July 31, 2007	Tuesday	Rajab 15, 1428

PARIS, July 30: Brazil, the only candidate bidding to host the 2014 World Cup, is set to officially present its bid at the headquarters of world football's governing body FIFA in Zurich on Tuesday.

The Brazilian delegation, headed by Brazilian federation (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira and which includes famous author Paulo Coelho and 1994 World Cup star Romario, is set to declare they have agreed to all the guarantees demanded by FIFA to host the event.

This first administrative step will put the bid, for what the Brazilians want to call “Copa 2014,” officially into the FIFA system.

FIFA have said repeatedly: “Even if Brazil is the only candidate, it has not yet obtained the right to host the 2014 World Cup.”

The only other country which might have made a bid was Colombia but it pulled out of the running in April.

Only problems with the bid however could derail hopes of organising an event last held on Brazilian soil in 1950 when they lost in the final to Uruguay, a defeat which rankles among Brazilians to this day.

One of the headaches in such a huge country is which stadiums would be used and 22 cities have officially thrown their hat into the ring. Between 10 and 18 cities could be chosen but the figure would probably be 12.

Rio de Janeiro will surely host matches but that would throw up the question of whether to renovate the mythic Maracana stadium or use the Engenho de Dentro stadium, which was inaugurated for the 2007 Pan American Games which have just finished.

Brazil, which also hopes to host the 2016 Olympics in Rio, wants to follow in the footsteps of Germany (1974 World Cup and 1972 Olympics), and Mexico (Olympics 1968 and 1970 World Cup).

However a senior European IOC member said last week that it would be unlikely that Rio would succeed in winning the right to host the Olympics.—AFP