FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke is pleased with "the evolution of the World Cup stadiums," according to Diego Alcántara of TERRA.com.br. Speaking after his visit of host cities Brasilia, Recife and Natal, Valcke said, "The majority of the projects are in time for the World Cup. They are on time because everybody is working more and harder" (TERRA.com.br, 6/28). The AP reported that Valcke "praised the stadium being built in Brasilia." Valcke: "It will be a worthy arena to represent the nation's capital." Regarding a World Cup law approved by the Brazilian Congress and sanctioned by President Dilma Rousseff, Valcke said that FIFA negotiating some of its needs with local governments was not exactly what soccer's governing body wanted. However, Valcke said it "was not the end of the world" (AP, 6/28).
BIDDING TIME: COPA2014.gov.br reported that the Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasilia is looking to hire a company to "supply and install the two sets of electronic boards" for the arena. The equipment "will be used to display multimedia information during events hosted by the venue" including the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2014 World Cup. The value of the contract "has been estimated at R$6M ($3M)." The public bidding process "has been scheduled" for Thursday (COPA2014.gov.br, 7/2).
