Sao Paulo: Pele says it was scary to see how far behind Brazil was in its preparations to host the 2014 World Cup.
He said that it made him sad that it took so long for the country to start seriously preparing for the tournament, but added he was confident Brazil will do what needs to be done in time.
The football great defended FIFA for asking Brazil to urgently approve a law establishing the legal framework needed for the World Cup, saying the government knew of the world governing body’s demands when it bid to host the tournament.
Pele also said Neymar did the right thing by choosing to stay in Brazil instead of accepting an offer from a European club, adding that Santos has a good chance of beating Barcelona in the Club World Cup next month in Japan.
Pele, the World Cup’s official ambassador in Brazil, said he was surprised with some of the delays in the 12 host cities, including in construction for some of the stadiums that will be used in the monthlong tournament scheduled to begin in less than three years. “It was scary,” he said. “It is sad and it worries me that we have to go through this even though we knew eight years ago that the World Cup was going to be held in Brazil.”
He said, however, that President Dilma Rousseff was fully aware of the challenges Brazil was facing and won’t let Brazil fail.
“It seems everything is being solved, there are some delays but I’m certain that everything will be ready,” he said. “We have problems with transportation and communications, but the government will do everything necessary to get things ready.”
Pele made the comments at a press conference to promote a research institute that bears his name and is aimed at helping children across Brazil.
He also said he thought FIFA was right to ask Brazil to sign the law that will allow Brazil to deliver the final commitments it made to FIFA in its bid to host the World Cup and the 2013 Confederations Cup. (AFP)