By Andrew Warshaw
May 9- Yet another World Cup construction worker has lost his life – just over a month before the start of the finals. This time, the tragedy took place in Cuiaba, one of the most delayed venues, when an electrical accident temporarily halted work on the stadium.
Muhammad-Ali Maciel Afonso, 32, was the eighth worker to lose his life at Brazil’s twelve World Cup arenas. He was apparently installing a communications network and his death has cast another giant shadow over preparations for the tournament which starts June 12.
The tournament, the first to be held in Brazil since 1950, has been beset by infrastructure delays and increased costs. The unfinished stadium in Cuiaba staged a test event last month, but workers are still adding seats and wiring. A fire in October caused structural damage.
Cuiaba’s stadium, one of several that are in danger of becoming white elephants after the World Cup, will host four matches in the tournament: Chile vs Australia, Russia vs South Korea, Nigeria vs Bosnia and Japan vs Colombia.
Previous fatal accidents have occurred in the capital Brasilia, the Amazonian city of Manaus and the opening venue in Sao Paulo, which Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff toured on Thursday.
The latest death comes as organisers rush to complete the last three stadiums and Fifa genereal secretary Jerome Valcke tries to put on the most positive spin he can. Valcke, Fifa’s World Cup trouble-shooter, has been going to and from Brazil for months on end and has made no secret of Fifa’s concerns. He was recently quoted as saying: “We are supporting Brazil to ensure it is a success because everything FIFA does depends on the success of the World Cup. If the World Cup is a failure, we have a problem.”