Teixeira quits as head of Brazil confederation
Reuters - Monday 12 March 2012, 15:54
Ricardo Teixeira,
the controversial head of the Brazilian Football Confederation
and the man charged with organising the 2014 World Cup, quit on
Monday following a string of corruption scandals.
Teixeira, the most powerful man in Brazilian football for more
than two decades, suffered from health problems and had been
under intense pressure to stand down.
Relations between Brazil
and world football body FIFA have soured in recent weeks as the
two bicker over the slow pace of preparations for the World Cup.
The 64-year-old football boss tendered his resignation in a
letter that was read out to reporters at the Rio de Janeiro
headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation, or CBF.
"I leave the presidency of the CBF definitively with the
feeling of having done my duty," Teixeira said in the letter.
He said he was standing down for health reasons, just days
after he requested a temporary medical leave of absence to treat
diverticulitis, a painful bowel condition.
Teixeira will be succeeded in both posts by Jose Maria
Marin, a 79-year-old former politician who is little known
outside the closed world of the CBF. Marin could run the CBF
until early 2015, when Teixeira's term was set to end.
Marin made headlines in January while presenting the winners
of a junior football tournament with their medals. Cameras
caught him slipping one of the medals into his pocket, prompting
accusations of theft.
Marin told reporters on Monday that the medal was a gift
from tournament organisers and called the accusations a "joke."
The new head of the CBF paid tribute to his former boss,
saying: "He was the main person responsible for bringing the
World Cup to Brazil. If he doesn't get our gratitude then he at
least deserves our respect."
Teixeira has long been a polarising figure in Brazil,
revered by some for helping lead the country to two World Cup
titles and despised by others for running the sport like a
personal fiefdom.
His departure is likely to be welcomed by Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff, who has had chilly relations with
Teixeira since she took office in January 2011.
Rousseff was upset that Teixeira did not invite Brazilian
football great Pele to help organise the World Cup. In a public
rebuff, Rousseff named Pele, who has been critical of Teixeira,
as Brazil's ambassador for the Cup.
Romario, one of the biggest names in Brazilian football,
greeted Teixeira's resignation with satisfaction.
"Today we can celebrate," said Romario, the former striker
and World Cup winner who is now a federal congressman. "We have
exterminated a cancer from Brazilian football."
TROPHIES AND SCANDALS
When Teixeira took the helm of the CBF in 1989, Brazil had
gone 19 years without a World Cup title and the CBF's finances
were in tatters.
Today, the CBF is a vastly profitable
enterprise and Brazil holds a record five World Cup titles,
having won under Teixeira in 1994 and 2002.
However, despite the successes on and off the field,
Teixeira's tenure has been frequently overshadowed by
allegations of corruption and shady business dealings.
In 2001, a Congressional investigation accused him of 13
crimes ranging from tax evasion to money laundering to
misleading lawmakers, although no charges were ever brought.
Last year, the former head of the English Football
Association David Triesman said Teixeira offered to back
England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup in return for favours.
In February, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said a company
linked to Teixeira overcharged the organisers of a November 2008
friendly match between Brazil and Portugal.
Teixeira has denied wrongdoing in all cases.
His resignation means that Marin and two former footballers,
Ronaldo and Bebeto, are now charged with organising one of
sport's biggest events.
Ronaldo and Bebeto, both World Cup winners, were appointed
to the committee in recent months despite having little
experience in the field.
However, both have good relations with FIFA, which could
prove useful as Brazil seeks to patch up strained relations with
the world football body. Brazil is refusing to deal with FIFA's
point man for the tournament, Jerome Valcke, following the
Frenchman's pointed criticism of planning and preparations.
Sport Minister Aldo Rebelo said the government would no
longer deal with Valcke, who caused an uproar in the South
American country by saying Brazilian organisers needed "a kick
up the backside."
The spat forced Valcke to cancel a scheduled visit to
Brazil and prompted FIFA president Sepp Blatter to request a
meeting this week with Rousseff. The two are expected to discuss
the slow pace of work and to decide whether Valcke will continue
as FIFA's interlocutor.
Rebelo said in a statement that the government was looking
forward to working with Marin to ensure the success of the World
Cup.
The tournament has been beset by delays and questions since
Brazil won the right to host it in October 2007. Although most
of the 12 stadiums are on schedule, several are over budget and
being built with taxpayer money, despite a pledge from former
Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that the event
would be bankrolled by the private sector.
More worrying is the state of transportation infrastructure,
especially airports.
Brazil's antiquated airports are not capable of handling the
expected influx of 600,000 fans and authorities have been slow
to build new airports and expand the existing ones.