Brazil still deserve to host 2014 World Cup despite problems claims Blatter

By Andrew Warshaw in Rio de Janeiro

July 27 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter admitted today that preparations for the 2014 World Cup could be more advanced but said the country deserved to host the tournament and would end up proving critics wrong.

Announcing that the 2014 finals would start on June 12 and finish on July 13, Blatter said he was convinced the five-time champions would end up putting on a tournament to remember.

“Brazil holds a special place in the World Cup,” said Blatter.

“But they haven’t hosted it for over 60 years.

“We have to face facts, there is still some work to be done.

“But Brazil has the seventh biggest economy in the world.

“We are in regular contact with the relevant authorities and I am confident that together we will deliver an excellent World Cup technically, tactically and emotionally.”

Blatter was speaking three days before the preliminary draw which will throw up 824 matches in 880 match days involving a record 203 countries.

The most intriguing match-ups will as usual be within the European zone where the eight seeds were announced as Spain, Netherlands, Germany, England, Portugal, Italy, Croatia and, surprisingly perhaps, Norway and Greece.

Conpicuous by their absence from that number were France, thrust into the second pot because of their recent poor record but the one team the top-ranked sides will want to avoid.

FIFA also announced that the 2013 Confederations Cup will take place between June 15 and30 June, 2013, staged in four to six stadiums depending on the state of construction.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke disclosed that Sao Paulo, which has come under strong criticism for lagging way behind with stadium development, was making significant progress.

“There is some good news on that,” said Valcke who famously questioned Brazil’s readiness – and Sao Paulo’s in particular – at last month’s inaugural Inside World Football forum in Moscow.

“All the financial commitment is there now.

“Any discussion about the opening game being somewhere else is wrong.

“It’s a decision that will be taken [at the FIFA Executive Committee meeting] in October.”

Saturday’s draw involving five of the six confederations – South America are already playing – will also, significantly, include playoff slots involving four confederations.

Following Thierry Henry’s infamous handball that earned France a berth in South Africa 2010 at Ireland’s expense, FIFA hinted they might scrap the idea but confirmed that playoffs will still go ahead.

“Despite the fact that a proposal was on the table to avoid such playoffs, the Executive Committee, with a huge majority, decided the system should prevail,” said Blatter.

Whilst Blatter and Valcke said all the right things at the Marina da Gloria, one of Rio’s swishest areas where the draw will take place, their voices were at times drowned out by the screeching of aircraft to and from Rio airport, hardly the best public relations exercise for what will be the first real test case of Brazil’s organisational capabilities.

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