By Andrew Warshaw
November 28 – Brazil’s World Cup preparations, dogged by the probability that many of its 12 stadia will not be completed before FIFA’s end-of-year deadline, have been further rocked by the deaths of two workers at the Sao Paulo venue due to host the symbolic opening game next year.
Just a week before the draw for the finals, officials confirmed that a crane collapsed, causing two fatalities and raising concerns about unsafe construction.
TV footage showed the huge metal structure buckled on top of the stadium which Brazil’s famous Corinthians club will be making their new home after the finals.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic deaths” and in a further statement, world football’s governing body said: “The safety of workers is the top priority for FIFA, the LOC, the federal government. We know the safety of all workers has always been paramount for all the construction companies contracted to build the 12 FIFA World Cup stadiums.”
The venue is being built by Brazil’s Odebrecht company which says it is 94% complete. The accident is said to have occurred during a routine operation but could hardly have come at a worse venue. The 70,000-seat Itaquerão stadium – also known as the Arena Corinthians – will stage six World Cup matches, including the opening fixture on June 12, as well as a semi-final.
Corinthians announced the club would respect seven days of mourning for the victims of the tragedy. The stadium has meantime been evacuated.
One worker, José Mario da Silva, said: “I walked right underneath the crane on the way to lunch. If it hadn’t collapsed at lunchtime, a lot more people would have died.”
FIFA has given the tournament organisers until December 31 to have all 12 stadiums ready but the latest accident seems certain to force an extension. Earlier this year, construction was held up for several months due to disagreements between Odebrecht and Corinthians, and a dispute with the government over funding.
A number of other infrastructure projects are well behind schedule, not least the stadium in Cuiaba which local officials admit won’t make the deadline. Even the $500m refurbishment of the iconic Maracanã in Rio, which will host the final, was originally supposed to have been finished at the end of last year, only to re-open several months late.
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