The meeting was organised following disagreements about a bill submitted for approval by the Brazilian Congress on September 19, according to AFP. The bill seeks to limit FIFA’s control over image rights for the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup, but Brazilian Sports Minister Orlando Silva said that Rousseff had pledged to ensure preparations for the tournament will be smooth.
“We re-examined preparations for the World Cup in Brazil and the Brazilian government reaffirmed their commitments…and the president personally confirmed her intention to prepare the country to offer suitable conditions,” said Silva, according to AFP. Valcke added: “We never said that if Brazil didn’t do this or that the World Cup wouldn’t take place in Brazil.”
Valcke continued: “Either we work together and we arrive at a situation where everyone is a winner or we don’t work together and we’re all losers.” The Brazilian Government announced last month that nine of the 12 World Cup stadia would be ready by December of next year, and the destination of the tournament’s opening ceremony is set to be confirmed later this month.
Source: sportbusiness.com
