FIFA remains confident it can deliver "a safe and successful" World Cup in Brazil next year amid widespread anti-government protests and demonstrations which have hit the ongoing Confederations Cup.
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff responded to the unrest by issuing a public address to the nation on Friday night, where she explained among other issues that the funding for the World Cup would not be coming out of the public purse.
An estimated one million people have been involved in protests in cities across the country, initially over rising transport fares but quickly developing into rallies against other issues, including government corruption and also the amount of public money spent on the 2014 finals - which Brazil are hosting for the first time since 1950.
Protests have affected the ongoing Confederations Cup, with local media claiming the eight-team competition, which includes Spain and Italy as well as the hosts, could be stopped. However, FIFA have issued a statement reiterating there are no plans to abandon the tournament despite some of the demonstrations descending into violence.
"We welcome Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff's address to the nation, and we reassert our collaboration with the (Brazilian) government to deliver a safe and successful Confederations Cup and World Cup, which all football fans can enjoy," a spokesman said at the media briefing at the Maracana Stadium.
Rousseff had used her address to try to allay fears the Brazilian people would be saddled with the huge costs of putting on the World Cup, with the Olympic Games set to follow in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
She said: "With regard to the World Cup, I want to clarify that the federal money spent on the stadiums is in the form of financing that will be duly repaid by the companies and governments that are exploiting these stadiums. I would never allow these funds to come out of the federal public budget or to damage priority sectors such as health and education.
"In fact, we have strongly expanded spending in health and education, and we will expand it more and more. I trust that the National Congress will approve the bill I presented that ensures that all oil royalties are spent exclusively on education."
The disruption and violence has also raised questions over Brazil's ability to put on a safe and secure tournament in 12 months' time, but Rousseff insisted her country would rise to that challenge.
"This violence, promoted by a small minority, cannot tarnish a peaceful and democratic movement," she continued. "We cannot live with such violence, which shames Brazil."
Source: PA
