On Monday, FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke sets off on his bi-monthly visit to Brazil accompanied by a footballing icon in the form of Ronaldo and the country’s Minister of Sports Aldo Rebelo, as he seeks to visit all 12 Host Cities by the end of the year.
The FIFA Secretary-General will visit Fortaleza and Salvador for the first time in order to gain a first-hand insight on preparations in the respective cities.
Before the delegation departs to Fortaleza, the FIFA Secretary General and Ronaldo as a Member of the Administrative Board of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) will have meetings in Brasilia with the Sports Minister.
“I am very pleased that the Sports Minister and Ronaldo are accompanying us on these important visits,” said Valcke. “Their participation underlines our joint commitment to make the 2014 FIFA World Cup a success. The host cities and states are key stakeholders as they provide the basic key infrastructure. The discussions with the local authorities are important particularly to be able to exchange information. But naturally the 2014 Bill will be the foundation of Brazil’s successful hosting; therefore I will also use my time in Brazil for numerous meetings with various stakeholders to explain particular issues together face-to-face and make sure that we can close this chapter by March. The clock is ticking ever faster and the anticipation is rising for all of us.”
On Tuesday the delegation will be shown Fortaleza and its FIFA World Cup Stadium by the Governor of Ceará, Cid Gomes, the State Secretary for the FIFA World Cup, Ferruccio Feitosa and the Mayor of Fortaleza, Luiziann3 Lins. In 18 months’ time Fortaleza will act as one of the Host Cities for the FIFA Confederations Cup which takes place between 15-30 June 2013.
“On my first visit as an LOC member, I will be able to observe the latest progress made by the local teams and we will be able to discuss with the local authorities the preparations in the venues,” said Ronaldo. “2012 is an important year for us and our joint journey underlines the significance that we all...
