FIFA Reveal Curitiba World Cup Axe Threat after Slow Stadium Development

FIFA has warned Curitiba, which is scheduled to host World Cup matches in the summer, could be excluded as one of the hosts unless work speeds up.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said that work at the Arena da Baixada stadium was seriously behind schedule.

A decision on whether Curitiba, in southern Brazil, will remain as a host city will be announced on 18 February, he said.

Less than five months before the tournament kicks off, six out of 12 venues are still unfinished.

Four matches are due to be played at the 42,000-capacity Curitiba stadium: Spain-Australia, Honduras-Ecuador, Iran-Nigeria and Algeria-Russia.

After a visit to inspect the work at the Arena da Baixada, Mr Valcke described the situation as “delicate” and “very complicated”.

“Let’s be honest. We do not like the current state of the stadium. This is not only delayed, it is way behind schedule,” he said.

The Arena da Baixada stadium, which is 90% complete, is privately owned. It opened in 1999 and is being renovated for the tournament.

It belongs to one of the city’s main football clubs, Atletico Paranaense, but a substantial part of the renovation cost is being financed by public money.

FIFA and the Parana state government have promised to inject an extra $17m (£10m) to speed up work at the venue.

The World Cup will begin on 12 June. The opening match is scheduled to be played at the Arena Corinthians (or Itaquerao) in Sao Paulo, but work there is also running late.