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Fifa's Valcke Assured Maracana Will Be Ready for Confederations Cup despite Floods |
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Football - 08 Mar 2013 - Jérôme Valcke, the secretary general of Fifa, soccer’s international governing body, has expressed confidence that the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro will be ready to host matches at this year’s Confederations Cup in Brazil even though a planned inspection of the venue had to be cancelled after flooding at the venue.
Valcke was set to visit the famous stadium on Wednesday as part of his latest tour of 2014 World Cup venues, but heavy overnight rain left parts of the site and equipment underwater.
This prompted further concerns over whether the stadium, which is being renovated at a cost of R$900 million ($457 million), will be open in time to host test events ahead of the Confederations Cup, the warm-up event for the World Cup, which runs from June 15 to 30.
However, on his return to Fifa headquarters in Zurich, Valcke wrote on Twitter that he was “pleased to hear Maracana will be fully operational by 27 April and stage three tests as guaranteed today by Rio government.”
He had earlier stated: “Look forward to seeing all arenas completed and tested when back in Brazil on 13 May.”
The Maracana, which was built for the 1950 World Cup, is set to host a friendly match between Brazil and England on June 2 and three matches, including the final, of the Confederations Cup before being the showpiece venue at next year’s World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The reopening of the stadium has been pushed back by various hold-ups, including last month when construction workers downed tools for a day and threatened a full-blown strike in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Sportcal
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