By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke, charged with sorting out the Qatar 2022 World Cup debacle, has more pressing matters on his hands having returned to Brazil amid uncertainty about whether next year’s hosts will be able to deliver the final six stadiums by the December deadline.
Valcke has made numerous visits to Brazil to check on progress at the 12 venues and with the tournament looming ever closer, he said his latest inspection tour was a means of exerting a “certain pressure” on the country to be ready for next summer.
Brazil insists all the venues will be up and running despite persistent hold ups. Last week construction workers laid down tools in the southern city of Curitiba because of safety concerns. The stadium in Cuiaba had been on schedule to be completed by the FIFA deadline but now there are problems with seating.
Valcke warned again there was “no plan B” for the World Cup and that venues which were not ready by December would be ditched.
However, he was full of praise for the Beira Rio stadium in the southern city of Porto Alegre. “There’s been a big change since we were here last time. Porto Alegre is a city that lives and breathes football. Everyone who visits the city next year will be able to see that for themselves,” he said.
Valcke is being accompanied by Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo and World Cup ambassadors Ronaldo and Bebeto. He is due to meet Thursday with the Local Organising Committee in Rio.
FIFA announced this week that it has received a record number of 152,101 volunteer applications for the tournament in Brazil, more than double the number in South Africa in 2010 (70,000) and more than triple the total for Germany in 2006 (45,000).
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