Come down to earth, FIFA!

Finally! Finally the World Cup is kicking off. Many football fans will be hoping that, when the ball finally starts to roll, all the worries about the organization of this sporting spectacle in Brazil will finally be forgotten. All that matters will be the scoring of goals, and national pride, swelling with every victory.

But this hope will be only partially fulfilled. The 2014 World Cup has changed Brazil even before it begins. And it will change FIFA too. Because, as a result of the mass protests, countries all over the world are now far less willing to host future World Cups in accordance with FIFA's requirements. In Brazil's emerging economy the FIFA business model has hit its limits - and that's a good thing.

Brazil has called the business of world football into question. Many of the country's 200 million citizens have been asking how it's possible that, for a World Cup, the country's constitution and legislation should be partially suspended? Or that a special World Cup regulation should be passed rescinding the ban on alcohol in Brazilian stadiums? How is it possible that different rules should apply to sponsors and football functionaries than to the general population? And how is it possible that a sports association can sign contracts with business partners that negatively affect the greater good and the freedom of movement of millions of people?

These are the questions the people of Brazil have been asking, and the Brazilian government has got the message. President Dilma Rousseff is constantly emphasizing that public spending on education and health is on the rise, despite, or even as a result of, this World Cup.

Some members of FIFA - the European football body UEFA, for instance - are also slowly realizing that massive spending on mega-events is becoming increasingly hard to sell politically. This is especially true when profits and losses are unevenly distributed, as was the case during the World Cup in South Africa - and now again in Brazil.

A World Cup is not a summit of heads of state or an international UN peace mission. The commercial and political flight of fancy surrounding it needs to end. The World Cup must be brought back down to earth. FIFA should return to its original role, which is simply to organize an international football tournament every four years. World Cup stadiums don't need VIP lounges or comfortable armchairs in order to stage world-class football. FIFA presidents are not heads of state, so there is no requirement to treat them as such.

Brazil's population has forced the seemingly all-powerful FIFA and its partners to come to this realization. Their protests have awakened the overlords of world football from their slumber. In future, a successful World Cup will have to address the needs of the host country, not just FIFA's demands. The selection process for future tournament venues will also need to be reviewed.

And that certainly won't have a negative effect on the quality of international football. The World Cup can begin. Finally!