January 21 – FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke at last had some good news after his latest visit to the new Sao Paulo stadium in Brazil which will host the opening game of the World Cup.
For once Valcke was upbeat after visiting the Itaquerao stadium, the first on his latest inspection tour, where a crane collapsed and killed two workers last year. He will visit three other host cities before meeting with local organizers in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.
“In a way I would say the pressure is a little bit bigger here,” Valcke said at a news conference. “It’s the first game. It has to be a success. The world will be watching.”
He said he was satisfied with the work at the venue and expects there will be enough time for test events after its completion in April. The World Cup begins on June 12 with Brazil playing Croatia.
“We will do all that we can to make sure this opening game is a success,” Valcke said.
The Itaquerao was among six that missed the December deadline established by FIFA for all World Cup stadiums to be built and is not expected to be ready until mid-April. Local authorities say the stadium is 97% complete, with nearly 30,000 of the nearly 70,000 seats already installed.
Valcke was travelling to the southern city of Curitiba today to inspect the Arena da Baixada before going on to Natal and Cuiaba which was not originally scheduled for the latest tour but was added when a construction report ruled out Manaus where there have been workers’ protests.
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