Brazil hits back at FIFA criticism
Reuters - Tuesday 29 March 2011, 23:36
SAO PAULO, March 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's top
football official has hit back at criticism from FIFA boss Sepp
Blatter, saying there was harmony between the government
and the 2014 World Cup tournament's organising committee.
"I'm unaware of any conflict between mayors and governors in
any of the 12 2014 World Cup venues," said Brazilian
Football Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira, who is also
head of the Local Organising Committee (COL).
"On the contrary, FIFA has seen for years the combined work
of the public authorities with the Local Organising Committee
and FIFA itself," he said in a statement posted on the CBF
website.
Teixeira said Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff had shown
her support "concerning the federal government's principal
attributes (airports and urban transport)."
Blatter had been scathing of progress on the tournament on
Monday, and said political squabbles were a principal cause of
the delays, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, which is to host the
final at the giant Maracana stadium, and Sao Paulo where work
has not yet begun on a stadium to hold the opening match.
Teixeira said the Maracana would be ready within the
deadline set by FIFA in 2013 in time for the Confederations Cup
which serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup finals
despite problems recently discovered in the upper tier that will
have to be redone from scratch rather than simply restored.
He added that he had been given guarantees from the parties
involved in building a new stadium in Sao Paulo that it would
also been ready within the set time frame.
"It's not the job of the CBF to pressure governors, the less
so when there's no reason to do so," Teixeira said before he
invited Blatter to Brazil to see the progress of work.