Brazil 2014: "In Sao Paulo, we are all working to get everything ready for the opening" (J. Valcke)

"In São Paulo, following the accident at the end of 2013, we are all working to get everything ready for the opening (Brazil-Croatia, on the 12/06/2014)," said Jérôme Valcke, FIFA general secretary, in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) at the end of an inspection tour of several host cities of the 2014 World Cup, on the 23/01/2014.

The collapse of a crane on the site of the Sao Paulo Arena (65,800 seats), had caused the death of two workers and caused damage in one corner of the stadium, on the 27/11/2013.

"In Cuiaba we have a problem with the pitch, which is not yet ready to host a World Cup match, though we’re working very hard to put that right, added Jérôme Valcke. In Curitiba we saw a stadium with a lot of problems and what we have to do now is to put everything we have into resolving them and ensuring that the Arena da Baixada can stage World Cup matches."

"By the 18/02/2014, the date of the team workshop in Florianópolis with all 32 qualifying teams, we have to decide whether the stadium is in a position on that date to give us the confidence to hold World Cup matches there, without…