Protests against World Cup have taken a new shape in Brazil by including a political support blaming FIFA to exploit Brazil by pressuring local administration to agree on its terms. Everyone has seen how devastatingly protests were during the confederation cup, in fact, it was once unsure whether world cup’s warm up event will be completed. Now, adding a political flavor, Brazilian congressman and former soccer starlet Romario has joined the community accusing FIFA to blackmail their country; perhaps he crossed ethics barrier too and used some harsh words against top governing body officials, including President Sepp Blatter and secretary general Jerome Valcke. What he said about them is: “a thief’” and “a blackmailer.” He cracked his strong words during a hearing promoted by tourism and sports commission last Tuesday. The ultimate objective is to ensure Brazil get its due share out of upcoming mega soccer event by encashing mounting foreign currency apart from an improved infrastructure for general public in the country. Actually, the root of this protest is Blatter’s delay to announce a sharing package to the host country which provoked lots of notable delegates to come forward in protest. Romario called FIFA officials not ‘the best person to do the business with.’ He explicitly targeted Blatter and Valcke and called them leaders of a most corrupt organization.
He said via his website, “We can’t expect anything from FIFA, where we have a blackmailer called Valcke and a thief called Blatter. They really don’t represent world football, much less Brazilian football.
“Brazilian authorities shouldn’t trust when signing any deal related to the World Cup. It is with lack of trust that I see his presence in Brazil negotiating with the money of the Brazilian people. Rest assured that I’ll always keep an eye on what is being spent on the World Cup with public funds.’”
This is not the first time he is furious against governing body as he has been so many times in the past. He further added, “I wouldn’t trust if I had to give him 10 reals to buy me bread and milk.” He also urged a thorough investigation over world cup spending and how so many approvals were given without a parliamentarian consensus. Many are calling his strong reaction a personal retaliation against Blatter while many are also supporting his cause, even if motivated, to improve ground realities in Brazil.