By Andrew Warshaw
March 21 – Belo Horizonte officials say their stadium will be 100% ready for the World Cup this summer and have played down a recent leak in the roof just hours before a regional game.
Brazil’s third largest city, which will host six matches including a semifinal, has been relatively free of the infrastructural problems that have plagued World Cup preparations elsewhere.
Earlier this month, however, three pieces of metal became detached and fell on to the pitch and the stands at the Mineirao Stadium being used for the World Cup. The stadium’s drainage system also apparently did not work properly as huge puddles formed before Cruzeiro’s 4-0 win over Minas Boca in the Minas Gerais state championship.
But Belo World Cup City Secretary Camillo Fraga, on a promotional visit to London, said his venue was way ahead of some of the others.
“We were one of the stadium that delivered on time and on budget,” he said. “What happened with the roof was because we had driving rain for 21 days which hardly ever happens. It was quickly resolved.”
Belo has also been relatively free of the street protests that have marred other cities and Fraga, who expects 120,000 fans – double the usual number – explained: “We have tried to motivate the public in terms of how good the World Cup will be for the city. Rio and Sao Paolo are very much international cities already and this is a great opportunity for us to join them.”
An hour’s flight to Sao Paolo and even less to Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, venue for England’s famous 1-0 defeat by the United States in 1950, is likely to be a vital transport hub for fans criss-crossing the vast country.
England return there for a group game against Costa Rica and Fraga said local organisers had learned a huge amount from last year’s staging of three matches in the Confederations Cup.
“The Confed Cup made a lot of difference. We learned a lot about mobility and security. I don’t know about other cities but we will be 100% ready,” he said.
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