SAO PAULO // The Arena Corinthians will host the opening match of the Fifa World Cup in nine days. Yet, while 68,000 tickets for the tie between Brazil and Croatia have been sold, the stadium has never held more than 38,000.
The stadium’s first test event on May 18 was supposed to be the only test it would have, but with two temporary stands not finished, Fifa demanded a further test.
Jerome Valcke, the secretary general of football’s governing body, tweeted that it was “vital for us that all facilities will be tested under full match conditions, including the temporary seats and associated facilities”.
On Sunday, the arena held its final test event – again.
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Corinthians played Botafogo to a 1-1 draw, but with one of the temporary stands still not open and another not fully operational only 37,119 spectators attended.
The result is the stadium will be the site of the country’s most anticipated football match and has still not held a full-capacity event. Parts of the arena will only be tested with fans inside as the opening game starts. Weight stress exams will be carried out by the city fire department tomorrow.
“Everything is going to get better, I have no doubt about that,” said Thiago Paes, the local organising committee’s operations manager. “Traffic, metro, military police, everyone is getting better.
“By the semi-final match, we’ll be able to run this place with our eyes closed because by then they will all know the stadium.”
It could be said that by then it is too late. The purpose of test events and the reason Fifa historically demand each new venue hosts three full-capacity tests is for that exact reason: to iron out the problems and ensure staff can operate competently during the tournament.
“Over the next week and a half, we have a lot of work to do,” Paes said. “A lot will be done to change the look of the stadium. It is adjustments: adjustments to the temporary structures, the setting up of the internet, the finishing up of the executive boxes, putting in sofas, fridges, plants.”
Large parts of the stadium remain a work in progress with construction materials lying in unused parts of the stands, concrete still drying on stairwells and paper signs taped hastily to the ground.
Some media reported the food stalls inside the arena were not stocked, while a lack of lighting outside the stadium meant fans used torches to see where they were going.
“The stadium is very pretty, it needs a few more adjustments, but it is more ready than it was in the first game,” said Mano Menezes, the former Brazil coach who manages Corinthians.
“I think it will be a very nice opening game here.”
The transport links to the stadium proved excellent with thousands of Corinthians fans arriving by metro. Before kickoff, spectators protested the high cost of tickets to their new stadium.
It was announced midway through the second half that the club had reaped Reals $2.616 million (Dh4.2m) from ticket sales.
Amadeu Carvalho, a Corinthians fan who has photographed the development of the stadium since the day construction began, said he was proud of the arena, but disappointed that it was not finished.
“It has improved a lot even since the last match against Figueirense,” he told The National. “Now they have another week to polish it, but I am confident everything will be great.”
The stadium was to be ready in December. Three workers died during construction and the club confirmed last month that the roof of the stadium would not be finished in time, leaving two stands unprotected from Sao Paulo’s famous drizzle.
As well as next Friday’s opening match, Arena Corinthians will host five other World Cup games, including a semi-final on June 9.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
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