April 14 - FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said that world football's governing body "do not have any problem" with progress being made by Brazil in preparation for the 2014 World Cup.
Blatter is travelling through Central America ahead of the FIFA Presidential election on June 1, in which he faces the challenge of Mohamed Bin Hammam.
And his words contrast with those he used a fortnight ago when he criticised Brazilian preparations, saying that they were far behind where South Africa was at the same stage of organisation for the 2010 tournament.
Following Blatter's previous criticism, Brazil Football Confederation President Ricardo Teixeira said that progress was being made, yet that same week it was announced that there were problems with renovation work being carried out at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana.
And construction is still yet to start on stadiums in Natal and Sao Paulo, but the FIFA President told reporters that he had no concerns at present on any of these issues.
"We don't have any problem because we have received positive reports from all sides - especially in construction," he said.
He added that construction was progressing well "not just for stadiums but for airports and hotels in different regions."
Rio de Janeiro officials said last week that 3,500 extra workers are being hired to ensure renovations at the Maracana will be completed in time for the 2013 Confederations Cup, the traditional test run for the following year's World Cup.
Blatter added that FIFA would be helping to assist with coaching and training in Central America, including the construction of football fields in El Salvador.
The incumbent President is travelling through Belize and onto Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama as he looks to secure votes ahead of the June election, with the Central American region, part of CONCACAF, holding 38 of 208 votes in FIFA.
Perhaps even more crucially, its members are all likely to vote the same way in the election, making it a crucial battle ground between Blatter and his Qatari rival.
A new cooperation and investment agreement between China and Brazil is set to boost preparations for the 2014 World Cup. Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff and Chinese president Hu Jintao signed the agreement at the Great of Hall of the People in Beijing. It committed both countries to a partnership in infrastructure construction for Brazil 2014 tournament and Rio 2016 Olympics, Chinese media reported. Rousseff, who is in China on a six-day visit, called on Chinese rail companies to bid to build high-speed railways projects, including a 500km rail link from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, which is expected to cost around $20 billion. Further opportunities to invest in World Cup-related projects will be on show at this year's Soccerex Global Convention in Rio de Janeiro. Today, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke confirmed his attendance at the Nov. 26-30 event. Also attending this year’s event, the second to be held in Rio, will be representatives from all 12 World Cup host cities. A number of FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games partners and sponsors will also be in attendance as well as executives from leading football clubs and rights holders from around the world. The inaugural event attracted around 3,700 decision makers from the football business industry.
UK sports minister gets behind Women’s Super League British sports minister Hugh Robertson says he believes the English FA's Women’s Super League, kicking off tomorrow, will be raise standards and interest in the women's game.
“I am extremely confident that the FA’s Women’s Super League will be a great success and will not only benefit our national team but over time will improve standards at the grassroots level of the women’s game both on and off the pitch,” Robertson said at the launch event at Wembley on Monday.
Eight teams from across the country will play in the WSL, the first semi-professional women’s football league in England.
The FA has spent several years developing the WSL, with the aim to professionalise women’s football and attract more women and fans to the game. New research from the FA shows that 180,000 women aged 16 to 34 are considering taking up football in the next year.
England women’s team manager Hope Powell is excited about the launch of the WSL and says it will help prepare her players for the Women's World Cup in Germany in June.
“Playing summer football is quite a radical change, but I think it will be great for the game,” Powell said in a statement. “Hopefully it will attract more supporters to women’s football because we’ll have nicer weather and conditions will be more pleasant for people to come and watch the matches as a family.
“More importantly, hopefully it will raise standards.
"There are eight teams in the League and the geographical spread of those teams is quite good. Players will want to play, so they will probably move clubs if they want to get regular games at a high level and that puts a good pressure on every member of the squad to perform when they are in the team.”
Teams representing Arsenal, Birmingham, Bristol, Chelsea, Doncaster, Everton, Liverpool and Lincoln will play each other twice over 14 match rounds, kicking off with Chelsea Ladies against Arsenal Ladies on Wednesday.
