There has been a lot of doubt about a Brazil’s ability to deliver World Cup stadiums at the time of the event and the latest comment from the Brazilian sports minister has done nothing to quell the speculation. A number of stadiums have been upgraded in order to meet the norms of FIFA, which is responsible for holding the World Cup. However, Brazil have delayed the construction work so much that the country will find it very difficult to cope with the huge number of tourists arriving for this major tournament. Due to the delay in construction work for the stadium starting itself, the country has been unable to upgrade the transportation infrastructure.
This led to widespread protests against the government during the Confederations cup. There was also the danger of this tournament being cancelled midway because of these protests. Brazil’s sports Minister Aldo Rebelo has said that the construction work should be accelerated if the stadiums are to be completed by the start of the tournament. Brazil was able to host the Confederations cup a little easy because of the stadiums that were already present and closing completion. One of the main stadiums for the World Cup at São Paulo is close to 80% completion.
“This must be seen as a warning. We cannot keep on the same rhythm, or we will not deliver them on time. It is possible to intensify. We are able to meet the deadlines, but it should be noted that it will require us to speed up the construction. There will be no budget increase, because, for example, instead of paying 10 workers during two months, you can pay 20 to work for 30 days,” said Rebelo. The announcement that no extra funding will be coming from the government could be a major blow in itself.