(WFI) FIFA's secretary general says Brazil 2014 organizers face a race against time to be ready for this summer’s tournament.
In an interview on FIFA.com, Jerome Valcke said: ""It's not just FIFA being in a race, it’s the LOC, government and host cities which have still to run and to race to have their stadiums, facilities and infrastructure ready to welcome the world for this World Cup."
Three of Brazil’s 12 host cities have still to deliver their stadiums – Sao Paulo, venue for the June 12 opener, Cuiba and Curitiba.
Valcke admitted that the biggest challenge was to install temporary overlay to stage matches, including back-of-house space for organizers, sponsors, hospitality and media, a time-consuming task with just 90 days to go the kick-off.
One example of significant work still to be completed was in Porto Alegre, he said.
"Outside of the stadium of Porto Alegre there is no pavement. We cannot put in place all the TV compound, all the hospitality compound, all these different zones without any pavement," he explained.
He said about 140,000 squ metres of pavement had to be laid, which would normally take two or three months.
Asked what he was looking forward to most, Valcke said it was his duty to deliver 64 matches, to make sure the 32 teams "end the World Cup saying it was the greatest World Cup" and to ensure the hundreds of thousands of fans "will have their best time" with no problems in the stadiums.
He hopes that "even if [there are] demonstrations in the street the World Cup will be organised and the people who have bought tickets will be able to go the stadiums and to enjoy the games".
"We cannot disappoint all the football lovers, all the fans, with this World Cup which is the biggest football event you have once every four years," Valcke added.
Valcke also responded to questions about financial matters, following anti-government demonstrations about World Cup costs and concerns FIFA is raking in millions of dollars from the tournament at the expense of social welfare in Brazil.
"FIFA is not using any public money, FIFA is not using any money from Brazil," he said.
"What FIFA is injecting in the country is around $800m, the cost of the World cup for FIFA is about $1.3bn [with prize money for teams etc]," he said.
"FIFA is not asking for any financial support from the Brazilian authorities.
"Whatever is spent by the cities, by the government will remain with the country. It is infrastructure , it is a number of things that will be used by the country and not taken away from the country by FIFA when we fly away from Brazil on the 14 July after the final."
Written by Mark Bisson
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