Romario lashes out at Brazil World Cup plans
Reuters - Friday 14 October 2011, 19:32
Romario has criticised
Brazil's 2014 World Cup preparations, denounced chief organiser
Ricardo Teixeira and lashed out at the government's weakness in
its dealings with football's ruling body FIFA.
The former World Cup striker, now a member of parliament,
failed this year in an attempt to bring Brazilian Football
Confederation (CBF) president Teixeira before parliament to
answer allegations of corruption.
Romario, however, believes this week's police decision to
open an investigation into Teixeira, who is also head of the
World Cup organising committee, could be viewed as a green light
for improving tournament preparations.
"This is not about a full-frontal attack, it's about saying
that some [people] sometimes don't have the courage to say...
the pure truth, the reality," Romario told Reuters in an
interview at his Barra da Tijuca apartment overlooking the sea.
"Someone must at least make a stand," added the 45-year-old
who spearheaded the attack when Brazil won the fourth of their
record five World Cup titles in 1994 and now wants a leading
role off the pitch.
Romario said he had tried to arrange a meeting with
President Dilma Rousseff to talk about the World Cup but it had
proved impossible.
He believes the government has been weak in bowing to the
demands of FIFA and in not turning up the heat on Teixeira who
has led Brazilian football since 1989.
The striker added Teixeira had impeded the progress of
Brazil's World Cup preparations by failing to answer criticism.
"The government must put pressure [on him]. Things are not
as he says, he doesn't rule the country, he doesn't govern
football," said Romario.
"The CBF is the top body but football doesn't have an owner,
it belongs to the people," he added. "The World Cup is Brazil's
of the Brazilian people.
"People have to be grateful that Ricardo Teixeira brought
the World Cup to Brazil. Congratulations, we thank you. Full
stop. From here on it's Brazil's."
On Tuesday the police and the federal prosecutor's office
announced Teixeira would be investigated on suspicion of illegal
transfer of funds into the country and money laundering.
CBF spokesman Rodrigo Paiva told Reuters that neither his
organisation nor Teixeira had any comment on the allegations.
"If he answers the questions millions of Brazilians want to
hear, that's going to be good for the World Cup and things will
start to move," said Romario.
"I want very much... that Ricardo Teixeira, as the biggest
name in Brazilian football, should give answers and justify the
things which people see are not normal."
TICKET PRICES
Romario is also unhappy with a series of World Cup measures
demanded by FIFA including the right to set ticket prices.
He said the government's so-called 'Cup Law' draft could not
be approved without respecting the rights of pensioners and
students to half-price tickets.
"This Cup Law is very simple. FIFA comes to Brazil, takes a
profit of 4.0 billion Brazilian reais ($2.4 billion), has no
responsibilities and all the negative things that happen fall on
the government's neck," Romario said.
"What goes wrong is the government's fault and what goes
well FIFA comes out of only with the benefits. I don't know what
kind of contract that is."
Romario, who heads a group of parliamentarians who have
already visited 11 of the 12 World Cup venues to inspect the
preparation work, pointed to the country's airports and urban
transport as the biggest infrastructure problems.
He said only four stadiums would be completely ready for the
Confederations Cup in 2013, a dress rehearsal for the World Cup.
That is in stark contrast to the government's promise to have 10
ready by the end of next year.