Brazil 2014: "The World Cup in Brazil was and is a gigantic festival" (Joseph Blatter, FIFA)

"Right from the kick-off on 12/06/2014, football took centre stage and has remained there ever since. The World Cup in Brazil was and is a gigantic festival -- a festival of football from Copacabana to Maracanã, from Manaus in the tropical north to Porto Alegre in the deep south, where the temperatures are reminiscent of late autumn in Europe," said Joseph Blatter, president of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), on 11/07/2014.

"The World Cup in Brazil was also a World Cup of big names: Messi, Robben, James [Rodriguez], Thomas Müller and Neymar, the tragic hero," added Joseph Blatter in an article entitled "Thank You, Brazil" published on 11/07/2014 in FIFA Weekly, which is put out by the international federation.

"The event we have been privileged to witness over the last four weeks in Brazil has exceeded all expectations. In fact, it has demolished all of the preconceptions and doom-mongering. The media spent the build-up darkly predicting every conceivable horror scenario, from chaos to protests and unfinished stadiums. The prevailing wisdom was that Brazil…