BRASILIA: The domestic ambitions of Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo means he will not be stepping down immediately to add another snag to Brazil’s relations with FIFA ahead of the 2014 World Cup finals writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Rebelo was nominated last weekend by the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) to stand for governor of Sao Paulo in nationwide elections next autumn.

Election law prevents a registered candidate from serving as a government Minister so it would have inevitable that Rebelo, who has applied a welcome steadying hand to the troubled domestic effort, would not be able to see the job through.

Rebelo, believing that President Dilma Rousseff should have the option of giving his successor as much time as possible, submitted his resignation on Thursday.

Rousseff, however, refused to accept it and, after further negotiations, she understood that Rebelo had agreed to remain in place to see the World Cup job through.

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