Sepp Blatter gives FIFA World Cup 9.25 out of ten

Rio de Janeiro: FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Monday lavished praise on the World Cup in Brazil, saying it had been a "very special" event.

"What makes the World Cup so very special this time is the quality of the football, the intensity of the Games," said Blatter, adding FIFA gave the tournament 9.25 out of ten. Blatter saluted the passion and the intensity of the 32 teams in the event which culminated in Germany beating Argentina in the final on Sunday to win their fourth title. "There was not one single match which didn`t have this intensity," Blatter told reporters, while conceding that no tournament could ever be perfect. "It`s more than emotion and passion -- it is a drama," said Blatter, who was presiding over his fifth World Cup as the head of football`s world governing body. He said that after an explosive first phase teams had become more tactical, but that the tournament had been one of the most attractive ever, with a joint record 171 goals scored. Blatter also said that the event had been notable for its spirit of fair play but said football had to continue to strive ever harder to erase racism Brazil`s Local Organizing Committee said it calculated that some 700,000 foreign visitors had visited Brazil in June alone -- 132% more than the same month last year when Brazil hosted the eight-team Confederations Cup. Prior to the World Cup Brazil had predicted 600,000 foreign visitors for the World Cup as a whole. Deputy Sports Minister Luis Fernandes said one of the resons why the event had gone so well, after initial concerns at construction delays and poor infrastructure was strong integration between organizers and the government.