Having previously described Manaus as “the place ideally to avoid” in next summer’s World Cup, England’s manager has praised the state of the facilities during a visit to the city.
Hodgson’s team will begin their tournament with a game against Italy in Manaus on June 14, and the former West Brom and Liverpool boss is pleased with what he saw at the Arena Amazônia during Monday’s visit.
“It’s very impressive. I didn’t expect to see the grass so green and so well-manicured as it is. The seats are all in place and the dressing room was very good. They must be very, very pleased with this and we’ve got no reason to fear anything here when it comes to facilities.”
Between 3000 and 5000 England fans are expected to travel to the Amazonian city for showdown against Italy and the 66-year-old fully expects them to have a good time.
“The fans will enjoy it here, especially if they have a bit of time like we’ve had today to look around, to visit the opera house and to visit the centre of town.”
“Everyone’s been very friendly here and I think any England fans that come here can expect a very warm welcome from the people of Manaus. Hopefully they’ll see a good game in this very nice stadium.”
