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FIFA in scathing attack on Brazil's 2014 plans

Mike Collett
Reuters
2:03 p.m. CST, March 2, 2012


BAGSHOT, England (Reuters) - FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke made a scathing attack on Brazil's preparations for the 2014 World Cup on Friday, saying "not a lot is moving" and organisers needed "a kick up the backside".

Valcke, who has continually raised concerns about the tournament, said time was running out and there was no "Plan B" in place.

Soccer's ruling body is particularly concerned about transport and accommodation issues and the sluggish movement through Brazilian bureaucracy of World Cup laws relating to the sale of alcohol is also worrying FIFA.

"I don't understand why things are not moving," Valcke told reporters. "The stadiums are not on schedule any longer - and why are a lot of things late?

"The concern is nothing is made or prepared to receive so many people. I am sorry to say but things are not working in Brazil.

"You expect more support," added Valcke who is in England for the annual meeting of the International Football Association Board, FIFA's law-making body.

"We should have received these documents signed by 2007 and we are in 2012. You have to push yourself, get a kick up the backside and just deliver this World Cup."

Valcke said the tournament would go ahead but warned the fans could suffer.

NOT ENOUGH HOTELS

"There are not enough hotels," he added. "You have more than enough in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro but if you think about Manaus you need more.

"Let's say in Salvador you have England v Holland and you have 12 percent of the stadium with English fans and 12 percent Dutch - that's 24 percent of 60,000 fans. Where are they all going to stay?

"The city is nice but the way to get to the stadium and all the organisation of transportation has to be improved."

FIFA had initially planned to base teams in just one part of

Brazil to minimise travel but organisers explained matches had to be spread across the country. Valcke said that made for extra demands.

"We made the decision to move the teams and it means we were criticised," said FIFA's general secretary. "If you follow one team you will have to fly 8,000 km.

"We did it at the request of Brazil. Having supported the decision we have to ensure the fans and the media...will be able to follow their team."

Valcke also said it appeared Brazil were more concerned with winning the World Cup than organising a good tournament.

"Our concern is nothing is made or prepared to receive so many people because the world wants to go to Brazil," he added.

"That's the big difference between South Africa in 2010 and Brazil. The people don't care about security, they don't care about the weather - it's amazing.

"In South Africa it was winter, it was dark. In Brazil the weather will be perfect. But I can tell you from the other side of the organisation it is not exactly that."

On his last trip to the country in January, Valcke repeated his previous call for a quick resolution to the issue of World Cup laws.

FIFA expressed concern over alcohol-selling laws in stadiums and demands for lower ticket prices for students and pensioners.

Now it seems, the organisation's concerns are more acute.

"We have just over a year before the Confederations Cup and two years before the World Cup," said Valcke.

"South Africa's priorities were to organise the World Cup not win it. It seems all Brazil wants to do is win it, and that must change."

The South Africans were knocked out in the first round of the 2010 finals, a tournament won by Spain.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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Brazil government to cut ties with FIFA’s Valcke after criticism over World Cup preparations

 

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s sports minister criticized “unacceptable” comments by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke about slow preparations for the 2014 World Cup and said Saturday the government plans to cut ties with him.

Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said “the government can no longer have the secretary general as a representative” and called for FIFA to assign another official.

 

( Andre Penner / Associated Press ) - Brazil’s Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo speaks about the criticism over 2014 World Cup preparations during a news conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Saturday March 3, 2012. Rebelo announced Saturday it will refuse to deal with with FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke following his “unacceptable” criticism over the country’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup. Rebelo called for FIFA to assign another official to work with the government.

 

On Saturday, Valcke said Rebelo should address the problems and called the move juvenile.

Ahead of a visit to Brazil in a week, Valcke sparked the exchange by sending a blunt message to organizers on Friday: “You have to push yourself, kick your (backside).”

Valcke said “things are not working in Brazil” and “not a lot is moving” with stadium building and infrastructure renovation just two years before the World Cup and a year before the Confederations Cup.

“We have always had a cordial attitude toward everyone from FIFA here in Brazil,” Rebelo said. “We can’t accept to hear such an offensive comment. He can’t say something like that about a country. It’s unacceptable.”

Rebelo said he understands Valcke will keep his duties as FIFA’s secretary general and work closely with local organizers, but the Brazilian government will not welcome him when he comes to the country.

“We will continue to have a relationship with FIFA and we will continue receiving them well,” he said. “We are just expressing the position of the Brazilian government (in relation to Valcke).”

Valcke accused Rebelo of making excuses and ignoring the problems faced by organizers.

“Why doesn’t he deal with the issue?” Valcke told reporters Saturday at a meeting of soccer rule-makers in England. “If (I’m) the problem because nothing has happened over the five years ... because I made, wow, one comment saying things are not working well and I for once said exactly what is happening in Brazil — if the result is they don’t want to talk to me any more, I’m not the guy they want to work with, that’s a bit puerile.”

Rebelo said Valcke’s comments contradict FIFA’s own evaluation of the country’s preparations after a visit in January.

“The secretary general made an evaluation that does not correspond to the facts or the reality,” Rebelo said. “We have to remember that the World Cup will be in Brazil because Brazil was chosen to host it. We didn’t impose this nor were we drawn (in a lottery) for this.”

The minister said Brazil will inform FIFA president Sepp Blatter of the decision to have Valcke replaced as the person responsible for working with the government in the country’s preparations.

Valcke’s comments Friday came just a few days after a congressional commission in Brazil delayed voting on a key bill regulating the World Cup and setting the legal framework that gives FIFA the necessary guarantees to organize soccer’s showcase event in 2014.

Valcke said he was frustrated with the “endless discussions” in Congress about the proposed law.

Congress remained divided on some issues, including the sale of alcoholic beverages inside stadiums, which is against the law in Brazil. FIFA demands the country change its law because Budweiser is a major World Cup sponsor.

FIFA said Brazil agreed to its demands when it was awarded the 2014 tournament in 2007. But the proposed law has been generating controversy, with critics saying it gives too much power to soccer’s governing body.

Rebelo said the bill is likely to be approved next week and guaranteed the country will be ready to host the World Cup. He said 42 of the 51 infrastructure projects will be delivered by 2013, and most of the stadium construction was on schedule.

Next week, a team of nearly 40 people from FIFA and the local organizing committee will inspect six of the 12 host cities. The other six will host the Confederations Cup in 2013 and were inspected last year.

The World Cup city of Porto Alegre is in danger of being dropped. Renovation on the Beira-Rio stadium stopped more than eight months ago after a lack of financial guarantees.

___

AP Sports Writer Rob Harris in Bagshot, England contributed to this report.

Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni and Rob Harris at http://twitter.com/RobHarrisUK

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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