BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Brazil's World Cup organisers present report on preparations for the 2014 tournament and dismiss concerns over delays

Record ID: 830787

  • Title: BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Brazil's World Cup organisers present report on preparations for the 2014 tournament and dismiss concerns over delays
  • Date: 30th November 2011
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (NOVEMBER 29, 2011) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF SOCCEREX BANNER WITH SUGAR LOAF HILLS ON THE BACKGROUND EXTERIOR OF HOTEL WHERE SOCCEREX, A GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON THE SOCCER INDUSTRY, WAS HELD CLOSE OF STAND OF WORLD CUP HOST CITY RECIFE, WHERE OFFICIALS PRESENTED PROJECTS AND DEVELOPMENTS FOR THE EVENT VARIOUS OF STAND OF WORLD CUP CITY RECIFE CLOSE OF STAND OF WORLD CUP HOST CITY SALVADOR VARIOUS OF VIDEO SHOWING 3-D ILLUSTRATIONS OF A PLANNED SOCCER STADIUM THAT IS BEING BUILT IN SALVADOR VARIOUS OF HEAD OF THE OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT OF BRAZIL'S WORLD CUP ORGANISING COMMITTEE, RICARDO TRADE, PRESENTING REPORT (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) HEAD OF THE OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT OF BRAZIL'S WORLD CUP ORGANISING COMMITTEE, RICARDO TRADE, SAYING: "Seventeen heads of several FIFA departments and our organizers have virtually toured stadiums in host cities. It was a very nice work and we had over 50 people in a room giving details on transportation, security, stadiums' entrances and exits, visitors' flow, teams and delegations' flow -- we are already working for the event's planning." VARIOUS OF STAND OF WORLD CUP CITY RIO DE JANEIRO CLOSE OF SCREEN SHOWING A VIDEO OF RENOVATION PROJECT OF MARACANA STADIUM CLOSE OF STAND OF WORLD CUP CITY BELO HORIZONTE GENERAL VIEW OF BELO HORIZONTE STAND CLOSE OF STAND OF WORLD CUP CITY SAO PAULO GENERAL VIEW OF SAO PAULOSTAND CLOSE OF PHOTOGRAPH OF CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN THE PLANNED ITAQUERA STADIUM CLOSE OF PHOTOGRAPH OF ITAQUERA PROJECT (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) HEAD OF THE OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT OF BRAZIL'S WORLD CUP ORGANISING COMMITTEE, RICARDO TRADE, SAYING: "We, along with the 12 host cities, the federal government and along with FIFA, who is behind all this and is also helping us to put up the event, will deliver an excellent Confederations Cup and a wonderful World Cup in a festive, safe and well-organised environment. People will come here and say: 'I am in the place that I wanted to see. I am in the so-called country of soccer, watching a wonderful show and I will want to come back here with my family.'" CLOSE OF STAND OF WORLD CUP CITY PORTO ALEGRE GENERAL VIEW OF PORTO ALEGRE STAND VARIOUS OF SCALE MODEL OF PLANNED WORLD CUP STADIUM BEING BUILT IN PORTO ALEGRE GENERAL VIEW OF SCALE MODEL OF CASTELAO, PLANNED WORLD CUP STADIUM BEING BUILT IN FORTALEZA CLOSE OF SCREEN SHOWING A VIDEO OF CASTELAO PROJECT
  • Embargoed: 15th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil, Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA88ZX5TGWFRQEY4M01K5PYFM6Z
  • Story Text: Brazil's World Cup local organising committee said on Tuesday (November 29) that soccer stadiums and infrastructure works for the 2014 tournament were running on schedule and would be fully ready for the major sports event.
    The head of the committee's operations department, Ricardo Trade, presented a brief report on preparations in the 12 host cities during Soccerex, a global conference on the soccer industry taking place in Rio de Janeiro.
    Brazil's preparations for the global showpiece have been dogged by delays, workers' strikes, overpriced budgets, worries over transportation, crime and claims that soccer's governing body FIFA is trying to ride roughshod over Brazilian laws.
    Speaking in a hotel in Copacabana beach, Trade said organisers were working with FIFA to arrange the event.
    "Seventeen heads of several FIFA departments and our organizers have virtually toured stadiums in host cities. It was a very nice work and we had over 50 people in a room giving details on transportation, security, stadiums' entrances and exits, visitors' flow, teams and delegations' flow -- we are already working for the event's planning," he said.
    Brazil's federal government also presented a progress report in September and guaranteed that nine of the 12 stadiums were expected to be ready by December 2012, in time for the 2013 Confederations Cup, regarded as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup.
    However, authorities recognized that works to solve transport bottlenecks needed to be rushed.
    Brazil, which will also host the 2016 Summer Olympics, is scrambling to find investment to address severe infrastructure deficiencies -- from overcrowded airports and sea ports to poor roads and insufficient public transport in major cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
    Trade said that works would be finished in time and the 2014 Cup would be a boost to Brazil's tourism sector.
    "We, along with the 12 host cities, the federal government and along with FIFA, who is behind all this and is also helping us to put up the event, will deliver an excellent Confederations Cup and a wonderful World Cup in a festive, safe and well-organised environment. People will come here and say: 'I am in the place that I wanted to see. I am in the so-called country of soccer, watching a wonderful show and I will want to come back here with my family,'" he said.
    Brazilian media reported on Tuesday that former Brazil striker Ronaldo would take up the leading role in the local organising committee (LOC).
    Ronaldo was approached by Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) president Ricardo Teixeira, also head of the LOC, to take on an important role without this meaning Teixeira would step down from the latter position, a source told Reuters.
    The 64-year-old Teixeira, who has led Brazilian football since 1989 and is also a member of world soccer body FIFA's ruling executive committee, is being investigated by Brazil's federal police on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.
    He denies the allegations against him but the matters have raised questions about his suitability to remain in charge of organising the World Cup tournament.
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