Brazil says World Cup legacy justifies the cost

By Brian Homewood

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil has promised it can meet the huge costs of staging the 2014 World Cup and that the legacy of improved public services and foreign investment will justify the expenses involved.

But, amid the jubilation which followed FIFA's decision to award the tournament to the country on Tuesday, there were also worries that public spending could spiral out of control.

Brazil currently does not have a stadium which meets the requirements for a World Cup finals match and at least 10 to 12 arenas would have to be completely reformed or built from scratch.

Eighteen stadiums have been put forward on a preliminary basis of which 14 already exist and four would be brand new.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has estimated that the stadiums alone would require investments of $1.1 billion (532 million pounds), which it says would come from the private sector.

"The model (of investment) gives priority for private investment in the construction and reform of the stadiums," said CBF president Ricardo Teixeira during his presentation to FIFA in Zurich on Tuesday.

In an interview with O Globo newspaper two days earlier, Teixeira said the CBF had already been in contact with foreign investors over stadium reforms.

Away from the stadiums, spending on infrastructure will be provided by federal, state and city governments.