3 Venues Still Not Ready 1 Month Ahead of World Cup

Global Business

One month and counting until the World Cup, but with new corruption claims and ongoing stadium construction, concerns that Brazil will be ready when the tournament starts on June 12th are growing.
CCTV’s Bianca Davie has more on the latest setbacks.

3 Venues Still Not Ready 1 Month Ahead of World Cup

One month and counting until the World Cup, but with new corruption claims and ongoing stadium construction, concerns that Brazil will be ready when the tournament starts on June 12th are growing. CCTV's Bianca Davie has more on the latest setbacks.

World Cup performers are perfecting their routines. Soccer clubs around the world have kicked their practices into high gear. And, where they can, Brazilian crews are testing out their stadiums.

This is a map of the 12 World Cup venues. Most of them are done. But these three – which include the stadium for the opening ceremonies in Sao Paulo – are still under construction. FIFA and local officials say tournament preparations are in their final phase.

Back in 2007, the price tag for this project – a mix of new and remodeled facilities – was around a billion dollars. Now that figure has quadrupled to more than four billion dollars. The stadium in Brazil’s capital city, Brasilia, holds the title of most expensive venue for this World Cup.

It may be too expensive. Government auditors say they found evidence of questionable billing practices with that project. And a new Associated Press analysis of the lengthy audit suggests a link between political donations and stadium construction firms.

This isn’t the first hint of tournament-related corruption. Claims of rising costs, fraud and poor government services all provoked violent protests last year.

All this drama leading up to the World Cup has led to speculation that Brazil won’t be ready to host the 20-16 Summer Olympics, either. But the International Olympic Committee says it’s working with local authorities to address any outstanding financial, infrastructure and security issues in time for Brazil’s next turn in the spotlight.