FIFA scraps speeches from opening ceremony of World Cup

Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff alongside FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the FIFA headquarters.

In what looks like an attempt at avoiding being left red-faced by protesting fans, the governing body of world football, FIFA has decided to do away with speeches at the opening ceremony of the World Cup to be held in Brazil later this year.

At the opening ceremony of the Confederations Cup which was played in Brazil in 2013, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was booed by the fans during her speech. FIFA President Sepp Blatter tried to support Ms. Rouseff and became the recipient of the crowd’s ire instead.

“Friends of Brazilian football, where is the respect and the fair play, please?” intervened Mr Blatter, who then became the target of the protests at the Brazilian capital’s brand-new National Stadium.

Brazil has had a troubled year or so with the public protesting against corruption and the high costs that will be incurred in preparing infrastructure for and hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The protests began shortly before the Confederations Cup got underway in June 2013.

In an interview with DPA news agency, Fifa head Sepp Blatter stated that the social unrest in Brazil was a cause for concern.

“We hope that the World Cup will play a part in calming down the social unrest that we experienced during the Confederations Cup,” Blatter said.

There are other problems looming large ahead of the World Cup too with several of the 12 stadiums scheduled to host the matches still under construction. The Arena Corinthians, in Sao Paulo, where the opening match between Brazil and Croatia is due to be played on 12 June, is one of those venues.

Blatter, however, dismissed fears that the stadiums could not be ready in time for the biggest footballing event in the world.

“Everything with the stadiums will work out. This is not my first World Cup. In the end, all the stadiums will be ready,” Blatter told DPA.

Blatter also said that “the human rights situation” will be factored in before handing World Cups to countries in the future.

The FIFA President, though, did not elaborate on the decision to scrap speeches from the opening ceremony. It is also unclear whether the Brazlian government was consulted before the decision was made.