Construction Company Says São Paulo's World Cup Stadium Will Miss FIFA's Dec. 31 Deadline

The building firm responsible for São Paulo's new World Cup stadium admitted Monday that "the venue would not be ready until March next year, more than two months after the deadline" set by FIFA, according to XINHUA. Construction company Odebrecht Chief Engineer Frederico Barbosa said that "a contractual obligation to fit the stadium with 48,000 permanent seats would be met by Dec. 31." But the installation of temporary stands that increase the venue's capacity to 68,000 "is expected to take at least another two months." Barbosa said, "We have to finish construction of the roof and this prevents us from starting work on the temporary stands." Known in Brazil as the "Itaquerao," the stadium's redevelopment is the least advanced of any of the 12 World Cup venues (XINHUA, 5/7).