BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - FIFA President Sepp Blatter praises renovation of Rio's legendary Maracana stadium while Brazil's Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo says attempts to disrupt the Confederations Cup will not be tolerated

Record ID: 859376

  • Title: BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - FIFA President Sepp Blatter praises renovation of Rio's legendary Maracana stadium while Brazil's Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo says attempts to disrupt the Confederations Cup will not be tolerated
  • Date: 17th June 2013
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (JUNE 17, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OUTSIDE COPACABANA PALACE VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE, POOL OF REPORTS IN THE AUDIENCE VARIOUS OF FIFA PRESIDENT, JOSEPH BLATTER, AT PODIUM CLOSE-UP OF CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FIFA PRESIDENT, JOSEPH BLATTER, SAYING "It's not a new Maracana. It's still the Maracana. It's full of emotion. It's like a church. It's like a cathedral. You build something, but it's still the same spirit. It is something exceptional this Maracana. The spectators, they answered it. And why they answered it? Because the two teams in the first half, they have presented a wonderful show." CLOSE-UP OF REPORTER TYPING ON COMPUTER KEYBOARD VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZIL'S MINISTER OF SPORTS, ALDO REBELO, SAYING: "Who thought that someone would try to stop the realization of these events? They will face the government's determination in stopping this from happening. The events will be held. The games will be played. We will not tolerate any type of movement that tries to stop the realization of these events. The protests will be tolerated within these limits." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE'S CONCLUSION
  • Embargoed: 2nd July 2013 13:00
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  • Location: Brazil
  • City:
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA17G8POCMS2STJ7FP8JTS2PH58
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  • Story Text: FIFA President Joseph Blatter on Monday (June 17) lavished praise on Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracana stadium as the Confederations Cup got into full swing.

    "It's not a new Maracana. It's still the Maracana. It's full of emotion. It's like a church. It's like a cathedral. You build something, but it's still the same spirit. It is something exceptional this Maracana. The spectators, they answered it. And why they answered it? Because the two teams in the first half, they have presented a wonderful show," Blatter said.
    The first two days of the tournament, which is seen as dress rehearsal for the World Cup, were marred by violent protests, but Brazil's Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said any attempts to disrupt the Confederations Cup would not not tolerated.

    "Who thought that someone would try to stop the realization of these events? They will face the government's determination in stopping this from happening. The events will be held. The games will be played. We will not tolerate any type of movement that tries to stop the realization of these events. The protests will be tolerated within these limits," Rebelo told reporters on Monday.
    Rebelo's comments came after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd of protesters outside the Maracana stadium on Sunday (June 16).
    Protesters tried to pass a police blockade outside Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium where Mexico were playing Italy in the tournament, a run-through event for next year's World Cup finals.
    The protests are ostensibly against the costs of this tournament and the World Cup, but people are also angry in Rio about a local issue surrounding the cost of public transport.
    More protests are expected for later Monday.
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