Romario and Ronaldo announce disabled tickets at 2014 World Cup

By David Gold

December 27 – More than 30,000 tickets to the 2014 FIFA World Cup will be given to disabled fans, the legendary former Brazil forwards Romário and Ronaldo have announced.

Romário, who played for three of Rio de Janeiro’s ‘big four’ – Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco de Gama – during an illustrious playing career in which he also won the 1994 World Cup, is now a member of Brazil’s congress.

He has been a vocal critic of the World Cup Organising Committee, in particular its under-fire head Ricardo Teixeira, which Ronaldo has recently joined in order to become Brazil 2014’s public face.

Under the plan, 500 tickets for each of the 64 matches during Brazil 2014 will go to the disabled, a total of 32,000.

Romário had made the request for free tickets to be given to disabled fans, and as he made an emotional announcement of the gesture he called it “a great victory.”

“I am not here to defend anybody…Teixeira, Ronaldo or the Local Organising Committee,” said Romário, keen to keep his distance, though his public comments towards World Cup officials have softened since Ronaldo became involved at the start of this month.

The former Barcelona and Real Madrid forward, who scored a record 15 World Cup goals during his Brazil career and led his country to victory in the 2002 competition, flanked Romário during the press conference to confirm the giveaway.

Romário continued: “The disabled people in Brazil are really important…I am here to defend the rights that, in my opinion, are fair rights that we have conquered.”

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