The rag is burning between FIFA and Brazil. And the tone rises. A little over two months before the start of the Football Confederations Cup (June 15 to 30, 2013), a sort of dress rehearsal for the 2014 World Cup, delays are piling up in the renovation of the competition's stadiums. The Brazilians are hanging around. FIFA is getting exasperated.
More than 500 tickets have already been sold for the Confederations Cup, a tournament with eight national teams including Brazil, Spain, Italy and Uruguay, but only three of the six venues are ready to host the matches . Initially, FIFA had demanded from the Brazilian organizers that everything be in working order last December. Given the extent of the delays, a new deadline was set for April 000. Unless there is a miracle or divine gesture, it will not be respected.
In detail, the stadiums of Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Salvador are ready. The one in Recife should be this Sunday. In Brasilia, on the other hand, the Mane Garrincha national stadium is still waiting to receive its pitch. More seriously, the legendary Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, built for the World Cup in 1950, seems far from finished. Workers are still working on its roof, nothing has started on the exterior of the enclosure, and it seems impossible that everything will be ready by the end of April, as announced by Brazilian officials.
At FIFA, annoyance is gradually spreading to the most patient. Jérôme Valcke, the general secretary, no longer makes a secret of his exasperation. “We will not compromise,” he warns. But it seems certain that everything will not be 100% operational. » According to the specifications established by the international institution, a stadium must be tested twice before it can host an official meeting, ideally with a football match. But the Brazilians have made it known that the first of the two Maracana tests, scheduled for April 27, 2013, would be a simple friendly game, played behind closed doors between two former local glories, Bebeto and Romario, and a group of friends. The second, more official, will pit Brazil against England on June 2.
At FIFA, we are worried about the prospect of seeing the Brazilians organize the 2013 Confederations Cup matches in stadiums ready to receive them, but not yet completely finished. A fairly common practice in the country.
