December 27 – Brazil’s World Cup preparations were dampened with another infrastructural setback with the revelation that the 73,000-capacity national stadium in Brasilia has a leaking roof less than eight months after it was completed.
Local media reported that parts of the Mane Garrincha Stadium got drenched during a recent women’s match between Brazil and Chile.
Secopa, the local government agency that runs the stadium, played down the problem and said it would be resolved well in time for the World Cup.
“Because it is a new, grandiose and complex stadium, some small points are still being corrected and tested but there is nothing that compromises the running of the stadium or the holding of events there,” Secopa said in a statement.
The stadium, which cost more than 1.2 billion real ($508.99 million), will stage six World Cup matches including a quarter-final and the third-place playoff.
The venue was inaugurated in May and hosted the opening match of the Confederations Cup between Brazil and Japan a month later. It has held 17 major events since then, including several first division football matches.
Half the 12 World Cup stadiums being used for the World Cup are behind schedule while five construction workers have died while working on various sites in recent months.
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