Brazil 2014 World Cup hopes hit as football chief Ricardo Teixeira convicted

Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation and one of the 24 Fifa members who will decide whether England host the 2018 World Cup, has been convicted of avoiding customs taxes.

Teixeira, one of the most powerful figures in world football, has been banned from holding political office for three years and cannot enter into commercial deals with state or federal authorities for three years.

The ruling could have drastic implications for the 2014 World Cup organising committee, which Teixeira chairs. The tournament is reliant on government assistance to succeed.

The case relates to an incident in 1994 when Teixeira led the victorious Brazilian team home from the World Cup in the United States.

According to prosecutors, the Brazilian delegation arrived home with 17 tonnes of imported goods that should have been subject to customs tax.

The court heard that at Teixeira’s instruction only the player’s hand luggage was declared, and the remaining luggage was released without appropriate taxes being paid.

Sitting in Rio the judge, Lilea Saucers de Medeiros, ruled that Teixeira is prohibited from contracting with the government or receiving benefits, tax incentives or credit, directly or indirectly, “even through the legal entity of which it is majority shareholder”.

The ruling raises questions about the ability of the 2014 organising committee to operate with Teixeira at its head, but his lawyer argued yesterday that the judgement applied to Teixeira as an individual rather than to bodies he chairs. He will appeal the decision.

The ruling is an embarrassment to Teixeira and the Brazilian federation, as well as to Fifa.

Teixeira, son-in-law for former Fifa president Joao Havelange, is one of 24 members of the world governing body’s executive committee.

This is not the first time Teixeira has been targeted by the Brazilian authorities.

In 2001 the Brazilian congress and senate published the findings of a joint investigation into the football federation that alleged corruption and dishonesty.