The problem-plagued preparations for this year's 2014 World Cup in Brazil has been well chronicled, with critics condemning the range of issues from budget blowouts to construction delays. Protesters and Brazilian police clashed in the days before the first World Cup match was to be played in the city. The demonstrations in recent months have paled in comparison to those last year, when a million people took to the streets on a single night airing laments including the sorry state of Brazil's public services despite the heavy tax burden its citizens endure. Those protests were largely spontaneous and no single group organized them. Here is a look back on the tumultuous events leading up to the 2014 World Cup. 

Lead Image Caption: Protesters set on fire a FIFA World Cup magazine during a protest against the money spent on the World Cup preparations, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, May 15, 2014. Protesters and police clashed in Rio de Janeiro Thursday, as demonstrations against the World Cup and rallies calling for improved public services erupted in several Brazilian cities. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

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