BRASILIA, Brazil — Kind words were all it took to get FIFA and Brazil back on the same page.
Just two weeks after a public spat raised concerns over the 2014 World Cup, FIFA president Sepp Blatter ended a “short but important visit” to Brazil, easing tensions and re-establishing good rapport with the host country.
With a smile on his face, Blatter shook hands with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and gave her a gift — an old framed photo of the duo alongside Pele. It was a harsh contrast to the last exchange between FIFA and Brazil, one that started with secretary general Jerome Valcke crudely saying the host country needed to speed preparations and ended with the local government wanting to cut ties with the FIFA official.
Pele, who participated in Friday’s meeting as a World Cup ambassador, said the encounter was important to help clear the air between Brazil and football’s governing body, putting “misunderstandings” and “mishaps” in the past.
