Blatter rethinking awarding Brazil host rights for 2014 Football World Cup

Johannesburg: FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted that Brazil may have been the wrong choice as the host for the 2014 Football World Cup in view of the social protests at the Confederations Cup held in the country last month.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets during the warm-up tournament in June, demanding better public services and expressing their anger over the costs to stage the World Cup. Stating that he will discuss the issue with Brazil`s president Dilma Rousseff, Blatter said that the global football governing body would have to rethink their decision of awarding the hosting rights to Brazil if such protests happen again, although he added that the government is now aware that next year the World Cup should not be disturbed. According to Blatter, these protests were like alarm bells for the government for which they should work to stop such events from happening again even though protests , if peaceful, are part of democracy and therefore have to be accepted, adding that FIFA cannot be held responsible for social discrepancy in the country. Meanwhile, Blatter also said that the success of next year`s tournament will be instrumental in his decision as to whether he will stand for president for a fifth time in 2015 or not, adding that not all of the governing body`s tasks have been fulfilled yet. Stating that he and the board will need to complete the reforms, Blatter further said that he would then need to deliver the World Cup successfully, adding that FIFA should be taken over by a person who can add to its credibility and also be able to ensure its financial health. According to a report, the Confederations Cup, which was won by Brazil, angered citizens who are upset with the billions of dollars spent on the tournaments while they endure under-funded schools and hospitals. Without FIFA`s executive committee having to vote, Brazil had won the right to host the tournament in October 2007, which was six months after the only other candidate, Colombia, withdrew its bid, the report added. ANI