Government approves Arena PE but acknowledges flaws.

PE247 – Even after criticism regarding the organization of the three Confederations Cup matches at Arena Pernambuco, especially concerning accessibility, the extraordinary secretary for the World Cup, Ricardo Leitão, classified the state's performance at the event as "approved." "My grandchildren, at school, don't receive grades of 5, 6, 7, 8, or 10, but rather concepts. And my concept is 'approved'," he declared in a press conference. The matches held at the arena, located in São Lourenço da Mata, in the western part of Recife, drew 104 fans to the stadium, an average of 35 per game.

Now, the Pernambuco government will have the mission of preparing the state to host five World Cup matches in 2014, especially regarding urban mobility. Several fans complained about overcrowded subways – 55% of visitors use the subway system as their main means of transportation.

“We will rebalance metro transportation with more intensive use of road transport,” he said. According to him, it is necessary to give fans the alternative of “using buses from peripheral parking lots, which will be located within a 10 km radius around the Arena.”

The secretary acknowledged the need to make improvements in several aspects in preparation for the 2014 World Cup. According to him, various criticisms were made, including by the press, regarding the organization of the event; however, in a short period, the government managed to solve a good portion of the problems. "We will have to correct several points and add other things that are within the World Cup schedule," said Leitão.

Leitão took the opportunity to comment on the alleged theft from the Spanish national team, which supposedly occurred on the 16th, the same day the Spanish team beat Uruguay 2-1 at Arena Pernambuco. The official stated that neither the Spanish national team nor the Golden Tulip Palace hotel in Boa Viagem, in the southern part of Recife, confirmed the incident. "There is an ongoing police investigation," he declared. "The police are even considering using letters rogatory to question some players, but for now there is no clear conclusion regarding this," he added.

Although the secretary said that Spain had not confirmed the theft, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) stated, this Tuesday (25), through a note, that “Six of the Brazilian national team players were victims of a robbery at their hotel in Recife during the period leading up to the Spain vs. Uruguay match in the Confederations Cup. This incident was promptly reported to the Brazilian police.