World Cup 2014 draw: Ricardo Teixeira, Brazil's most powerful football figure, calls British media ‘corrupt’

As president of the Brazilian federation the CBF and the 2014 World Cup organising committee, Teixeira is all-powerful in Brazilian football, but he has made plain his dislike for the English since being accused in Parliament of seeking inducements in the 2018 World Cup bidding process, and by the BBC’s Panorama of receiving bribes from collapsed sports marketing agency ISL.

Teixeira strongly denied the accusations. In an interview with Brazilian magazine Piaui published this month, he described the English as “a bunch of pirates”, said the allegations levelled by Lord Triesman and Panorama were motivated by spite following the 2018 defeat, and promised to “make life hell” for the BBC in 2014.

He also declined an invitation to attend a dance at the Copacabana Palace hotel to mark the Queen’s birthday, telling staff, “nobody is going to anything British”.

His dislike for the media is not confined to the UK. He told the same interviewer that “the Brazilian press is a bunch of jackasses”. The entire staff of Brazil’s biggest sports newspaper Lance! are banned from the World Cup draw because of their repeated criticism of Teixeira’s running of the Brazilian game.

Despite being chairman of the organising committee Teixeira is yet to take a question from the domestic and international media who have been in Rio for five days.

He made a brief appearance at a press conference, during which he welcomed the media, but would not field questions. When asked why by English journalists, he replied: “Because you are corrupt.”

Teixeira is understood to have seen coverage of the News International hacking scandal in the UK and has told officials here that it vindicates his view of the English media.

The 64 year-old has been president of the CBF for 22 years but his tenure is increasingly unpopular in Brazil and a protest march is planned today to coincide with the draw, with supporters of the Teixeira Out campaign planning to march from the centre of Rio to the Marina de Gloria, where the draw is being held.

Teixeira dismissed the media the day after Sepp Blatter said the Brazilian’s comments about England were “not in the spirit of fair play”. Yesterday Jim Boyce, of Northern Ireland, the new home nations representative on the executive committee, criticised Teixeira for attacking England. “Somebody in a high position such should not be attacking other associations. I am disappointed that somebody would make such comments,” he said.

Teixeira’s running of the CBF has been subject to several inquiries by the Brazilian Congress. He dismisses them as the result of political manoeuvring rather than corruption.

Teixeira, who is likely to run for the Fifa presidency in 2015 with the support of his mentor Joao Havelange, has boasted that he will be able to “get away with anything” during the 2014 World Cup.

“The most slippery, unthinkable, Machiavellian things,” he said. “Denying press credentials, barring access, changing game schedules. And you know what? Nothing’ll happen. You know why? Because in 2015 I’m out of here. Then it’ll all be over.”