BRASILIA, BRAZIL (AP) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has defended the spending of nearly $12.7 billion on preparing for the 2014 World Cup.
Rousseff says the money that will be invested in infrastructure in the 12 host cities will bring great benefits to the entire country and will create an important legacy.
Rousseff also notes that the World Cup is already generating jobs for thousands of workers helping to build and renovate the World Cup stadiums, and will attract hundreds of thousands of tourists to the country.
In her weekly column published in newspapers across Brazil on Tuesday, Rousseff dismissed the notion that public funds were being wasted on stadiums. She said the venues are being financed by the private sector with the help of loans from Brazil's National Development Bank.
By Elaine Donnelly
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