The Tribune

By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer SAO PAULO (AP) -- A congressional commission in Brazil has delayed a vote on a key World Cup bill, handing another setback to FIFA and local organisers trying to speed up the country's preparations for the 2014 tournament. The final text of the bill regulating football's showcase tournament was expected to be approved on Tuesday but some members of the commission asked for more time to analyze the proposed law. That means the vote won't likely happen before Carnival next week, and the bill is unlikely to reach the lower chamber and the Senate by the end of March, as expected by FIFA. President Dilma Rousseff will still have to sign off the law after it is approved by both chambers. Commission President Renan Filho said some issues on the bill still need to be discussed with the government before the final text can be approved. "I won't set another date until this negotiation is completed," he told the private Agencia Estado news service. The law would put in place the final commitments made by Brazil's federal government when it bid to host the World Cup. It would give FIFA the necessary guarantees and set the legal framework for the event, the first in Brazil since the 1950 tournament. The commitments mostly fall along commercial lines and involve ticket sales, broadcasting rights and the Brazilian government stepping up enforcement of any FIFA trademark infringement during the Cup. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has been urging Brazilian lawmakers to approve the bill, saying that it is crucial for the country's organisation of the World Cup. He has said that Brazil promised to approve the proposed regulations when it won the bid back in 2007. But the bill has generated controversy in Brazil, with critics saying that it gives too much power to FIFA. Former Brazil star Romario, now a congressman, recently criticized the bill and said that "FIFA cannot boss us around in our country." Romario said he met with FIFA President Sepp Blatter in Switzerland last week to discuss some of the issues on the proposed law. "Blatter asked me to help get the bill approval," Romario said in a statement. "I promised to help, but I made it clear that I was there as a congressman serving the Brazilian people and I gave him my suggestions." Among the issues causing problems is the sale of alcoholic beverage inside stadiums during football matches, which is something that has been against the law in Brazil since 2003. FIFA has stated that the issue is practically nonnegotiable and reiterated that it will sharply defend the commercial rights of all its sponsors -- among them brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, the maker of Budweiser. Other disputes between FIFA and the Brazilian government include liability for security and safety problems, and the sale of discounted tickets to students and the elderly as guaranteed by Brazilian law. Romario said he asked Blatter to try to facilitate the inclusion of cheaper tickets for the elderly. "The retired Brazilians won't have the financial condition to pay (for the tickets)," he said. "They may end up being left out of the World Cup because of that."