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Blatter to meet with Brazil president

Blatter will travel to Brasilia to try to patch up the differences after FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke infuriated the Brazilians by saying organisers needed "a kick up the backside" over slow preparations for the tournament.

"The meeting, which will also be attended by Brazil sports minister Aldo Rebelo, has been confirmed by the two entities today," FIFA said in a statement.

Valcke's remarks caused uproar in Brazil, prompting the government to notify FIFA it would no longer accept the Frenchman as the governing body's point man for the World Cup.

Blatter sent a letter offering an "apology to all those who had their honour and pride wounded, especially the Brazilian government and President Dilma Rousseff."

However, he has not been able to exert the same influence in Brazil and has become exasperated at the country's Congress over its delays in approving a so-called World Cup bill.

Brazil's preparations suffered a further setback on Monday when Ricardo Teixeira, the head of the Brazilian Football Confederation and local organising committee, resigned.