FIFA World Cup 2014: Brazil Is ‘Not Ready,’ Two Stadiums Unfinished Two Months Before Opening Game

The FIFA World Cup 2014 opening game in Brazil is just two months away, but the FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has admitted that Brazil is not prepared. Two stadiums remain unfinished for the FIFA World Cup 2014.

"If you want me to summarize ... we are not ready," Valcke told the Associated Press at a conference in South Africa on Wednesday.

Two stadiums for the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil remain unfinished: the Itaquerão in São Paulo and the Estadio Beira Rio in Porto Alegre.

The Itaquerão stadium, which holds 68,000 seats, is supposed to host the opening game between Brazil and Croatia on June 12. However, construction on the Itaquerão has been delayed because of three construction deaths, the latest of which came last weekend, Business Insider reports.

The Itaquerão stadium was scheduled to be finished in mid-April, but FIFA admits there's no way it'll open before May 15.

Valcke ensured the BBC that the stadiums will be finished in time for the FIFA World Cup 2014, but couldn't say the same for the rest of the infrastructure in Brazil.

"Maybe there will be things which will not be totally ready at the beginning of the World Cup, but the most important thing for the 32 teams is the training camp and fields," Valcke said.

Fabio Hamilton da Cruz died on Saturday after falling 25 feet while installing floors on the stands, becoming the third construction worker to perish while working on the Arena Corinthians on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Reuters reports. Seven workers have died building Brazil's World Cup stadiums.

The Arena Corinthians stadium was supposed to be finished in December but the delivery date was pushed back after two workers were killed in November when a crane toppled over.

Work has been slow since then, and Reuters reports that some are concerned safety is taking a back seat as workers rush to finish the stadium in time.

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FIFA World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
World Cup
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