FIFA chief Sepp Blatter told Brazilian organisers of the 2014 World Cup that actions not words will boost the tournament's embattled profile. Blatter also insisted that a line has been drawn beneath FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke's notorious outburst that Brazil needed a "kick up the backside" after building projects for the tournament fell behind schedule.
"We expect actions and not only words," Blatter told a news conference on Friday after a two-day session of the governing body's executive committee. The FIFA president also dismissed fears that fans would be scared off visiting Brazil by a combination of hotel prices and the exhausting travelling distances between venues.
"I am optimistic. There are always problems with hotels, the situation is not perfect," he said. "It was the same in South Africa in certain cities. But this is not going to prevent supporters from going to Brazil." On Valcke's comments which so enraged Brazil that the general secretary was told he would not be welcome in the country, Blatter said: "We have absolute confidence in our secretary general who is responsible for the 2014 World Cup and those that follow."
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