Brazil players drunk at World Cup - report

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AFP) - Brazil players had all night drinking sessions at the 2006 World Cup finals and Ronaldo was vastly overweight, Brazilian federation (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira was quoted as saying by a local newspaper.

The Estado de Sao Paulo daily reported extracts from a conversation in Zurich between Teixeira and a representative of the company which is promoting Brazil's bid to host the 2014 World Cup finals for which they are the sole candidates.

Brazil were favourites to win the 2006 edition but lost 1-0 to France in the quarter-finals.

Teixeira criticised AC Milan striker Ronaldo, who weighed 98kg at the start of the competition.

"How can an athlete weigh 98kg during a major finals," Texeira said. "I am not a sportsman and I don't weigh as much as that.

"Certain (unnamed) players returned to their hotel drunk between 4:00am and 6:00am. How could no one have seen that."

The head of the Brazilian delegation in Germany last year, Marco Paulo del Nero, replied, in comments published by O Estado de Sao Paulo, that he had not seen such scenes.

"I didn't see anything and, if such incidents happened, the technical staff did a very good job of covering them up."