Brazil 2014: "They will take the trophy and we will be left with our overpriced stadiums" (Romario)

"[Brazilian president] Dilma [Rousseff] will have to present the trophy to another team. They will take the trophy and we will be left with our overpriced stadiums and no concrete legacy. But in terms of less tangible things, we have shown the world that in spite of our difficulties, we are a happy people," said Romario, 1994 world champion (70 caps, 55 goals) and MP for the state of Rio de Janeiro (Brazilian Socialist Party), on 09/07/2014, following the elimination of Brazil by Germany in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup (7-1) on 08/07/2014.

"You think this is a problem with the players or the manager [Luiz Felipe Scolari]? Absolutely not! [...] The corruption in the CBF [Brazilian Football Confederation] has its origin in the Brazilian clubs; it's important to remember that it is the federations and clubs that have been electing the same group of bigwigs. [...] They're bankrupting themselves, drowning in billions in debt to banks and non-payment of taxes ..." Romario continued, writing on his Facebook page.

"Our football has been deteriorating for years, it has been sucked…