The picturesque setting of Rio de Janeiro’s Marina da Gloria has been selected as the location for the first official event of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, the Preliminary Draw, which will take place on 30 July.
The harbour offers a truly spectacular venue for what promises to be a special occasion. Situated at the foot of the world-famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Marina da Gloria will provide a stunning gateway to the city for the many visitors expected to flock to Rio in 2014.
However, there is more to Marina da Gloria’s selection than just its aesthetic appeal. The harbour area also boasts 9,000 square metres of floor space for hosting the event, lies within easy reach of Santos Dumont Airport and several hotels in southern Rio, and offers excellent infrastructures for visitors.
The Preliminary Draw is an important step in the countdown to the world finals, with hundreds of journalists from all over the world expected to attend an event sure to please some of the participating nations and disappoint others. All will be revealed in sun-kissed Rio on 30 July.
Delayed: Building work at the maracana stadium is to over run by a year. Photo: Reuters
Alarm bells are ringing over Brazil’s preparations for the 2014 World Cup. Plans have already been criticised by Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, and it emerged on Thursday that the Maracana stadium, which is to host the final, will require a new roof and may not be ready until 2013.
It was expected that the ground in Rio de Janeiro, which has not been used since last September because of renovation work, would be ready by the end of this year, but Ricardo Teixeira, the Brazilian football federation president, said the target now was the 2013 Confederations Cup.
The initial project was to keep the roof but Teixeira said “unexpected” problems had led engineers to conclude that it would be easier to install a new one than carry out repairs. The project will cost an estimated £400 million in total.
Blatter complained this week that “the World Cup is tomorrow and the Brazilians are thinking it’s the day after tomorrow”, as he compared Brazil’s state of readiness unfavourably with South Africa’s at a corresponding stage.
His comments follow a warning from Pele, who is expected to be an ambassador for the tournament, that the country “is running a huge risk of embarrassing itself in its handling of the World Cup. It has the obligation to host a successful World Cup.”
Misgivings were echoed by those assessing the technical side, with a report finding that most of the stadiums were behind schedule.
The reaction in Brazil has been mixed, with O Globo newspaper advising Fifa to “stay calm”. There are also suggestions that Blatter’s criticism needs to be viewed in the context of internal Fifa politics with Teixeira, a former Blatter ally, reportedly changing sides to vote for Mohammed Bin Hammam in the coming Fifa presidential election.
Orlando Silva, Brazil’s sport minister, said: “This is more a question of diverting attention from internal issues that involve Fifa than a realistic analysis of the work being done.”
But a consultant from the respected Fundacao Getulio Vargas institute, which has collaborated on the planning for World Cup 2014, acknowledged that “up until now it’s promising to be a mess. We need to move fast to work this out. But the first thing to do is to admit the problem exists.”
Another view is that the plan to stage the tournament in 12 cities was overblown. While some grounds are making encouraging progress, Fifa alarm has been triggered by the fact that work has yet to start in Natal and Sao Paulo.
The latter is planned to be the Corinthians stadium at Itaquera but there has been controversy both over the venue and the cost to transform the projected venue from a capacity of 45,000 to 65,000 as the stage for the opening game in June 2014. A sticking point has been facilitating extra funding.
It is widely believed in Brazil that problems over stadiums and other issues, such as security and transport infrastructure, can be pinned on the country’s Byzantine politics. Last year progress to 2014 appeared paralysed as the country went to the polls to replace President Lula. His successor, Dilma Rousseff, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the project but budgets cuts of around £20 billion are likely to have an effect.
Critics also blame the Brazilian FA and Teixeira for the problems, arguing that neglect of Brazil’s domestic football structure and personal ambitions are complicating preparations.
Juca Kfouri, a leading journalist, said: “The main problem is the lack of credibility of who is running the local organising committee. In France it was Platini. In Germany Beckenbauer. In Brazil it’s Ricardo Teixeira.”
