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Brazil's continuing struggles to keep its World Cup organization on schedule are a consequence of starting preparations too late, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Sunday.
"Brazil has come to realize that they started too late. They are the country who are the most delayed (in terms of World Cup organization) since I have been at FIFA," Blatter told Swiss newspaper 24 Hours. "Yet they are the only country who have had such a long time -- seven years -- to prepare."
The World Cup will be staged from June 12 to July 13, but the build-up has been plagued by construction delays, spiralling costs as well as civil discontent at the money being spent on the tournament as well as the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Last year's Confederations Cup, a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, was plagued by angry demonstrations, but Blatter believes this year's showpiece should pass off relatively peacefully.
"I am an optimist, not a pessimist. Football will be protected. I believe that Brazilians will not attack football directly. This is the sport's home, it's a religion," he said.
"But we know there will be new demonstrations, protests. Last year, they were born of social networks. There was no goal, but at the World Cup they will be more directed, more structured."
© (c) 2014 AFP
4 Comments
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Geoff Gillespie
Blatter, you are a twat! Brazil is not the home of football, it was imported from Britain by Scottish railway workers in the 1870s. You know as little about the game's history as you do about it's present...
SimondB
This delay and last minute panic is not anything new and certainly not peculiar to Brazil. It happens at just about every World Cup and Olympics.
KariHaruka
Someone should inform the 'head' of football that Britain is the home of football! This guy is a class A clown!
Pandabelle
I don't understand why there needs to be all this money spent and new construction anyway. Just to line the pockets of the construction companies and politicians, I suppose.
I mean, they already have stadiums that can hold matches with no problems (and yes, I've been to Maracana and I know it's somewhat decrepit). It seems more a matter of corruption and wanting these fancy new toys rather than actually needing these toys.