Brazil Stadiums Set To Miss Fifa Deadline
Three stadiums being built for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil will not be ready for the deadline of the end of the year, according to FIFA, with Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, Curitiba’s Arena da Baixada and Sao Paulo’s Arena Corinthians stadium all now set to miss the 31st December date.
The construction of the stadia has run into a number of challenges, most recently when two workmen were killed in an accident in Sao Paulo last month.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said of the incident: ‘We’re feeling sad for the families. Sao Paulo will be ready for the opening match. We deplore the loss of the two people who lost their lives.’
The 43,000-seater Arena Pantanal, where a plan for a retractable roof has been abandoned, and the 41,000 Arena da Baixada are also behind schedule, however FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has insisted they will all be ready by February.
Valcke said: ‘We don’t know when the green light [to resume work] will be given [in Sao Paolo].’
‘We are not in a crisis mood, looking at an alternative to Sao Paulo but Curitiba is facing the most problems and clearly won’t be delivered before February 2014.’
‘The people from Curitiba attended a meeting [on Monday] and promised to organise themselves to get the stadium ready by the end of February 2014.’
The draw for next year’s tournament, which starts on 12th June in Sao Paulo, takes place on Friday.
