SAO PAULO, Brazil -- A subway strike in Sao Paulo that threatened to disrupt the opening of the World Cup was averted Wednesday night even as airport workers in Rio de Janeiro declared a 24-hour work stoppage in the main destination for soccer fans travelling to Brazil. Some 1,500 subway workers in Sao Paulo voted against going back on strike in a pay dispute. They had suspended the walkout Monday amid a popular backlash and government pressure to end the transportation chaos in Brazils biggest city. "We thought that right now its better to wait," union president Altino Prazeres said, but added that he wouldnt rule out resuming the strike sometime during the monthlong soccer tournament. "We get the feeling that maybe we arent as prepared for a full confrontation with police on the day the World Cup starts." The union said its members would hold a march Thursday morning demanding that 42 workers fired during the five-day work stoppage are rehired. World Cup organizers are counting on Sao Paulos subway system to carry tens of thousands of fans Thursday to Itaquerao stadium, where Brazil will play Croatia in the tournaments first game far from the hotel areas where most tourists are staying. Even as tensions eased in Sao Paulo, labour conflicts heated up in Rio, where fans were arriving ahead of Sundays match between Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina. On Wednesday, check-in counter clerks, baggage handlers and janitorial staff who have been demanding raises of at least 5.6 per cent for several months voted to strike starting at midnight. The work stoppage will affect the citys Galeao international airport as well as the Santos Dumont airport that connects Rio to other Brazilian destinations A union representative said only 20 per cent of workers would stay off the job for 24 hours, abiding by a labour court order that threatened to fine unions more than $22,000 if staffing fell below 80 per cent of normal levels. The official agreed to discuss specifics of the walkout only if not quoted by name because he wasnt authorized to speak publicly. The airport workers strike is the latest unrest to hit Brazil as workers battered by several years of high inflation take advantage of the spotlight from the World Cup to pressure for pay raises from employers and the government. In the northern city of Natal, where the United States plays its first game Monday against Ghana, bus drivers will stay home Thursday for at least 24 hours to press their demands for a 16 per cent pay increase. Teachers remain on strike in Rio and routinely block streets with rallies, and subway workers in that city briefly threatened a walkout. Police in several cities have also gone on strike in recent weeks, but are back at work now. There also has been a steady drumbeat of anti-government protests across Brazil criticizing the billions spent on hosting the World Cup and demanding improvements in public services. The protests that began last year have diminished in size but not in frequency, and they also have disrupted traffic at times. ------ Associated Press writers Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo and Bradley Brooks in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report. Joel Embiid Jersey . According to the Red Wings Twitter feed, Zetterberg plans to practice with the team on Thursday and is aiming for a second round comeback. Wilson Chandler Jersey . A-Rod is also disqualified from any post-season play. So at the tender age of 38, he will miss all of next season. 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INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts owner Jim Irsay is known in NFL circles as a tough businessman and eccentric billionaire who enjoys interacting with fans about his beloved team and favourite songs from bands like the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. He may end up adding convicted felon to the mix. Irsay was pulled over near his home in suburban Carmel just before midnight Sunday by police who said they found multiple prescription drugs inside his vehicle. He was spotted driving slowly, stopping in the roadway and failing to use a turn signal, and police said Irsay failed several roadside field sobriety tests before he was arrested. The drugs werent associated with any of the pill bottles found inside, police said. Some werent even in bottles. The 54-year-old Irsay, who acknowledged a painkiller dependency more than a decade ago, faces preliminary charges of misdemeanour driving while intoxicated and four felony counts of possession of a controlled substance. If Irsay is charged and convicted on the felony counts, he could face six months to three years in prison on each count. Chief Deputy Prosecutor Andre Miksha said no decision had been made on formal charges and a hearing was set for March 26. Irsay, whose mug shot was posted on websites for millions to see, said nothing as he left the Hamilton County Jail after posting bond Monday. A short time later, he tweeted: "Deepest thx to family, friends, fans, colleagues for the messages of support, thoughts and prayers. Impossible to tell u how much this means." An NFL spokesman said Irsay is subject to discipline but didnt elaborate on what that might be. Detroit Lions president Tom Lewand was suspended for 30 days and fined $100,000 in 2010 for violating the NFLs personal conduct policy following his guilty plea to driving while impaired. Current and former NFL players were clearly watching the case with interest. "I want to see what the NFL does about this Jim Irsay situation if a player loses a game check no matter the amount he should lose a game day," Atlanta Falcons wide receiver White tweeted. "Im guessing a million dollar fine will come which is nothing to a man that makes billions." White, accused earlier this year of failing to appear in court for speedingg and tinted window citations, added: "I dont think Irsay is a bad guy I actually like him as an owner but it was a bad mistake.dddddddddddd." Authorities would not say what drugs Irsay was allegedly caught with, but they were listed as Schedule IV drugs by the Drug Enforcement Administration. That type of drug, which includes Xanax, Darvocet and Ambien, has a low risk for abuse or dependency, according to the DEA. Irsay acknowledged in 2002 that he had become dependent on painkillers after several years of orthopedic operations but said he had overcome the problem after undergoing treatment. The DEA investigated the case, but local prosecutors at the time said they saw no reason to charge Irsay. In October 2013, Irsay tweeted that "I dont drink ... havent in over 15 years." Irsay became the Colts owner in 1997 after the death of his father, Robert Irsay, and a lengthy legal battle with his fathers second wife. Forbes magazine has estimated Irsays net worth at $1.6 billion. He helped build the Colts into a top NFL team over the past decade behind quarterback Peyton Manning, now with Denver, and was a key player in the drive to bring the Super Bowl to Indianapolis two years ago. He is working with some success to rebuild the team behind young quarterback Andrew Luck while coping with a painful divorce that follows a decade-long separation from his wife of 33 years. Irsay has cultivated a relaxed image that fans have responded to. Irsay has said the public wants owners who are "down to earth" and hes done his best to keep his fans up to date on his team -- and lots of other things. "Dont ever mix NiQuil and Ambien...itll give U gas and u might end up on Capitol Hill," he once tweeted. Irsay has written his own poetry, songs and short stories and plays the guitar. He is an eclectic collector of everything from letters from Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson to electric guitars that once belonged to famous musicians, including one said to be the last guitar played by Jerry Garcia before he died in 1995. He made headlines by buying the handwritten scroll manuscript of Jack Kerouacs beat poem "On the Road" for $2.43 million and sending it on a nationwide tour. 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