Exclusive: Sao Paulo will stage opening match of Brazil 2014 World Cup officials claim

By Andrew Warshaw in Rio de Janeiro

July 29 – Sao Paulo officials today insisted the city will definitely be ready to stage the opening match of the 2014 World Cup, with a final decision to be made by FIFA’s Executive Committee in October.

Speculation has been rife for months that Brazil’s largest city may have to give way to one of the smaller venues for the prestigious opening game.

But as all 12 cities were officially unveiled on the eve of the qualifying draw, insideworldfootball was told that all hurdles have now been cleared for the new $500 million (£304 million/€348 million) Itaquerão Stadium to get the go-ahead in three months time.

“We have been negotiating with FIFA and have fulfilled all the requirements,” said Luis Paulo Rosenberg, marketing vice-president of Corinthians, who will occupy the new ground.

“All that remains is the formal announcement in October.”

Rosenberg admitted that the stadium will not completed in time for the 2013 Confederations Cup – the traditional test tournament for the World Cup.

But it will still be used for the main event, he insisted.

“When the World Cup operation started, there was another stadium that was supposed to be used but they got nowhere,” Rosenberg said.

“Corinthians then became the only option and we’ve been adjusting our project to move from a 50,000 to a 68,000 capacity with all the requirements of safety and space.

“Brasilia say they want to stage the opening game, let them try.”

Today’s unveiling of the 12 World Cup cities was marred by a spat between the head of Brazil’s World Cup Organising Committee Ricardo Teixeira and a group of English reporters attending the draw.

Teixeira, President of the Brazilian Football Association,, recently branded the British – though he meant to say English – as “pirates” following persistent if unfounded allegations of bribery against him in the build-up to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup votes.

He was named in a Parliamentary hearing by former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman as one of four FIFA members who made improper demands during England’s doomed 2018 campaign though he has since been cleared by an independent panel of any wrongdoing.

Teixera joined national and local dignitaries for a formal presentation ceremony but there was no question and answer session and he was followed out of the arena by journalists wanting to quiz him further on his remarkable outburst made to a Brazilian magazine.

“No English press,” he replied, brushing aside reporters as he made his way to the various promotional stands in an adjacent part of the Marina da Gloria where Saturday’s glittering draw takes place.

Asked why not, he replied: “Because they’re corrupt.”

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