By David Gold
September 8 – A delegation of FIFA and Brazil 2014 members have visited the renovation works on the iconic Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
It will host the final of the FIFA World Cup in 2014, as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Maracanã is one of the six stadiums set to host matches at next summer’s Confederations Cup, including the final – the traditional practice run for the World Cup.
Undergoing a $643 million (£400 million/€454 million) renovation, the stadium will host three games at the Confederations Cup and a further seven at the World Cup.
The vice-governor of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Fernando Pezão, met with the delegation and informed them that nearly two thirds of the works on the stadium had been completed.
Pezão said that work on the stadium should be complete by February 2013, although it was originally scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
Last year the stadium’s roof had to be removed because of faults, but now that has been resolved progress appears to be moving according to plan.
“The aim is to be able to receive the press, the athletes, the referees, the fans in the best possible conditions,” Brazil 2014’s director of operations Ricardo Trade said.
“There’s nine months to go to the Confederations Cup and we’re already beginning to feel the adrenaline rush.”
The visit to the Maracanã is the first part of the delegation’s visit to a number of World Cup host cities, which will take in Belo Horizonte, Recife, Salvador, Fortaleza, Brasília and São Paulo.
The slow pace of construction of the stadiums for the World Cup has been a concern but it appears to have picked up in recent months.
São Paulo will stage the opening game of the World Cup at its newly constructed stadium, 48 per cent of which is complete despite work only beginning last year.
At the close of August, only stadiums in Cuiabá, Curitiba, Manaus and Natal were less than 50 per cent complete.
Only 51 per cent complete, Recife (pictured above) is the biggest concern for FIFA.
It could yet lose the right to host games during next year’s Confederations Cup.
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