Football: FIFA apologises to Brazil

BRASILIA: Football’s governing body Fifa apologised to Brazil in a bid to defuse a blazing row over criticism of the country’s lagging preparations for the 2014 World Cup. Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke ignited the controversy when he suggested that the Brazilian organisers needed a ‘kick up the backside’, which drew a sharp rebuke from Brazil. Subsequently, Fifa President Sepp Blatter stepped in to calm the row, offering an apology over Valcke’s remarks which Brazil perceived as an affront. “Both as Fifa president and personally, I would like to apologise to all those who feel that their honour and pride has been injured,” said Blatter.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2012.