AFP, Florianopolis:
FIFA said Friday that Brazil was working flat-out to deliver the World Cup on time but warned that much work lay ahead before the June 12 kick- off.
General Secretary of FIFA, Jerome Valcke, stressed there was still “a lot of work to do” after his latest trip to the host country that took in visits to three stadiums-Manaus, Brasilia and Porto Alegre.
“We are far beyond the normal speed limit you can have on the road and this will be the case until June,” Valcke said.
“We are working at full speed,” he said, after a board meeting of the Local Organizing Committee.
Valcke will return on March 24 to inspect three more stadiums-Fortaleza, Recife and Salvador-which were all used in last year’s Confederations Cup.
On Tuesday, Valcke dropped a threat to axe games at Curitiba stadium, where construction has been lagging but where FIFA has identified progress in recent weeks.
As well as Curitiba being spared exclusion-the venue will not be finally ready before mid-May-Valcke’s trip has also seen a financial agreement on more cash for stadium facilities in the southern city of Porto Alegre.
Looking beyond the stadiums, Valcke also stressed the importance of bringing transport links up to scratch in time for the event.
He also said FIFA hoped to persuade the northern city of Recife to drop a decision made on grounds of cost not to have a Fan Fest.
Brazil’s Minister for Sport, Aldo Rebelo, meanwhile insisted the government was committed to “create the conditions” for the event to be a “big success,” citing ongoing improvements to airports and highways.
“Only three stadiums have not yet been delivered-Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Cuiaba,” added Rebelo, though Manaus in the Amazonia region has yet to be officially inaugurated.
FIFA originally demanded all 12 stadiums be delivered by December 31.
Brazil’s vice minister for sport Luis Fernandes told AFP that Brazil had scored a “victory” over the saving of Curitiba as a venue.
In an exclusive interview, he explained: “For us it was very important the Cup went ahead in the 12 host cities as that brings joy and economic development” to each.
Despite concerns at tardy stadium construction and the threat of more public protests over the cost of staging the event rather than greater investment in poor public services, Valcke praised Brazil as the “Mecca of football”.
Rebelo responded that Brazil would win the event and that “if Brazil is the Mecca of football, it is also the Vatican” of the game.
Brazilian 2002 world champion striker Ronaldo, a member of the organizing committee, insisted the tournament would be a success and overcome “uncertainties.”
Ronaldo said organizers must convince “a small anti-Cup minority” that the tournament will benefit the nation as a whole.
Earlier Friday, FIFA noted high demand for tickets, with 2.3 million already sold.
World football’s governing body said more than 500,000 tickets had been sold in the latest random phase.
A further 159,000 will be sold, again exclusively through FIFA, on a first-come, first-served basis between March 12 and April 1.