Teixeira is also the centre of attention in Brazil’s Congress, where there are attempts to set up an inquiry into the handling of preparations for 2014 and the sale of television rights. Among the controversies are questions about where the profits from 2014 will go.
While Teixeira still has powerful allies, some feel complacency is still Brazil’s biggest problem.
Nearly nine months on since the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ concluded, Asia put the wheels in motion for Brazil 2014 by conducting the draw for the opening two qualifying rounds on Wednesday. 16 of the continent's lowest ranked sides will battle against each other in the first phase, with the eight winners advancing to join a further 22 teams in the next stage. Australia, Korea Republic, Japan,Korea DPR and Bahrain – the confederation’s top five teams in South Africa 2010 qualifying – will automatically enter in Round 3.
Yesterday's event largely turned out to be kind for some traditional powerhouses, with four-time FIFA World Cup qualifiers Saudi Arabia drawn to meet Hong Kong. Fellow east Asian giants Iran cross paths with Maldives, a side against whom they netted 22 unanswered goals against over two legs in qualifying for France 1998. Team Melli legend Karim Bagheri scoring a then FIFA World Cup record seven goals in Tehran.
China PR, the fifth highest Asian team in the current FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking, are pitted against the winners of Cambodia and Laos. While a comfortable aggregate victory should be within their grasp, head coach Gao Hongbo refused to take their prospective opponents lightly. "We have paid the price for our slip-ups on too many occasions in past World Cup bids, so the lessons we must learn is that we can't underestimate any opponent," said Gao. "We should focus our attention on preparation and do our best regardless of the rivals."
The opening round will also provide some of lesser known teams with a rare chance to enjoy the spotlight and cause an upset. Boosted by their recent qualifying success for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, Philippines are keen to shrug off their whipping-boys tag when they take on Sri Lanka. "It is not a bad draw for us," Philippines coach Michael Weiss told FIFA.com. "Sri Lanka represents a force in south Asia but we should have a good chance against them."
Awaiting the Filipinos, should they get the better of Sri Lanka, will be ten-time Gulf champions and 1982 FIFA World Cup participants Kuwait, who are 48 places above the Azkals in the global pecking order. The German tactician remains undaunted saying his side do not intend to merely make up the numbers, regardless of their opponent. "If we have all our top players available with the preparation going smoothly, we have a 30 per cent chance against them,” he said. “At least we will give them a hard time.”
Enticing match-ups The draw throws up a host of intriguing match-ups, with the encounter between 2011 AFC Asian Cup finalists United Arab Emirates and India arguably the most intriguing. Both sides bowed out after the group stage in January's continental competition, but it was the Middle East side that can draw inspiration from a 5-0 friendly triumph over the south Asians in the Asian Cup build-up.
"On paper we may be favourites to win the campaign," said UAE's Slovenian coach Srecko Katanec. "But things are very close nowadays and any team can cause a sensation if they are on their day. Besides, we should also keep wary of the difficulties caused by the hot and humid weather."
The second round also pits some familiar foes together, with Asian Cup semi-finalists Uzbekistan locking horns with Kyrgyzstan in an all-Central Asian affair. Neighbours Tajikistan face another meeting against Syria, with the pair having also met in the qualification campaign for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when the latter prevailed 3-1 on aggregate.
Another former Soviet republic, Turkmenistan, will resume an unlikely rivalry against Indonesia, with the two side’s level on head-to-head record after each claimed a home 3-1 win in their previous meetings, also in Germany 2006 qualifying. For their part, 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar may feel they have a score to settle with Vietnam, after their last meeting ended in a surprise 1-1 draw and contributed to the Gulf nation’s early exit from the 2007 Asian Cup.
