Congressman and Soccer Star Romario Says Brazil’s Won’t Stage Best World Cup in History

Romario Brazil soccer star Romario, who is now a congressman, told reporters  FIFA must not be allowed to dictate changes to Brazilian law ahead of the World Cup in 2014. Romario said laws that guarantee half-price tickets to students and pensioners should not be swept away.

The Brazilian congress is currently debating a bill that would meet FIFA conditions for the tournament. Romario, 45, led Brazil’s attack when they won the World Cup in 1994.

The former star was speaking on a visit to Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã stadium, which is being refurbished for the tournament.

“If FIFA is not put in its rightful place it will soon have more power than our president,” he told journalists.

Romario said FIFA could bear the cost of maintaining discounted tickets for students and pensioners during the tournaments estimated at around 100 million dollars.

“FIFA could earn a little bit less so that the Brazilians can take part,” he said. FIFA says the money it makes from World Cup tournaments is reinvested in soccer.

Romario also expressed his feelings but more strongly on his Twitter account. “Brazil needs to stop this business of becoming a slave of FIFA” he tweeted.

“The sovereignty of the country must be respected”.

Romario also warned that infrastructure projects needed for the tournament, including airports and urban transport, were behind schedule.

“Brazil is certainly not going to stage the best World Cup in history as some have said,” he warned. “It is not going to be a World Cup for the Brazilian people”.

Last month the head of FIFA, Sepp Blatter wrote to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to express concern over delays in the construction of stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup.

FIFA has also been pressing for the rapid approval of the World Cup law, which also covers the protection of trademarks, television rights and the sale of alcohol in stadiums.

Mercopress

Tags:

You May Also Like

Led by Russia, Brazilian Pork Export Earnings Grow 82%

Brazilian pork exports grew for the third straight month. 60,873 tons were exported in ...

Why Brazil’s Democracy Is in Danger

Bolivian President Carlos Mesa’s offer to resign his office and the crisis this generated ...

All the President's Men (and Women)

President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's cabinet members are mostly from his own party, ...

Brazil Cuts Key Interest to Record Low, But It’s Still World’s Highest

For the ninth time in a row in a process that started last September, ...

A Gasolina/Ethanol pump in a Brazilian Gas/Ethanol station

Brazil and US Join Forces to Create Ethanol Standard

Brazil and the United States are working together to create a global standard for ...

Sloppy Revision in Brazil’s Textbook Delays Columbus Trip Over 400 Years

Italian adventurer Christopher Columbus must be having nightmares: according to the Brazilian state of ...

Reasons of October

Lula came to power because the Brazilian Right lost its capacity to deceive the ...

Best-seller Books, Plays and Movies

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso unabashedly stands by everything he ever wrote and insists that, ...

Sending Money to Brazil? Charge It.

It is estimated that there are 2.5 million Brazilians living abroad. Last year they ...

Over Easy

The five of us burst into laughter, a hearty, communal laughter that not only ...