Brazil's lower house passes 2014 World Cup bill

PanARMENIAN.Net - The lower house of Brazil's Congress on Wednesday, March 28 finally passed a bill giving FIFA the guarantees needed to organize the 2014 World Cup.

The Congress approved the bill after several delays which had raised concerns about whether Brazil could fulfill the commitments it made to FIFA when it accepted hosting rights for the tournament. The bill will now go to the upper house, the Senate, before reaching President Dilma Rousseff for her signature.

Among the controversial issues was the sale of alcohol inside stadiums, currently against the law in Brazil but demanded by FIFA.

The approved legislation doesn't specifically authorize alcohol sales, but the government says other articles in the legislation mean it can meet FIFA's requirement.

In other issues contemplated by the bill approved by the lower house, the elderly will have access to half-price tickets in all categories of seating, and 1 percent of the tickets will have to be made available to those with special needs, The Associated Press reported.