Disruption fears over 2014 Brazil World Cup
Football’s governing body FIFA says the 2014 Brazil World Cup will go ahead, despite violent protests and concerns stadiums will not be ready.
There have already been reports building work is behind schedule, while next month’s global Soccerex conference has been cancelled amid security fears.
The key global conference, due take place in Rio de Janeiro next month, has been called off amid concerns among "ongoing civil unrest" in the country, according to the BBC.
England manager Roy Hodgson was among those who had been due to attend. Soccerex has apologised for the decision.
A number of anti-government protests in Brazil have turned violent this year. Protesters are demonstrating about corruption in public life as well as spending on hosting the World Cup and Olympics.
The Brazil Government "strongly denied" civil unrest was the reason for the cancellation and instead cited a "funding dispute", the BBC added.
The event would have been the last of four scheduled Soccerex conventions to be held in Rio.
Soccerex chief executive Duncan Revie called the cancellation "cruel" and said he wanted to apologise to "every business, football club, league, federation and media organisation affected by this news".
Despite the sudden cancellation, FIFA said it did not suggest heightened security fears for the World Cup.
Marketing director Thierry Weil said: "We do not believe this will have any influence in any way or form on the organisation of the FIFA World Cup."
Sky News reports: "A recent wave of incidents at several of the proposed stadia for the tournament had thrown into doubt Brazil’s ability to meet FIFA’s completion deadline for stadiums to be ready for next summer’s tournament."
Work was temporarily halted at the Arena da Baixada stadium in the city of Curitiba last month after a judge ruled there was a serious risk of accidents to workers, while work on the Arena Pantanal stadium in Cuiab has been slowed down because of a fire.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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