Rio de Janeiro, May 19 (IANS) Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff officially opened Brasilia's Mane Garrincha World Cup stadium.
Despite controversy surrounding delays and cost overruns, Rousseff said the 71,000-seat venue was now the source of pride among Brazilians, reports Xinhua.
"A year ago they said that we wouldn't build our stadiums, that they wouldn't be ready. But now we are seeing that the stadiums have been built and are being opened. I am extremely proud of the quality and modernity of the facilities. It's a demonstration of Brazilians' capacity to successfully carry out what many said was beyond us," Rousseff said.
The venue's opening Saturday comes five months behind schedule and at a cost of $500 million, almost double its original redevelopment budget.
It will host the FIFA Confederations Cup opener between Brazil and Japan on June 15 in addition to six 2014 World Cup fixtures.
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