BRASILIA: Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo has hurried to reassure FIFA that the ill-tempered security chaos in Sao Paulo last week will not be repeated at the 2014 World Cup writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

The Copa Sudamericana final between Sao Paulo and Tigre was abandoned at half-time – with the hosts declared the winners – after players and coaches of the Argentina complained they had been threatened at half-time by gun-toting police.

On Saturday in Tokyo FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that outrage abroad should be considered as a warning by the Brazilian sports and security authorities.

Rebelo issued an official response that “the Brazilian government will take all necessary measures to guarantee safety and security” at the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup.

Earlier, responding to the negative image of Brazilian football which had been headlined around the world, Rebelo had said: “Brazilian football has no tradition of violence on the pitch. The Brazilians, when they play football, are thinking more about gambling and the sport than anti-football issues.

“This was a one-off incident which had to do with the bad feeling which arises occasionally in matches between South American teams.”

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