Brazil soccer boss resigns amid corruption probe

RIO DE JANEIRO - Ricardo Teixeira, the controversial head of the Brazilian Football Confederation and the man charged with organizing the 2014 World Cup, quit on Monday following a string of corruption scandals.

President of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Ricardo Teixeira listens to a question during a news conference in Rio Janeiro, Dec 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

Teixeira, the most powerful man in Brazilian soccer for more than two decades, suffered from health problems and had been under intense pressure to stand down. Relations between Brazil and world soccer body FIFA have soured in recent weeks as the two bicker over the slow pace of preparations for the World Cup.

The 64-year-old soccer boss tendered his resignation in a letter that was read out to reporters at the Rio de Janeiro headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation, or CBF.

"I leave the presidency of the CBF definitively with the feeling of having done my duty," Teixeira said in the letter.

He said he was standing down for health reasons, just days after he requested a temporary medical leave of absence to treat diverticulitis, a painful bowel condition.

Teixeira will be succeeded in both posts by Jose Maria Marin, a 79-year-old former politician who is little known outside the closed world of the CBF. Marin could run the CBF until early 2015, when Teixeira's term was set to end.

Marin made headlines in January while presenting the winners of a junior football tournament with their medals. Cameras caught him slipping one of the medals into his pocket, prompting accusations of theft.

Marin told reporters on Monday that the medal was a gift from tournament organizers and called the accusations a "joke."

New president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Jose Maria Marin listens to a question during a news conference in Rio de Janeiro, March 12, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

The new head of the CBF paid tribute to his former boss, saying: "He was the main person responsible for bringing the World Cup to Brazil. If he doesn't get our gratitude then he at least deserves our respect."

Teixeira has long been a polarising figure in Brazil, revered by some for helping lead the country to two World Cup titles and despised by others for running the sport like a personal fiefdom.

His departure is likely to be welcomed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who has had chilly relations with Teixeira since she took office in January 2011.

Rousseff was upset that Teixeira did not invite Brazilian soccer great Pele to help organise the World Cup. In a public rebuff, Rousseff named Pele, who has been critical of Teixeira, as Brazil's ambassador for the Cup.

Romario, one of the biggest names in Brazilian soccer, greeted Teixeira's resignation with satisfaction.

"Today we can celebrate," said Romario, the former striker and World Cup winner who is now a federal congressman. "We have exterminated a cancer from Brazilian football."