Brazil’s sports minister Aldo Rebelo says FIFA's concerns with preparations for the 2014 World Cup are the result of cultural differences and he is confident the country is capable of hosting a great tournament.

"There are two ways of looking at this problem,” Rebelo said. “The way the Brazilians see the challenges and the way the Europeans see them. It’s not a conflict of information or a division, there is a certain conflict of cultures. The Europeans don’t quite understand the culture of the tropics.”

Rebelo said Brazilians may not seem as organized as the Europeans, but they will always deliver on time. He used Carnival as an example.

He said that if a European tourist visits a samba school just a week before Brazil’s Carnival parades, he or she probably won’t believe the disorganization will ultimately turn into a precise and harmonious event that highlights the Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil.