Brazil Protest'll Ruin World Cup, Says Pele

Pele

Pele

Brazilian football legend Pele has expressed concern that social protests in his country could prompt nervous fans from abroad to cancel their trips to the World Cup.

Pele, speaking at a press conference in a Mexico City suburb, said he had no doubt that demonstrations that have re-emerged in recent weeks would affect the tournament if they continue.

“We already know that 25 per cent of foreigners who were going to Brazil are worried by the protest movement, and I think they have cancelled,” said the 73-year-old honorary ambassador to the tournament.

“This is a great loss for the country,” said Pele, who won his third World Cup in Mexico in 1970.

Pele
Pele

Meanwhile, all 12 stadiums hosting matches at the World Cup will finally be handed over to governing body FIFA and the Local Organising Committee – just three weeks before kick-off and five months later than planned. FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke has arrived in Brazil yesterday to begin a 12-day tour of each of the venues.

His first visit is to the Arena de Sao Paulo, which is due to stage the opening game of the World Cup between Brazil and Croatia on June 12.

Its test event on Sunday, a Brazilian league game between Figueirense and Corinthians, was reportedly hit by problems.

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Rain during the game left fans sitting under an unfinished roof drenched, and the 3G network was “saturated”, leaving mobile phone communication impossible.

The venue, with a capacity of 68,000, admitted 36,000 for the event, which was the last of the test events for the 12 venues.

Tomorrow, it will be the first stadium to be handed over to FIFA and the Local Organising Committee. Curitiba,

Natal and Salvador will be the last stadiums to be handed over on Sunday (May 25).

FIFA had set a deadline of December 31 for all the venues to be completed.

But repeated delays saw that deadline pass long ago, with several workers being killed at multiple venues as construction continued into the New Year.

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