Soccer's governing body, FIFA, apologized to Brazil on Tuesday in a bid to defuse a blazing row over criticism of the country's lagging preparations for the 2014 World Cup.

FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke ignited the controversy last Friday when he suggested that the Brazilian organizers needed a "kick up the backside".

That drew a sharp rebuke from Brazil, with sports minister Aldo Rebelo saying Valcke would no longer be welcome as a FIFA spokesman.