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Suspense mounts as Brazil presents World Cup bid

By Staff

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 27 (Reuters) Brazil, the only candidate bidding to host the 2014 World Cup, will make their presentation to FIFA on Tuesday, when they should unveil some concrete plans rather than simply recall the past.

Until now, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has concentrated on the political side of the bid and emphasised their country's unparalleled World Cup tradition.

They have hosted the World Cup once before, in 1950 and have been world champions five times.

However, the CBF has not publicly disclosed which cities it proposes to use as venues, nor how it and local authorities intend to overcome the country's chronic infrastructure problems.

The poor state of Brazil's major stadiums could still be a major stumbling-block -- but that appears to be the least of the country's problems at present.

CBF president Ricardo Teixeira will make the presentation with his nation's air transport system reeling from two major crashes in the last 10 months.

The last two weeks have seen hundreds of delays and cancellations as the recriminations continue following the July 17 crash of a TAM Linhas Aereas flight, which killed around 200 people at Sao Paulo's main domestic airport.

With many major roads in an appalling state and railways suitable only for freight transport, it remains a mystery how players, officials and tens of thousands of fans will be ferried around the vast country.

Urban violence is another major worry, especially in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Salvador and Recife.

It is not yet known whether Teixeira's presentation will clarify the issues or simply repeat the old discourse about how Brazil deserves the World Cup on its tradition. Either way, it will know FIFA's thoughts on Oct.30 when the world governing body announces its 2014 decision.

POLITICAL EFFORT South America is due to host the 2014 cup under FIFA's rotation system and Brazil have been favourites to stage the event since 2003 when they were backed as the continent's only candidate by the other nine national federations.

Colombia briefly changed their minds last year and launched their own bid, before pulling out.

However, Brazil can take nothing for granted as far as 2014 is concerned. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said on more than one occasion this year that FIFA would consider hosting the World Cup ''north'' of Brazil if Brazil could not meet FIFA's exacting demands to stage the tournament.

So far, Brazil appear to have concentrated their efforts on the political side including winning the backing of their neighbours.

Two months ago, Teixeira visited the governors of Brazilian states who had expressed interest in hosting games.

They were presented with FIFA's Hosting Agreement, a 92-page document detailing all requirements including 10 requiring formal government commitment.

The Brazilian government was quick to sort out the bureaucratic side, pledging to meet FIFA requirements on questions such as visas, work and import permits.

But the logistical problems remain unaddressed and loom uncomfortably on the horizon.

Teixeira's presentation will come two days after the end of the Panamerican Games in Rio de Janeiro, which tested the country's organisational capabilities on a much smaller scale.

Facilities, including the newly-built Joao Havelange stadium, were widely praised.

However, distances between venues were often huge, the results and transportation systems took several days to crank into action and authorities failed to keep their promise to expand the city's limited metro network.

REUTERS TB BD2109

Story first published: Thursday, August 24, 2017, 15:56 [IST]
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