Countdown to 2014 World Cup in Brazil: Day 18
The 2014 World Cup begins on June 12, when Brazil plays Croatia in the opening match. Reporters and editors for The Times will count down to the start of the tournament each day with a short capsule of news and interesting tidbits.
Half of the stadiums to be used for the World Cup will get the white-glove treatment from a top FIFA official this week as the clock ticks down to the start of the tournament.
Jérôme Valcke, FIFA’s secretary general, spent last week touring six stadiums, including the still unfinished Itaquerao in São Paulo. The stadium, which hosted a Brazilian league match between Corinthians and Figueirense on May 18, will be the site of the tournament’s opening game between the hosts and Croatia.
In the coming week Valcke will check in at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã, where the final will be played on July 13, then head north to Manaus, Fortaleza, Natal, Recife and Salvador.
The delays and construction accidents, some of them that resulted in fatalities, have brought a cascade of negative stories leading up to the World Cup.
“We’re very close now,” Valcke said Sunday in São Paulo. “Soon we’re going to hand the tournament over to the players and the 32 teams. There is very little left to worry about. We just need to make sure the teams arrive safely and get to their training centers so they can begin preparing for the tournament.”
The statement contrasts with some made previously by Valcke that lamented, time after time, the inability of Brazilian officials to complete building projects within the promised time frame. Half of the 12 stadiums to be used for the World Cup were not finished by the end of 2013 as FIFA specified, and work at some stadiums and on various infrastructure projects is still underway
Last week Valcke’s visits focused on some of the unfinished stadiums where temporary structures for the news media, sponsors and technical teams remain unfinished. One of those stadiums, the Itaquerao, has a capacity of 70,000 but only 40,000 tickets could be issued for the test match. Another run through will have to be held.
“If the opening match wasn’t going to be held at the stadium, then perhaps we wouldn’t organize another test event,” Valcke said. “But it’s vital that we know everything is working properly. We don’t normally allow games at stadiums during the FIFA exclusive use period, but we changed the rule so we could test the temporary seating.”
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