Thailand received, on paper at least, a favourable draw. Their coach Bryan Robson told FIFA.com: "We've got either Afghanistan or Palestine, which is quite ironic really as we've just met Palestine in an Olympic qualifier. But if we get the same result and get through to the group stages then I won't be complaining! Obviously the target is Brazil, which is some way off, but we've got to start somewhere."
Round 2 Thailand-Afghanistan or Palestine Lebanon-Bangladesh or Pakistan China PR-Cambodia or Laos Turkmenistan-Indonesia Kuwait-Sri Lanka or Philippines Oman-Mongolia or Myanmar Saudi Arabia-Hong Kong Iran-Maldives Syria-Tajikistan Qatar-Vietnam or Macau Iraq-Yemen Singapore-Malaysia or Chinese Taipei Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan United Arab Emirates-India Jordan-Nepal or Timor-Leste
RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil's2014 World Cup officials are lining up to debunkFIFA chief Sepp Blatter's suggestion they are behind schedule, with Rio de Janeirostate sports secretaryMarcia Lins joining the fray on Wednesday. "Blatter mustn't worry, the (construction) time frame will be met," Lins said in an interview. FIFA president Blatter criticised on Monday what he called Brazil's day-after-tomorrow attitude to their World Cup preparations. He said political infighting was delaying work especially in Rio, which is to host the final at the giant Maracana stadium, and Sao Paulo where work has not yet begun on a venue to hold the opening match. The Brazilian government and the local organising committee also said soccer's ruling body FIFA should not worry and invited Blatter to come and see for himself. "If (FIFA) have doubts they can be clarified. They can come here and watch the work going on at the Maracana," said Lins, repeating the invitation to Blatter. "We have cameras monitoring the works and the local organising committee have access. There are daily visits and inspections that will show the Maracana won't be a problem for the (2013) Confederations Cup," Lins added. "The stadium will be ready in December 2012. There's no risk of that not happening." MAIN ARENA Lins said she was working on the basis of the Maracana being the main arena for the Confederations Cup which will act as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup a year later. "It's a natural thing. One of the objectives of the Confederations Cup is to test the stadiums for the (World) Cup. The Maracana, apart from staging the final, will be used for other matches," she said. "Rio is also the gateway toBrazilwhich gives the stadium even more relevance." The project for the stadium's refurbishment is to be officially unveiled on April 19. It will detail all the work to be undertaken including whether the run-down upper tier will be restored or rebuilt from scratch -- which is expected to increase costs from 705 million reais ($428 million) to more than one billion. "If we opt for restoring (the Maracana) it will get a new lease of life of something over 10 years," Lins said. "If we decide on reconstruction, that time could be 20, 30 years depending on the materials we use."
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's top soccer official has hit back at criticism from FIFA boss Sepp Blatter, saying there was harmony between the government and the 2014 World Cup tournament's organising committee.
"I'm unaware of any conflict between mayors and governors in any of the twelve 2014 World Cup venues," said Brazilian Football Confederation president Ricardo Teixeira, who is also head of the Local Organising Committee (COL).
"On the contrary, FIFA has seen for years the combined work of the public authorities with the Local Organising Committee and FIFA itself," he said in a statement posted on the CBF website (www.cbf.com.br).
Teixeira said Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff had shown her support "concerning the federal government's principal attributes (airports and urban transport)."
Blatter had been scathing of progress on the tournament on Monday, and said political squabbles were a principal cause of the delays, particularly in Rio de Janeiro, which is to host the final at the giant Maracana stadium, and Sao Paulo where work has not yet begun on a stadium to hold the opening match.
Teixeira said the Maracana would be ready within the deadline set by FIFA in 2013 in time for the Confederations Cup which serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup finals despite problems recently discovered in the upper tier that will have to be redone from scratch rather than simply restored.
He added that he had been given guarantees from the parties involved in building a new stadium in Sao Paulo that it would also been ready within the set time frame.
"It's not the job of the CBF to pressure governors, the less so when there's no reason to do so," Teixeira said before he invited Blatter to Brazil to see the progress of work.
