FIFA Confederations Cup can still be abandoned - Brazilian media

Sections of the Brazilian media have claimed that the Confederations Cup could be abandoned following the massive protests that have swept across Brazil.

CBN radio and the website of the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper are said to have carried reports suggesting that the ongoing tournament was in danger.

A headline on CBN’s website read: “FIFA will claim compensation from Brazil if the Confederations Cup has to be suspended.”

It is believed that an estimated one million people took part in the protests which took place in various cities across Brazil on Thursday. The protests, which have been going on since more than a week, have been about high taxes, inflation, corruption and poor public services. The people of Brazil also claim that the $26 billion of public money has being spent on the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

A report by Juck Kfouri, who is a veteran Brazilian sports journalist, said: “On the legal side, there’s a certain degree of confidence on FIFA’s part that if the tournament is canceled, it can launch a claim from the Brazilian government, if there are no safety guarantees for the competition or the World Cup.”

“There is strong speculation, which won’t go away,” he added, referring to rumours that the competition was in danger.

The Estado claimed that FIFA was negotiating with the teams and they were persuading them to stay.

“The protests in the streets of Brazilian cities have forced FIFA to negotiate with the teams to keep them in the Confederations Cup,” it said.

“By law, if there is no guarantee of safety, it could force the tournament to be canceled.”

The Folha de Sao Paulo said that FIFA and the teams were ‘terrified’ by the situation.

“The competition has become a nightmare for the organization,” it said. “FIFA didn’t imagine that the event would be perfect but the size of the problems is worse than the worst-case scenario.”