FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that the bomb attack on the Boston Marathon Monday "was a tragedy and a warning to sports organizers to increase security," according to Nelson Acosta of REUTERS. While visiting Cuba, Blatter said, "What happened to Boston is a drama, it is a tragedy and an attack on sport, in one of the most popular sports, the marathon. It is incredible, but it is our society, a society that is violent." Blatter was questioned about security during next year's World Cup in Brazil. Blatter: "Security (at sports events) is the responsibility of the government that organizes the competitions. The police, armed forces, secret services ... of the 31 teams that qualify (for Brazil 2014), that will be a work force that will be in Interpol's hands. We can't do anything more" (REUTERS, 4/17). XINHUA reported Blatter held talks in Havana Wednesday with Cuban President Raúl Castro "as the last stage of his schedule on the island." According to the official release published by the National Information Agency, Castro and Blatter talked about the development of football in Cuba. Castro and Blatter also talked about local projects impelled for several years with the support of FIFA, "concerning to the professional training of coaches and referees, holding competitions, and the repair of sport institutions" (XINHUA, 4/18).
