Blatter relaxes with World Cup: "Where is the social anger?"

FIFA President praises the quality of the 2014 World Cup and the end of Brazil's "social anger" against the tournament, which, according to him, had "nothing wrong"; "Where is this social anger? Where are the large demonstrations? I congratulate the Brazilian people. They accepted this World Cup. They made it a success," said Joseph Blatter; the official admitted errors by players and referees, but stressed that the level of football has increased and that there are no longer dominant national teams; "There are surprises. There are no more dominant nations. That's over. Everyone is on the same level. The level has increased a lot"; including, apparently, his own.

July 02, 2014, 15:41 pmUpdated May 27, 2019, 10:22 AM

FIFA President praises the quality of the 2014 World Cup and the end of Brazil's "social anger" against the tournament, which, according to him, had "nothing wrong"; "Where is this social anger? Where are the large demonstrations? I commend the Brazilian people. They accepted this World Cup. They made it a success," said Joseph Blatter; the official admitted errors by players and referees, but stressed that the level of football has increased and that there are no longer dominant national teams; "There are surprises. There are no more dominant nations. That's over. Everyone is on the same level. The level has increased a lot"; including, apparently, his own (Photo: Gisele Federicce)

247 - "Social anger" against the World Cup has disappeared and the Brazilian population "has accepted this World Cup," celebrated FIFA President Joseph Blatter on Wednesday, July 2nd, in a speech during a seminar organized by FIFA and the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) in Rio de Janeiro. The Swiss leader praised the organization of the World Cup, which, according to him, "had nothing wrong," and celebrated the quality of football displayed in the competition.

"Where is this social anger? Where are the large demonstrations? Greetings to the Brazilian people. They accepted this World Cup. They made it a success. It's a success not only for the country, but also a success for football," he said.

Joseph Blatter also refuted negative predictions that the works would not be ready and praised the organization of the World Cup. "We have eight games to play, let it be the same standard and atmosphere. All the foreign press has spoken about it. Nothing was wrong, everything is good. Of course, it's not perfect. The stadiums weren't supposed to be ready? They are ready. The stadiums are works of art," he said.

Blatter admitted that the event "is not perfect" due to "incidents" that occurred "because players and fans make mistakes. Referees also make mistakes," but he emphasized the high technical level of the event. "There are surprises. There are no more dominant nations. That's over. Everyone is on the same level. The level has risen considerably," assessed the FIFA president.

The FGV event "FGV FIFA Master Alumni Sports Management" is in its third edition and discusses the role and legacy of mega sporting events for Brazil in the coming years. Representatives from large companies, sports secretaries, researchers, and academics involved in the debate on the globalization of football, sport and social responsibility, the impact of the World Cup on Brazilian football, and the challenges of organizing a World Cup attended.

On Tuesday, FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke also celebrated the success of the event during an interview on the Seleção SporTV program. "I think, without a doubt, it's the best World Cup when it comes to football. But what we're seeing in the streets, in the cities where the games are taking place, is what everyone expected from Brazil. We expected something unique, something we'll remember forever. I think Brazil is on track to deliver everything we expected," he said (read more). closest).