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Brazil pressed for new laws leading to World Cup

Comment: 0 November 9th, 2011 by: admin

World Cup host nation Brazil are again being subjected to pressure by FIFA who has called for the country to pass a number of laws that give special consideration to World Cup-related practices and regulations if the sporting event set for 2014 is to push through.

Considering the nearing deadline of the event, delaying such concerns is not an option and there was ‘not a moment to lose’, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke told the Brazilian Congress last Tuesday.

At present, the footballing body is calling for Brazil to enact a number of special laws that involve and regulate piracy penalties, alcohol selling during the matches, and ticket sales.

FIFA’s regulations, however, conflict with the country’s national policies such as one that offers students and elderly citizens a 50% discount on entertainment – including football matches.

Addressing that particular concern, Valcke said that FIFA was willing to compromise by offering a limited number of discounted tickets amounting to about 10 percent of the total number of available tickets.

The country, however, is currently refusing to allow the selling of alcohol in stadiums, possibly endangering FIFA’s agreement with a number of its sponsors.

Brazil is also bidding to allow non-right holding local stations to have limited television broadcasts of the World Cup matches – something that FIFA refuses to allow.

According to Valcke, Brazil has been asked to pass the legislation as far back as 2007, when it first received the hosting duties.  He also stated that the same agreements were made and implemented by former World Cup hosts including Germany (2006) and South Africa (2010).

He continued to say that the agreement, the same one that was set with Brazil, has in no way been altered.

‘We haven’t changed a word of what was accepted and what was asked for by FIFA in 2007 so that Brazil would host this World Cup,’ Valcke said.

Despite expectations that the laws will be voted on this year, the country’s sports ministry announced that up to 20 debates would be needed regarding the agreements.  Therefore, voting on the law would have to be delayed until next year.

Currently, FIFA’s insistence that Brazil pass the laws has reportedly been striking at a few nationalistic sentiments within the citizens.

This concern is also emanating within Congress, as some of its members have reportedly reacted negatively to FIFA’s pressing and have threatened to further delay the bill’s approval.

Reports state that part of Congress is former Brazil striker Romario, who has exhibited an outspoken attitude against FIFA implementing pressure on the country, which has won five World Cup trophies (the most of any nation).

‘I will battle so that FIFA doesn’t create a state within its state,’ Romario said.

Conflicts between FIFA and Brazil began to arise when the country started to lag behind the schedule set for various preparations including the stadiums themselves.

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