World Cup stadium for opening game will miss deadline

Dec 06, 2013

SEPP Blatter said that in the wake of last week's accident, in which two construction workers were killed, it would be 14 April at the earliest before it was ready

Fifa has admitted that the handover date for the São Paulo stadium due to host the opening match of the World Cup finals has slipped to mid-April and warned "there is no plan B".

Sepp Blatter said that in the wake of last week's accident, in which two construction workers were killed, it would be 14 April at the earliest before it was ready, less than two months before the tournament begins. "We have received information it should be that the stadium will be ready in mid-April. We believe it is a question of trust that it will be done," said the Fifa president. "For the time being there is no plan B. What Fifa can do is ask God or Allah that there will be no more accidents in connection with the World Cup.We hope the construction can start as soon as possible."

After a three-day period of mourning, work has resumed on the 65,000 capacity Corinthians Arena, which is due to host the World Cup opener on 12 June. The authorities are still awaiting an official report on the accident, which was caused by a collapsing crane.

The uncertainty and confusion surrounding the readiness of Brazil's stadiums has clouded the run-up to Friday's draw, with ongoing concerns over the venues in Manaus, Curitiba and Cuiabá. Fifa executives are hopeful that the arenas in Manaus and Cuiabá will be finished by February, but fear the completion of the Curitiba stadium could slip into March.

The governing body has had to compromise on its original demand that all 12 World Cup stadiums should be delivered by the end of 2013, to allow for a minimum three test events. Blatter, speaking after a two-day executive committee meeting before the World Cup draw, also poured cold water on a call from the Uefa president, Michel Platini, to replace yellow cards with rugby-style sin bins. Platini, who will decide after the World Cup whether to run for the Fifa presidency in 2015, made the suggestion in an interview with the Spanish newspaper AS.

"I would change the system of cautions. I would do it like in rugby, where the perpetrator would be punished by being off the pitch for 10 or 15 minutes of the game," he said. "That means the team they are facing would benefit in the same match and it would be instead of a ban for accumulation of cards against another side later in the season [or tournament]."

Platini sits on the International FA Board that decides the rules of the game, along with representatives from the four home nations. But Blatter, who has also yet to indicate whether he will stand for re-election in 2015, said the idea was not worthy of consideration. "I cannot see why we should change something in the match control of the World Cup when we have already established all the regulations," he said.

The desperate plight of many migrant workers in Qatar constructing the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup was also discussed by the executive committee in the wake of an outcry that followed a Guardian investigation and damning reports from human rights organisations. Blatter has given mixed messages on the subject since it was discussed in Zurich in October, but insisted Fifa was committed to putting pressure on Qatar and would work with the International Trade Union Confederation.

He said there would be more "meetings and consultations" later this year and early in 2014 and called on construction companies operating in Qatar to also play their part. "At the end of the day, football will be the winner because we can show to the world that it's possible to create good working conditions," he insisted.

Fifa also unveiled a 37% uplift in World Cup prize money. The winner will get $35m (£21.4m), with all 32 competing nations receiving at least $8m (£4.9m). The figures were agreed on Thursday by Fifa's executive committee as part of a $576m (£352m) pot of payments. It includes a previously agreed $70m (£42.8m) to clubs whose players are selected and $100m (£61.2m) in a long-term insurance policy to cover salaries of players injured on national team duty.

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