Rio de Janeiro, May 22 (IANS) FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has praised Curitiba's Arena da Baixada, saying the once-troubled venue is now ready for the World Cup.
Just four months after warning the venue in southern Brazil could be taken off the tournament schedule due to construction delays, Valcke used Twitter Wednesday to laud the pace of construction work, reports Xinhua.
"Compliments Curitiba. Great progress on work to deliver top-class stadium not only for the World Cup but for fans too," Valcke said.
The World Cup chief is currently touring each of Brazil's 12 tournament host cities as organisers rush to ensure stadiums and infrastructure are ready for the June 12-July 13 event.
Valcke also sounded a warning to Porto Alegre after seeing that temporary structures at the Beira-Rio stadium are behind schedule.
"We cannot waste a single minute otherwise the quality for fans and broadcasters will be jeopardised," he said.
"Work to deliver the complementary structures at Beira-Rio did not stop. But lots yet to be done here in Porto Alegre."
Earlier the Frenchman revealed another test event would be held at Sao Paulo's Itaquerao stadium, which will stage the tournament opener between Brazil and Croatia June 12.
The venue presented problems such as leaks and faulty installations during its first test event Sunday.
In addition, only 40,000 fans were admitted for the match, 28,000 less than the venue's World Cup capacity, due to the delayed installation of temporary seats.
The second test event will be a Brazilian Serie A fixture between Corinthians and Cruzeiro May 29, this time with a capacity for 68,000 fans.
"It is vital for us that all facilities will be tested under full match conditions including the temporary seats and associated facilities," Valcke said.
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