By David Gold

Romario holding_World_CupNovember 13 – Following the FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, promising he would release files relating to the organisation's former marketing partner ISL, which are believed to implicate four members of world football's governing body, the Brazil legend Romario has said he will press for the documents to be given to politicians in the country.


The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) chief, Ricardo Teixeira, who is currently being investigated for alleged money laundering, is believed to be one of the names identified on the documents as having received payments from ISL and faced questioning from Romario, now a politician, at Brazil's Congress last week on the issue.

Also believed to be identified on the list are the former FIFA President Joao Havelange and Cameroon's Issa Hayatou, who are both members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Paraguay's Nicolas Leoz is fthe fourth FIFA Executive Committee member allegedly named on the list. 

The company collapsed in 2001 with debts in the region of $300 million (£188 million/€216 million), and though the papers had been blocked by FIFA, Blatter relented to pressure recently by announcing that an independent body would be able to look at the documents and decide whether action was necessary against any members of the organisation.

Romário, who scored 55 goals for his country, wants himself and fellow legislators to have access to the documents as well and said that their release would be "crucial for the [2014 World Cup] to take place with clarity and honesty in our country.

"I've have nothing against FIFA or against the Brazilian Federation, but as a Congressman I have the responsibility to defend the sovereignty of my country.

"I will fight until I can't to keep FIFA from establishing a state within this state.''

Ricardo Teixeira_behind_name_plate_World_Cup_draw_Rio_July_29_2011The 1994 World Cup winner has been a prominent critic of the preparations for Brazil 2014, and has also called on Teixeira (pictured) to give up some of his powers.

The CBF head is, as well as being a FIFA Executive Committee member, the head of the Organising Committee for the World Cup.

This accumulation of powers has led to significant criticism, as well as delays in preparations for 2014, as Teixeira delayed and then passed on to FIFA the responsibility for naming host cities as he did not want to alienate his political base in the country by excluding some cities from the process.

This led to a number of years effectively being thrown away before preparations got underway, and another former Brazil great, Pele, lamented the slow pace of preparations, but is placing his confidence in the Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, to turn the situation around.

"It is sad and it worries me that we have to go through this even though we knew eight years ago that the World Cup was going to be held in Brazil," he said.

"It seems everything is being solved, there are some delays but I'm certain that everything will be ready.

"We have problems with transportation and communications, but the government will do everything necessary to get things ready."

Adding that it was "scary" how far Brazil was behind with the renovation of stadia and creation of infrastructure, Pele also said that the Government should sign the World Cup law FIFA has been pressuring them to agree to, adding that "FIFA cannot be blamed."

He said: "This is not new for the Brazilian Government – it accepted all of these demands, now it has to find a solution and I know that it will find it."

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