Rio officials insist Maracanã will be ready for Brazil v England friendly
By Tom Etherington 2013-03-12 18:06:00
Officials in Rio de Janeiro have insisted that the Maracanã Stadium will be ready to host Brazil’s friendly with England this summer.
Roy Hodgson’s side are due to face the Selecao on June 2 to celebrate the stadium’s renovation, four weeks before it hosts matches in the Confederations Cup.
However, the iconic venue was flooded during heavy storms last week with thousands of seats still to be fitted and part of the roof missing, which has raised concerns again.
Andre Lazaroni, the state secretary of sport for Rio de Janeiro, said: "We have a new deadline of April 27 and the work will be complete by then.
"Renovation work can be difficult and actually harder than building the venue from new.
"Delays are always possible but I am very confident that everything will be ready by April 27, well ahead of the start of the Confederations Cup.
"So despite the problems we have had, you should not worry because everything will be ready in time."
The rebuilding of the famous arena, originally built for the 1950 World Cup, is considered by FIFA to be the biggest headache in the run-up to the tournament from June 15 to 30.
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has already voiced his concerns after the completion date was delayed from December and then last month.
The Maracanã is also due to host matches at the World Cup next year, including the final, before staging the opening and closing Ceremonies at the 2016 Olympics.
Source: The Sun
Latest news
