FA give the all-clear to England's World Cup base in Rio despite unflattering reviews

The first port of call for the FA advance party in Brazil for the World Cup draw was another check on England’s team base at the Royal Tulip Hotel on Sao Conrado Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
The location has received highly unflattering comments on the TripAdvisor website, while there have also been scare stories about open sewers and security risks from the nearby favela.

But the FA staff report to Roy Hodgson, who is due to see the hotel renovation programme himself this week, will be far more favourable.

Team base: England will stay at the Royal Tulip Hotel in the neighbourhood of Sao Conrado in Rio de Janeiro

New look: The Royal Tulip Hotel has undergone a renovation programme ahead of the 2014 World Cup

There are enough upgraded suites on the top three floors for the whole squad and management to live in comfort for a month. The beach is just across the road, as is the Gavea Golf Club, while the hotel has all the facilities and extra space England might need at a tournament.

The hotel are confident about safety, even if the FA’s security chief Ray Whitworth was not there to test it out. Many of the trusted hotel workers live in the Rocinha favela, whose drug gangs had a gunfight outside the hotel in 2010. But the Royal Tulip has since coped comfortably with having the President of Iran, Beyonce’s entourage and Axl Rose as guests.

The hotel houses a hamburger and hot dog bar which is open until 1am. Its flagship burger contains 300g of rump steak, which may not be the best option for Wayne Rooney and Co.
The Wags are not expected en masse in Brazil. But those who do make the trip will find the jewellery shop in the hotel foyer up to their accustomed standard, with pieces costing upwards of £50,000.

Thumbs down: Two reviews of the Royal Tulip Hotel on the Tripadvisor website

 

England’s training ground in Rio at the Urca military base has to be one of the world’s most picturesque football pitches, surrounded by the Atlantic, Sugar Loaf mountain and a fort. But serious work needs to be done on the mottled surface, which now looks even worse than it did when England practised there before the friendly last June.

The FA were accompanied by a representative of their pitch consultants Sports Turf Research Institute when they visited the base yesterday. And the STRI view is that they can devise a programme to get the pitch to the required standard without the need for a total relay before England arrive in six months time.

Pitch: England will train at Fortaleza de Sao Joao in the Urca neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro

 

Only a late invitation from the Brazilian government ensured that Pele attended the World Cup qualifying draw in Rio two years ago. The global icon had scandalously been left off the guest list because of his differences with Ricardo Teixeira, odious former chief of Brazil football. But while Teixeira is now in exile mired in corruption cases, Pele will be centre stage at Friday’s finals draw.

Invited: Pele (left) will be a part of Friday's draw in Bahia for the 2014 World Cup Finals

 

It is traditional for the Horserace Writers Association broadcaster of the year to host the next awards lunch. However last year’s winner Clare Balding declined to present yesterday’s bash. Surely national treasure Clare wasn’t miffed at not being on the 2013 short-list. HWA President Steven Cargill donned a Balding mask at the start of the lunch to highlight his displeasure at the snub.

 

Neville steers clear

Gary Neville is paid handsomely by Manchester United to work as a club ambassador, albeit not at Sir Alex Ferguson’s rates of £2million for 20 days. So there was some bemusement at Old Trafford about England assistant coach and Sky pundit Neville’s comment during an interview plugging the film The Class of ‘92.
He said: ‘I don’t go back. I’ve always felt  awkward when I go back. I probably haven’t been there for six months or a year. You feel that you are interfering.’
A club spokesman said Neville’s ambassadorial duties were not necessarily at Old Trafford.

On the red carpet: Gary Neville (right) and his wife Emma pose for pictures ahead of the Class of '92 premiere

 

Rebecca Lowe is one graduate of the doomed Setanta football production whose broadcasting career has gone rapidly upwards. Lowe has quickly proved herself this season hosting NBC’s Premier League football coverage, which has attracted record ratings, to the extent that she will be part of the American network’s presenting team for the Winter Olympics.