BRASILIA: The Brasilia Stadium set to host 2013 Confederations Cup games in June will not be ready until next month after heavy rainfall delayed the laying of the pitch, authorities said.
Federal District Governor Agnelo Queiroz said in a statement issued late Monday that the inauguration of the 71,000-seat Mane Garrincha national Stadium, initially set for Sunday, would now take place May 18, with the final of a regional league that will serve as a test event.
A second match ahead of the Confed Cup, a dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup, is planned for May 26 to ensure smooth crowd management and security arrangements.
Only last week, Queiroz pledged that the city’s Stadium, rebuilt at a cost of $500m, would offer optimal conditions to host the World Cup and would be totally ready for the Confederations Cup this year.
World football governing body FIFA had already warned that all preparations for the six Stadiums hosting the Confed Cup “would not be completed 100 percent”.
The June 15-30 Confederations Cup is being staged in six Brazilian cities. The eight contenders are Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Uruguay, Japan, Italy, Nigeria and Tahiti.
REUTERS
