New sports minister pledges ‘great’ World Cup

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)—Brazil’s new sports minister Aldo Rebelo pledged Monday that the South American country will put on a “great World Cup.”

Addressing corruption scandals and delays surrounding the 2014 World Cup, Rebelo spoke just days after Brazilian media reported that Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the 2014 World Cup organizing committee, is preparing to resign.

Teixeira, a member of FIFA’s executive committee, is being linked to an investigation of kickbacks at ISL, the marketing agency that owned World Cup television rights until its 2001 bankruptcy with debts of around $300 million.

Rebelo was named in October to replace Orlando Silva, who resigned after being embroiled in his own corruption scandal.

Rebelo spoke at the opening ceremony of Soccerex in Rio de Janeiro, a global trade show for the football industry.

“It is not only the world of football that is going through tough times because of claims of corruption, problems with racism, intolerance,” Rebelo told hundreds of delegates at the convention. “These facts are undesirable. These are things that are happening in the whole world.”

The minister’s comments touched on problems surrounding Sepp Blatter, the embattled president of FIFA, who has been under growing pressure to reform football’s world governing body following a series of scandals.

FIFA has promised to publish Swiss court papers in December identifying senior officials who took payment from ISL. British broadcaster BBC has named the officials as Teixeira and his former father-in-law Joao Havelange, the longtime FIFA president who Blatter succeeded in 1998.

Speaking on the sidelines after his address, Rebelo was asked about the tension between FIFA and Teixeira. He hinted new blood might be needed.

“This is nothing new, this has always been my opinion,” he said. “The renewal and rotating system in any institution is always a good thing for sport and democracy.

Rebelo also addressed organizational problems in building infrastructure such as airports and stadiums and getting World Cup venues ready on time.

FIFA officials have repeatedly said the preparations are behind schedule. Earlier this month FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke told Brazilian lawmakers that the pace of work had to be stepped up, saying “we are late, we can’t lose a day.”

“Rest assured that Brazil will have a great World Cup in 2014,” Rebelo said. “We are also going to have a good World Cup in terms of organization. The federal government, the state governments and the municipal governments of the 12 host cities are fully engaged in organizing this event to meet all the expectations of the world, of our country, of the athletes, the tourists and the organizers and promoters.”

“From Tibet to Patagonia,” he added, “humankind expects Brazil to have a good World Cup.”

Tony Martin, chairman of Soccerex, also defended Brazil.

“Those that have misgivings about the hotels, transport facilities, stadiums not meeting five-star criteria are wrong,” he said. “This marvelous country has a way of doing things in its own relaxed manner, but invariably will deliver on time.”

Thierry Weil, FIFA’s marketing director, said the scandals were having little effect on FIFA’s major sponsors and partners. He described sponsorship deals for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup package as “going extremely well.”

He said FIFA was talking frequently with sponsors about the reforms promised by Blatter.

“Currently we have not any sponsor—or any partner—who has thought about stepping out,” Weil said. “They want to be informed and to know about the measures.”

Weil compared FIFA to a family with some problems.

“You see that a lot of people are saying wrong things. Somethings are maybe right,” Weil said. “We are on the way to change it.”