FIFA criticizes WCup city for scrapping Fan Fest

SAO PAULO — FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has criticized the decision of a Brazilian host city to cancel its Fan Fest, saying the event which allows thousands of fans to watch games for free on large screens is an important part of the World Cup.

Valcke made his comment on Sunday after the northeastern city of Recife said it will not spend public money on a Fan Fest, which lets fans without tickets watch matches in public areas.

"Not having a Fan Fest is a mistake, to make it very clear," Valcke said.

While Recife was the first city to officially cancel the event, others among the 12 host cities have expressed concerns about whether it is worth spending public money on events which usually combine football with musical and cultural attractions. Local vendors are not allowed in the Fan Fest and only official World Cup sponsors can sell products inside the Fan Fest area.

Valcke dismissed the idea that FIFA profits from such events, saying they are something "for the city" and the local fans.

"A Fan Fest is a big part of the organization of the World Cup," Valcke said. "If you don't have a Fan Fest, you are missing something ... (the) kind of communion of people playing a game, playing a part of what a World Cup is for a country."

Fan Fests first became part of the official FIFA program in Germany in 2006, following the huge success of unofficial public viewing events in South Korea in 2002. In 2010, the idea was expanded so that not only did South African host cities stage Fan Fests, but six other international venues also held events.

Valcke is in Brazil for an inspection tour of three host cities. His stop on Sunday was in the jungle city of Manaus, which has confirmed a Fan Fest for about 35,000 people on match days next June.

The secretary general arrives as the country continues to struggle to finish its World Cup preparations. With less than four months before the opener, five stadiums remain under construction, and there are still doubts whether the southern city of Curitiba will remain in the tournament amid significant delays in stadium construction.

The Arena da Amazonia in Manaus is one of the venues not ready, although Valcke seemed happy with what he saw at the stadium, which is 97 percent completed.

Valcke will visit the capital Brasilia on Monday and then goes to the southern city of Porto Alegre, where another problem awaits him. Local officials are continuing to fight over who will pay the nearly $13 million needed to build the temporary facilities required by FIFA outside the venue.

The president of the Brazilian club in charge of the Beira-Rio stadium said "if the problem is not solved, there is a risk we are dropped from the World Cup, and it's not a small risk." Internacional president Giovanni Luigi said the club alone should not be responsible for the cost, but local officials don't want the government to get involved.

After visiting the three host cities, Valcke will head to the southern city of Florianopolis to attend a meeting with representatives of all 32 World Cup teams. His trip ends with a board meeting of the local World Cup organizing committee on Friday, also in Florianopolis.