BRASILIA: Old World Cup hero Romario has stepped up his attacks on the Brazilian football confederation (CBF) and its president Jose Maria Marin.

Romario, using extra opportunities offered from his new parliamentary role as a tourism commission chairman, criticised Marin last week over the issue of the long-term Nike sponsorship of the Brazilian national team.

Now he has demanded that the government of President Dilma Rousseff steps in and acts against the CBF leadership which includes Marco Polo del Nero, a vice-president who took over the seat on the FIFA executive vacated last year by scandal-battered Ricardo Teixeira.

Romario demanded, via his Twitter account: “For the love of God, President Dilma, Public Ministry and Ministry of Sport, intervene in the CBF. Things are getting worse and worse.”

Marin has come under increasing pressure over his links to events during the tenure of the old military dictatorship.

In fact, were the government to take over the running of the CBF it would place Brazil in direct contravention of FIFA statutes which seek to prohibit – on pain of expulsion – any federation subject to political interference.

That would be highly embarrassing for Brazil three months from the start of the Confederations Cup and 15 months out from its delayed-wracked hosting of the World Cup.

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