Brazilians protest World Cup spending, call for better services

Children play soccer on a street decorated with graffiti in reference to the 2014 World Cup in Sao Paulo May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Cities across Brazil braced for demonstrations on Thursday, as disparate protest movements seek to criticize spending on the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament and revive a call for better public services that swept the country last June.

Less than a month before the tournament kicks off, and four months before a presidential election, Thursday's protests will gauge the ability of demonstrators to once again rally frustrated Brazilians and the competence of police to manage unrest that occasionally escalated over the past year into violence and vandalism.