By David Gold
June 1 – FIFA has expressed fresh concerns over Brazil’s progress in developing its infrastructure sufficiently in time for the 2014 World Cup.
World football’s governing body confirmed that whilst Brazil is largely on track with its preparations for the World Cup, “concerns remain with regard to airport operations and capacities as well as transport infrastructure.”
In April, a report released by the country’s Institute for Applied Economic Research pointed out that 10 of 13 airports being upgraded are unlikely to be ready in time or able to cope with the anticipated volume of air traffic.
FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke warned: “It is crucial that any venues which host the World Cup have adequate infrastructure to be able to cater for the tens of thousands of spectators and allow them to move around the city for a particular match.
“If this is not the case, we cannot stage matches in those cities.”
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff has said that the airports will be opened up to private investors, as an over reliance on public funding stymies progress.
Detailed reports show that preparations for the tournament are “well on track” but there are still concerns over some of the country’s stadia.
Work is finally about to get underway on the Itaquera stadium in Sao Paulo, which is intended to host the opening game of the World Cup.
The delays mean that the ground has been dropped from the list of venues for the 2013 Confederations Cup.
Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, has also missed out on hosting the International Broadcast Centre, which instead will be located in Rio de Janeiro, which is also where the final of the World Cup will be held at the world famous Maracana.
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