CHRISTIAN RADNEDGE REPORTING

LONDON: Brazilian legend Ronaldo says that the organisation of the FIFA World Cup in 2014 will be “perfect”. However he was less enthusiastic about his country’s chances of lifting the trophy at the tournament.

Ronaldo, top scorer in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning side, was speaking at  the Leaders in Football conference on a panel which was outlining how the preparations are going for the finals  in less than two years.

Ronaldo leading the line for Brazil 2014 in London

“The organisation has to be perfect,” he said. “It will be perfect; we guarantee it will be perfect but as to the sporting side, there are no guarantees there.

“We have the worst FIFA ranking ever in history but it is a difficult moment for the national team. But we will be playing at home and have the support of the nation and I think it will have a positive impact – otherwise I will be playing again!”

Also on the panel was Brazil 2014 executive director Ricardo Trade who spoke of the organising committee’s great working relationship with FIFA – despite Jerome Valcke’s angry comments earlier this year that Brazil needed a kick up the backside.

“We are studying together and just to say it’s very important we are learning a lot from past events,” he said. “We worked in South Africa and some of our people were in Germany in 2011 and with FIFA we are developing things together, shoulder by shoulder, defining things.

Trade also said that they were working with FIFA and the Brazilian government on the price of the tickets which will be announced after a meeting in Sao Paolo on November 8.

FIFA’s head of communications Walter De Gregorio said that the inspection team would return to Brazil as early as next week (October 15) for its  next five-day visit.

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