Minister urges swift selection of venue for World Cup opening match.
Orlando Silva, from the sports section, asked the president of the Local Organizing Committee and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ricardo Teixeira, to have FIFA bring forward the announcement, which was scheduled for October.
The Minister of Sport, Orlando Silva, announced last Tuesday that he sent a request to the president of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Ricardo Teixeira, asking FIFA to bring forward the announcement of the host city for the opening of the 2014 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in October.
"I have formally submitted a suggestion to the FIFA Local Organizing Committee so that we can decide as soon as possible which stadium will host the opening match," said the minister, after a ceremony to enact the law granting tax incentives for the construction of Corinthians' stadium, the Itaquerão, in the eastern part of São Paulo. "The announcement of the opening match impacts the planning and organization of the cities."
The minister stressed that FIFA's decision should be "as swift as possible" and that he will meet with the president of the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) next week to discuss the matter. According to Silva, the request did not suggest a date for the announcement. The minister reiterated his support for São Paulo as the host city for the opening match.
"São Paulo is the main city in Brazil, it would be logical for it to host the opening of the World Cup," he stated. "We believe that São Paulo, by consolidating the financial resolution of the Corinthians stadium, provides more comfort to FIFA."
Corinthians announced last Tuesday, through its official website, that it had reached an agreement with the construction company Odebrecht on the value of the arena: R$ 820 million. The managing director of Odebrecht in São Paulo, Carlos Armando Paschoal, stated this Wednesday that the contract for the stadium's construction will be signed next week.
Orlando Silva emphasized that the choice of Corinthians' stadium to host the World Cup in São Paulo "is a settled matter." "My impression is that there's no point in trying to find a crisis where there isn't one," he stated. "The stadium's financing is resolved, let's turn the page."
The minister also argued that, after the World Cup, public sports arenas should be granted in concession to the private sector. "After the event, it will be important that even the stadiums that are currently public be subject to concession because private management can provide greater sustainability to these arenas."
Silva also said that President Dilma Rousseff was "very happy" with the end of the negotiations surrounding the Itaquerão stadium. "I informed the president and she expressed satisfaction and happiness with the outcome of the financial equation for the São Paulo stadium," he stated. "She asked me to thank the mayor and the governor for their commitment and to congratulate the president of Corinthians because we are very optimistic."