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World Cup Countdown Celebrations Cancelled after Fire Tragedy in Brazil |
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Football - 28 Jan 2013 - Celebrations to mark 500 days to go until the start of soccer’s 2014 World Cup in Brazil have been cancelled after the country went into mourning following the deaths of more than 230 people in a fire in a night club in the southern city of Santa Maria.
Fifa, the sport’s international governing body, said that a special event in the Brazilian capital Brasilia had been called off in respect to the victims.
Meanwhile, the unveiling of the official World Cup poster has been postponed until Wednesday.
Jérôme Valcke, the Fifa secretary general, who began a four-day visit to Brazil in Fortaleza on Sunday, issued a statement on his Twitter page which read: “Very sad to hear of the tragedy in southern Brazil. My condolences to the families of victims.”
A joint statement from the federal government, the sports ministry, Fifa and the local World Cup organising committee said they were "extremely sad for what happened and give their sympathy to the families of the victims."
The deadly fire, which is thought to have been caused by an indoor fireworks display in a night club packed with revellers, including a large number of students, will have raised concerns about public safety as Brazil prepares to host the World Cup and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
However, Fifa said it has “full confidence in the security plans of the LOC and the local authorities.”
The Rio 2016 organising committee expressed “solidarity with the families and friends of the victims of this tragedy,” adding that “it wishes a quick recovery to those affected.”
The International Olympic Committee said that “we simply send our sympathies to friends and families.”
Following the tragedy, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff withdrew from an international summit in the Chilean capital Santiago to return to Brazil and has declared three days of national mourning.
Valcke was in the north-east city of Fortaleza as the Arena Castelao, the first of the 2014 World Cup stadia to be completed, staged its opening matches yesterday. Fortaleza and Sport played out a 0-0 draw while Bahia beat Ceara 1-0 in games in the regional Copa do Nordeste.
The 67,000-capacity venue was inaugurated last month at a ceremony attended by Rousseff.
Sportcal
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