Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht is planning to "finally deliver" the Arena Corinthians on Oct. 16, but the stadium will not be completed, according to Samindra Kunti of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. Corinthians is "arguably Brazil's biggest club, together with Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo, but live a life seemingly in endless turmoil." The club has struggled recently with "delayed payments of salaries, rumblings in the boardroom and disappointing results in the Copa Libertadores." The club's "new state-of-the-art stadium" Arena Corinthians, which hosted six games during the 2014 World Cup, is "presenting another major headache." The bill for the stadium's construction "bloated" from a provisional $356M to $513M. Corinthians aims to finance the stadium "through increased gate revenue and selling the naming rights of the stadium." Odebrecht "intends to deliver the stadium on October 16," but with $49.9M of works incomplete, "according to the club." The club believes the unfinished outlook of the stadium "is negatively affecting business operations, with difficulties in selling the stadium's naming rights and hospitality seats, and in attracting sponsors." The Arena Corinthians's original delivery date was Dec. '14, "but this deadline has been repeatedly pushed back" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 10/2).
