SAO PAULO: The departure of Ricardo Teixeira as dictator of Brazilian football has not dampened the angry concerns of old World Cup hero Romario about preparations for the 2014 World Cup finals.
Romario, top scorer as a World Cup-winner in 1994 and now a congressman, has waged war on the terms of the guarantees on which the world federation has insisted, particularly in terms of ticket prices and alcohol sales within stadia.
Now he has complained that FIFA and the government led by President Dilma Rousseff are misleading the Brazilian people by saying the nation will host the greatest World Cup of all time.
This “greatest-ever” is a standard cliche wheeled out every time a World Cup comes around by football officials and politicians but Romario is concerned that his fellow countrymen will be taken in the hype.
He warned delays in redeveloping the general infrastructure means Brazil “will be embarrassed” during the month-long tournament.
He said, on his Facebook page that the World Cup will represent “the greatest fraud in the history of Brazil” because of overspending and the misuse of public funds.
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