FIFA have been forced to assure football fans that the Confederations Cup will go ahead after local media reports claimed the competition was in danger of being cancelled due to the ongoing protests in Brazil.

CBN radio and the website of the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper, both respected, mainstream media, carried reports that the eight-team tournament, considered a dry run for next year's World Cup, was in danger.

'FIFA will claim compensation from Brazil if the Confederations Cup has to be suspended,' said a headline on CBN's website.

Protesters are demanding an end to government corruption and demanding better public services while claiming too much money is being spent on the competition, next year's World Cup and the 2016 Olympics that are costing almost £26billion combined.

'On the legal side, there's a certain degree of confidence on FIFA's part that if the tournament is cancelled, it can launch a claim from the Brazilian government, if there are no safety guarantees for the competition or the World Cup,' said the report by Juck Kfouri, a veteran Brazilian sports journalist.

'There is strong speculation, which won't go away,' he added, referring to rumours that the competition was in danger.

The Estado said that FIFA was negotiating with the teams to try to persuade them to stay.

'The protests in the streets of Brazilian cities have forced FIFA to negotiate with the teams to keep them in the Confederations Cup," it said.

'By law, if there is no guarantee of safety, it could force the tournament to be cancelled.'

But governing body FIFA have since moved to allay fears the tournament could be prematurely brought to a halt.