World Cup law will soon be passed, insists Brazilian Sports Minister

By David Gold

March 26 – Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo (pictured) has said that the 2014 World Cup law will be approved, and indicated that it would be done at some point in April.

The World Cup law has been a source of political wrangling between Brazil and FIFA, who want their commercial partners, including beer giant Budweiser, protected during the competition in two years’ time.

Part of that is allowing the sale and advertising of beer in stadiums, which is currently prohibited in Brazil, and their Congress has continually blocked proposed World Cup laws overturning that ban.

“The deadline we gave was that the law was passed in March,” Rebelo told Brazilian radio show Bom Dia.

“If not met, will make every effort to approve it in April…but we’ll pass the law.

“I do not think [the vote] will take so long.

“These are important matters and I believe that, as always happened, after discussion and debate, Congress will come to a conclusion, vote and resolve the issue.”

Rebelo (pictured right with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff) insisted that “Congress sometimes make decisions that contradict the Government”, but also said that he was not worried about the protracted nature of the World Cup law.

Last week it emerged that a possible compromise being sought would mean FIFA would have to negotiate with individual states in Brazil rather than the Government to resolve the deadlock.

The passage of the World Cup law was once again postponed last Wednesday as the opposition in Congress sought a deal on another piece of legislation – the Forest Code, with proposals being made which environmentalists fear could lead to an acceleration of deforestation in Brazil.

Rebelo insisted though that the key parts of the legislation, which he said would only apply during the World Cup, would be subject to federal law, rather than that of the state, allaying some concerns.

“The submitted [law] suspends the ban only during the World Cup…and our interpretation is that the modification of a Federal law makes the State law,” he said.

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