The Sao Paulo stadium which hosts the opening match of the World Cup between Brazil and Croatia on June 12 will not be finished until May 15, at the latest, Fifa Secretary General, Jerome Valcke has revealed.
“We are 104 days before the first game in Brazil, in Sao Paulo, in a stadium which is not ready,” Valcke told reporters in Zurich.
“It’s true that whenever you receive something late then it’s a challenge to make this thing ready on time,” Valcke acknowledged, though adding ”it will work at the end.”
“The goal is that on the 12th of June until the 13th of July everything will be working well,” he said.
The standard for using a stadium for a tournament for the World Cup requires 90 days.
“We have to work in conditions where the cement is not even dry (and) we already put things in place,” the FIFA official said.
And the level of work has frustrated Valcke, who is primarily in charge of getting Brazil for the Mundial and he said his comments are not to cause slight on the Brazilian government.
“There is no criticism, there is just a challenge. For sure the stadiums are beautiful. It will work and you will have what you expected,” Valcke added.