FIFA's Valcke: Brazil's football World Cup glass half full

As Brazil strains at the leash to prepare next year's World Cup, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke told AFP on Thursday that organisers should see the glass as half full. The tournament has been beset by delays, with the stadiums at Curitiba and Cuiaba running late and preparations were hit by tragedy last week when a crane fell on the stand at Sao Paulo, killing two construction workers. Such setbacks have forced the game's ruling body to rein in original plans which included a firm December 31 deadline for all 12 stadiums to be ready. But with Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians, otherwise known as the Itaquerao, staging the opening match featuring hosts Brazil on the opening day, June 12, FIFA bowed to the inevitable on Tuesday effectively scrapping the date and allowing some breathing space. They include Curitiba, whose completion is now set for February, and the similarly unfinished Cuiaba. Valcke says FIFA believes all will come together ultimately and adds the organization has had to be flexible and has taken common-sense decisions. "You cannot accuse us of not showing flexibility given a certain number of stadiums are not ready in the announced timeframe," Valcke told AFP. "If you are given a glass which is half full you use what you have in it to ensure it works. That doesn't put the organization of the World Cup at risk," he insisted, while admitting it made matters "more complicated." Valcke said missing the December 31 deadline was not serious in itself -- "but if it's not January 15 but March 15 that is more of a problem," he conceded. "That gives you less time to ensure things work." With Sao Paulo not now expected to be completed before mid-April, just two months before kick-off, Valcke said a first test event would be pencilled in for mid-or late April with 33 percent capacity at the stadium. "Assuming it works then we shall organise the opening match at Sao Paulo. But we are getting to the limit," Valcke stated. Demonstrations marred the Confederations Cup warm-up event last June and more are expected next year, as well as at Friday's draw. Valcke insisted that the protests took Brazilian authorities by surprise as much as FIFA. "Demonstrating is a right. In France, demonstrating is not once a year. It might not be daily but it is several times a week." Brazil, a military dictatorship until as recently as 1985, does not generally have a culture of street protest, hence the widespread shock at last June's unrest. "For the World Cup in a football country such as Brazil, hosting the event for a second time after 64 years, and with the chance to be champion at home (for a first time after losing the 1950 final) I imagine the nation is behind them," despite some protests at the cost of the event and government corruption. Valcke also addressed the vexed issue of soaring prices in Brazil, both for domestic flights and accommodation. "We see the price hikes everywhere, as was the case in South Africa in 2010. The government has power (on pricing) for public enterprises but not really for private companies. "It does have the power to appeal to common sense. It is a discussion we've had with the government," said Valcke, who said he hopes for more "reasonable" tariffs. "My main concern is to see that football fans, more important than we are, can come to Brazil in the best conditions, move around a continent-sized country and follow their team. He concluded that FIFA "does not want a World Cup reserved for a minority with firms charging overly high prices" that most cannot pay. Source: AFP