August 19, 2007	Sunday	Sha’aban 5, 1428

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 18: Brazil, the only country bidding to host the 2014 World Cup, threw down the gauntlet to its candidate cities on Friday by saying it was up to them to prove to FIFA that they were suitable venues.

Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira said his organisation had done the ground work and that the responsibility now lay with the 18 cities who have put themselves forward as candidates to stage games.

Brazilians are divided over whether the country should host the tournament. Many believe the country, plagued by poverty, unemployment and social problems, has other priorities.

Critics also wonder whether Brazil will be able to bring its dilapidated stadiums and creaking transport infrastructure up to the standards demanded by FIFA.

“The CBF has done its part by indicating the 18 candidate cities to FIFA,” said Teixeira. “Now, the ball is in the cities' court. We have given them their homework.

“The choice will depend on the candidates convincing FIFA that they are the best option.”

The 2014 World Cup is due to take place in South America under FIFA's rotation system.

However, FIFA has said that Brazil, which staged the 1950 event, is not guaranteed to host the tournament which will go elsewhere if the bid is not up to scratch.

FIFA will choose the host nation on Oct 30.

The CBF kept details of the bid close to its chest when it formally submitted its plans for staging the tournament to FIFA in Zurich last month.

A delegation headed by Teixeira handed over a 900-page dossier at the headquarters but declined to answer media questions on the size of the bid budget or any potential challenges it faced.

Brazil's candidate cities are Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte in the south-east, Porto Alegre, Curitiba and Florianopolis in the south, Campo Grande, Cuiaba, Goiania and Brasilia in the region known as the centre-west, Salvador, Natal, Maceio, Recife and Fortaleza in the north-east, plus the Amazonian cities of Rio Branco, Manaus and Belem.

Speaking during a meeting with representatives from the 18 cities, Teixeira said they had been given detailed briefings on requirements for stadiums, accommodation, training facilities, medical facilities and transport.—Reuters