Brazil 2014 won't be the greatest and we'll be embarrassed, says Romário

By Andrew Warshaw

March 19 – Romário (pictured), the former Brazilian striker turned Congressman, has once again criticised 2014 World Cup preparations, suggesting his country will be “embarrassed” by poor organisation.

Romário says last week’s summit meeting between FIFA President Sepp Blatter and the country’s President Dilma Rousseff, after which both parties emerged smiling and making positive statements, was misleading and should not be taken seriously.

“It was a shame to read the newspapers and see that the Federal Government has united with FIFA to make the greatest World Cup of all time,” Romário posted on his Facebook page.

“It’s a troublesome lie.

“It won’t be the greatest and we will be embarrassed.

“The Federal Government is deceiving the people.

“President Dilma (pictured right) is being deceived or is letting people deceive her.”

After Friday’s meeting, Blatter (pictured centre) said he was confident that the country would host “the most extraordinary” tournament of all time.

But in his first term as a Congressman, Romário has been an outspoken critic and used an unprintable expletive to charge that that the World Cup will be a failure “if wrong and strange things like this meeting between Blatter and people not linked to the World Cup bill keep happening”.

He also expressed his concerns over the misuse of public funds.

“Brazil is a circus and you already know who the clowns are,” Romário slammed.

Still unresolved, meanwhile, is the role of FIFA number two Jérôme Valcke.

He was supposed to be FIFA’s all-important link man with Brazil 2014 but his work was put on hold after his infamous “kick up the backside” remarks which caused such a storm in the nation.

A decision on Valcke resuming his 2014 World Cup duties was scheduled to have been made after Blatter met with Rousseff but Blatter admitted on Friday (March 16) he still does not know what the outcome will be and the matter was an internal affair.

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