Protests erupt in Sao Paulo ahead of World Cup kick-off

Protestors in Sao Paulo clashed with the police in an anti-World Cup demonstration Thursday, hours before the city plays host to the tournament opener, a media report said.

TV footage showed riot police using tear gas and rubber truncheons to disperse about 50 protesters near a Metro station on the route to the Arena Corinthians where the opening ceremony is set to take place, BBC reported Thursday.

The violence happened about 13 km from the stadium, where Brazil will play Croatia at 20.00 GMT after the demonstrators refused to clear the road.

At least one protester was arrested and a CNN journalist was injured in the clash.

The demonstrators were chanting 'There won't be a Cup' against the excessive spending by the government on the tournament.

Last year, more than a million people joined protests across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup, the BBC report said.