big stadiums. The authorities maintained their position despite the intense verbal protests. With reports from AP