By David Gold
September 27 – Luiz Felipe Scolari, who coached Brazil to victory in the 2002 World Cup, has been hired by the nation’s Government to promote the 2014 FIFA competition taking place in the South American country.
Scolari (pictured top) said he accepted the role after a meeting with Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo in Brasília.
“I have accepted the job under the proviso that I will be able to negotiate the dates with the Ministry,” the former Portugal, Chelsea, Cruzeiro and Grêmio coach said.
“The most likely scenario is that I will be available until the end of the year.
“After that I hope to be working in some capacity with a club or national team somewhere in the world.
“But I hope I can continue to help working on the project.”
Scolari this month found himself out of work after being fired by São Paulo giants Palmeiras, who are struggling against relegation.
He was fired just months after leading Palmeiras to the Copa do Brasil title, which earned the team a place in next year’s Copa Libertadores.
Scolari is reported to be keen on a return to coaching at international level, and has been consistently linked with becoming the Brazil coach in time for the 2014 World Cup.
In 2002, he was also appointed to the post just a year before the tournament and turned a struggling team into World Cup winners.
At a recent friendly with Argentina, fans chanted for Scolari’s return, with Mano Menezes under pressure after Brazil failed to win Olympic gold at London 2012.
If Brazil also fail to win next year’s Confederations Cup, Scolari could be perfectly positioned to take over from Menezes.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian Government has also announced new criteria for ranking hotel and accommodation for the World Cup, as well as for the Olympic and Paralympic Games that Rio de Janeiro hosts in 2016.
The move, announced by the Ministry of Tourism, has been announced to increase competitiveness in Brazil’s hospitality industry.
“With major events such as the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics just around the corner, we need to upgrade our facilities and services,” said Brazilian Minister of Tourism Gastão Vieira (pictured below, centre).
“In this context, quality standards are an important tool to put our hotel industry on equal footing with that of countries that are global tourism leaders.”
The one to five star system will now be issued exclusively by the Brazilian Government to those hotels assessed according to the Brazilian System for the Qualification of Accommodation.
The system was first implemented last year in Brazil and follows international models from France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and other major tourist destinations.
A ceremony in Brasília on Tuesday (September 25) saw hotels from ten Brazilian states become the first to have their categories ranked in this way.
A shortage of hotels has been a key concern for organisers of the 2014 World Cup and Rio 2016, but this latest move should help to assuage any fears.
Last month Rebelo said that Brazil was more worried about supply being too great for the demand, and so this ranking system may also help to restore the “imbalance in the market” he said this might cause.
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