FIFA's Valcke Apologizes to Brazil; Sochi 2014 Unveils Live Site Plans

(ATR) FIFA confirms to Around the Rings that under-fire secretary general Jerome Valcke will travel to Brazil next week for a check-up on 2014 World Cup progress after apologizing to Dilma Rousseff's government for saying tournament organizers needed a "kick up the backside" to accelerate preparations.

Valcke sent a letter to Brazilian sports minister Aldo Rebelo on Monday night, saying he "deeply regrets that a misinterpretation in the translation of his words have caused much concern.

"In French, 'se donner un coup de pied aux fesses' just means 'to pick up the pace' or, in Portuguese, 'retomar o ritmo' and, unfortunately, this expression was translated into Portuguese using much stronger words."

Valcke added: "I would therefore like to apologize to you and also to anyone who was shocked by my words."

Rebelo was outraged by Valcke's critical comments on Friday and said Saturday that Brazil would no longer deal with the FIFA No. 2.

The row escalated on Monday when Marco Aurelio Garcia, a senior adviser to President Rousseff, called Valcke a shameless "loudmouth" and echoed Rebelo's remarks that the FIFA chief was no longer welcome as a negotiator in 2014 World Cup preparations.

The dispute appears to have put Valcke's next host city tour beginning on March 12 in jeopardy.

But a FIFA spokesperson in the Brazil 2014 office told ATR: "Yes, they are still the plans."

Ahead of Valcke's scheduled arrival, a FIFA delegation begins Tuesday a week-long check-up to monitor the progress of construction on stadia and infrastructure projects.

For continued coverage of Valcke's apology as well as the FIFA inspection tour , visit ATRsister site World Football INSIDER.

Sochi 2014 Unveils "Live Site" Plans

Olympic organizers in Russia will set up at least two "live sites" to coincide with London 2012.

Sochi and Krasnodar are the first confirmed cities to join this ambitious program launching with the upcoming Summer Games, Sochi 2014 announced Tuesday.

More big screens, sound, light and stages will follow inthe traditional celebration areas of Russia’s city centers for upwards of 30 million people to watch the Winter Games together in less than two years.

"The energy and support of tens of thousands of people will certainly be transmitted to the athletes," said Sochi 2014 president and CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko.

"It is symbolic that the Krasnodar Region has been the first to join the project, since it will also host the first-ever Russian Winter Games."

Such sites with video links to key Olympic venues are becoming increasingly popular since Sydney 2000 and are expected to attract thousands of people a day to eachof 22 iconic urban centers throughout the UK during the 2012 Games.

Yzerman Reprises Olympics Role

Canadian ice hockey great Steve Yzerman will help assembly the country’s Olympic squad for a second straight Winter Games.

USA Today reports that the retired Detroit Red Wings center and current Tampa Bay Lighting general manager will reprise his role from Vancouver 2010 as executive director of a management committee consisting mostly of other National Hockey League GMs.

"While winning in Vancouver was something unique and extraordinary, I am as excited about taking on another great challenge," said Yzerman, the sixth leading scorer in NHL history and one of the few players to win an Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup in the same year (2002).

Hockey Canada executives Bob Nicholson and Brad Pascall will round out the selection team alongside Red Wings GM Ken Holland, St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong and Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe.

Whether they’ll get to pick NHL players for Sochi 2014 remains undecided but will be a key issue in this year’s negotiations for a new collecting bargaining agreement.

Written by Mark Bisson and Matthew Grayson.

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