 Thursday, 17th Dec 2009 09:03 The Brazilian football team could base itself in Ipswich and play pre-tournament games at Portman Road ahead of their 2012 Olympic campaign, according to chief executive Simon Clegg. Brazil’s gymnastics squad are already basing themselves in town and Clegg says their footballing counterparts, which would be an U23 side, could join them in Suffolk ahead of the London Games. Clegg told TWTD: “I’m delighted that we’ve now got the Brazilian gymnastics team here in Ipswich. “There is the possibility of other aspects of the Brazilian team coming here as well and it would be great if we could attract the Brazilian football team. It’s on the table and it could happen, although we’re a long way off signing the detail. “But we also have to be very clear that nothing will compromise our preparations for that season, that is the over-riding factor. If we can work around that to deliver some further benefit in terms of supporting [England’s bid for the World Cup in] 2018/2022 which has got some peripheral benefit to the club, then that’s something we should explore.” In last year’s Olympics in Beijing, Brazil finished third in the men’s tournament, which was won by Argentina, and lost in the final of the women’s competition to the United States. Portman Road previously hosted a pre-Olympics friendly in 1959 between Great Britain and the Caribbean FA ahead of the 1960 Games in Rome. Clegg says the club considered putting itself forward as a potential venue for the FA’s 2018 bid, for which midfielder Carlos Edwards is an ambassador, but it was decided it was too expensive given the club’s current position: “I looked very seriously about the possibility of us bidding for the World Cup but that required a 40,000-seater stadium net and when you drilled down it meant you actually needed a 44,000-seater stadium gross because of the number of seat kills through press and VIPs. “It would have been entirely irresponsible for me to commit the club to that sort of expenditure at this moment in time. “That doesn’t mean we don’t aspire to being involved in England 2018 or 2022 in the event of the bid being successful for pre-tournament games.” Town’s facilities could be used by one of the countries playing games at Milton Keynes, the Blues having been one of the MK Dons’ backers in their successful campaign to be included in the 2018 bid. In the summer, Clegg revealed that the club had put Portman Road forward for possible use at the 2015 Rugby World Cup but says there has been “little movement” on the proposal in the last six months.
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