BRASILIA: FIFA has hit a new setback in hopes of a comparatively speedy resolution in the wrangle with Brazilian parliamentarians over the so-called ‘World Cup Law’ which should underpin all the legal controls and government guarantees for the finals in 2014.

Vicente Candido, charged with steering the World Cup law through its various stages, has said that it will not now be possible to push the text of the Bill through the lower house until some time in the new year.

A late change in the text took upon the Brazilian government all responsibility for any negative costs and damages arising out of the World Cup hosting. Enough Congressmen objected to prevent a vote yesterday which would have authorised the Bill.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and secretary-general Jerome Valcke both made no secret, after last week’s FIFA’s executive committee meeting in Tokyo, of their continuing concern at the slow pace of progress of World Cup preparations.

Inquiry commission president Renan Filho said: “The intention of the government and FIFA and everybody was to have the vote by now but we can put it to the vote only when the political wind is favourable. At the moment the government and the Opposition are agreed that we cannot guarantee everything FIFA wants.”