Tuesday, 25th June, 2013

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has indicated football’s world governing body will be in a fix if the ongoing unrest in Brazil forces a rethink on next year’s World Cup location.

For more than a week, civilians in Brazil have been taking to the streets to protest against what is perceived to be the government’s apathy towards the common people.



The protests had initially been about rising transport costs but spilled over into demonstrations against spending for events such as the Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup.

While FIFA have moved to quell fears that the ongoing Confederations Cup would be cancelled, concerns over next year’s event has caused unrest in the governing body.

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But Valcke insisted via FIFA’s Twitter feed that "there is no ‘Plan B’ to host the 2014 World Cup elsewhere. FIFA [has] not received any offer from any other country."

The statement could well be interpreted as a sign that FIFA are in a slight panic over security concerns, even if the tournament is still a year away.

A million people were reported to have joined demonstrations, some of them violent, across Brazil’s major cities, while criticism of FIFA’s policies have surfaced outside South America.

However, Valcke insists FIFA’s financial streams were designed for football development, with nothing sinister on the cards.

"FIFA sold commercial rights for 2014 World Cup for $4 billion. FIFA spends $1.4-1.5 billion on 2014 World Cup", he further tweeted.

"FIFA has 19 other competitions, e.g. the Under-20 World Cup. FIFA does not make a penny from these.

"FIFA is not making $4 billion to then run away in a big Mercedes Benz. We are using our money to develop football."

As if in tandem, Brazil’s sports minister Aldo Rebelo has also been quoted trying to assuage citizens over the alleged use of public money to fund sporting events, which is seen as a major point of protest.

His official Twitter feed quoted him as saying: "Brazil must remain committed to World Cup. We have to make the World Cup an instrument for the country to improve in several aspects.

"The budget of sport is only 1% of the budget for health in 2013. R$477 billion was the budget for health and education, 2007 and 2013.

"There are no resources diverted from education and health for the construction of stadiums.

"Football is more than a sport. When it emerged in Brazil, it was a great platform for social inclusion in a country marked by inequality."

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