The major football convention of 2013, Soccerex was due to be held in Rio de Janeiro next month but was canceled when the State Secretary of Sport withdrew their support. An official statement from Soccerex said "the ongoing civil unrest" forced the Secretary to shut the event down. This comes as a disappointment to soccer fans as well as the organizers planning the 2014 World Cup. The 2014 football event is scheduled to take place in Rio. Organizers are striving to show that Rio is ready to host the world cup despite the violent protests which have broken out across Brazil.
In an official statement from Soccerex the organization lamented the fact that they had to cancel the convention, especially with the event well underway. Speakers, performers and other content had already been planned and confirmed but Soccerex felt that in the wake of the violence stretching across Brazil it would be best to cancel the event. The news of the canceled event was announced Tuesday night. Meanwhile the Brazil 2014 organization committee was in London preparing for the World Cup draw on December 6.
The Soccerex statement reads: Preparations for the event at the Maracanã Stadium were well advanced with content planned, speakers confirmed and partnerships in place. To be summarily cancelled in such a cavalier fashion, having hosted 33 events over 5 continents is extremely frustrating but nevertheless it has happened and is in contravention of all of the contractual obligations of the Rio State Government, who have been notified of our intention to instigate legal proceedings for substantial compensation. While the cancellation is an immense shock for everyone involved with Soccerex, it is important to note that the Soccerex Global Convention is contracted in Manchester for the next four years beginning in September 2014.
Soccerex noted that other events planned by the organization will take place as scheduled. In November the Soccerex African forum will go on and there are another two events set to be announce. One of the two new Soccerex events will be held in Russia and another one in the Americas. "On behalf of all at Soccerex, I would like to apologize to every business, football club, league, federation and media organization affected by this news," said Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie. "This unique and cruel conclusion to our time in Rio was completely out of our hands and everyone who has attended a Soccerex event over the last 18 years will know this is not how we do business."
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