Brazil's 2014 FIFA World Cup organizers are under fire for not meeting deadlines on stadium works. On Monday, the hosts showed a glimmer of hope as they inaugurated a new stadium, the ninth of 12 potential hosts for official matches.

"This shows that the stadium is ready to host matches," Amazonas state Gov. Omar Aziz said of the stadium which can accommodate at least 44,000 fans. It will be the home for games between England and Italy and two other test matches before the World Cup which will commence on June 12 and will end on July 13.

"There are still details to be finalized, but that's why we are doing these test events."

The new stadium is called The Arena da Amazonia and cost nearly $290 million, about $70 million more than originally expected. The arenas were supposed to be completed late last year but just like other venues, it got delayed. The deadline was adjusted to February but organizers still failed. This stadium was marked by several unfortunate events, including the death of a three workers.

FIFA is expecting organizers to complete the works for the Itaquerao in Sao Paulo, the Arena Pantanal in the wetlands city of Cuiaba and the Arena da Baixada in the southern city of Curitiba in the coming weeks.

Pele on Neymar and Brazil campaign

Brazilian football legend Pele told AFP that this year's biggest event will be the time for youngster Neymar to shine.

"This is Neymar's first World Cup and nobody knows exactly what is going to happen. It is a big responsibility for him," said Pele, who hit international prominence as a 17-year-old at the 1958 finals in Sweden.

"The best thing for Neymar was to come to play in Spain, to play in Europe,  the best thing for Brazil. It was like him going off to university for six  months and then coming back to play with Brazil, because then they come with  more experience. That was fantastic for him.

However, Pele insisted that the pressure to win is not for Barca star alone, it is for the whole country.

"The problem of pressure is not only a problem for Neymar. It is a problem for the whole team, no doubt. Of course, the country, the people, they want to win.