Expensive 2014 World Cup stadium to host Ghana's clash against Portugal has leaking roof

Published on: 26 December 2013
Expensive 2014 World Cup stadium to host Ghana's clash against Portugal has leaking roof
The Brasilai stadium has a leaking roof

The Brasilia stadium which will host Ghana's clash with Portugal at the 2014 World Cup has a leaking roof, less than eight months after it was finished even though it is the most expensive of the 12 stadiums built or renovated for the tournament.

The Black Stars will take on Portugal on 26 June at the Estadio Nacional in the final Group G match but organisers have been left lamenting over the poor state of the roofing which was exposed over the past few days.

SECOPA, the local government agency that runs the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia, will ask the company that rebuilt it to explain why parts of the roof let in rain during the women’s match between Brazil and Chile.

Local media reported that almost the entire lower ring of the stands was soaked.

SECOPA however played down the problem, saying the leaks were not serious and would not affect any of the matches being played there during next year’s World Cup.

“Because it is a new, grandiose and complex stadium, some small points are still being corrected and tested but there is nothing that compromises the running of the stadium or the holding of events there,” SECOPA said in a statement.

The stadium comes with a five-year guarantee and any repair work will be paid for by the builders, SECOPA added.

The national stadium in the capital Brasilia cost more than $509 million.

It will stage six World Cup matches including a quarter-final and the third-place playoff.

The venue was inaugurated in May and it hosted the opening match of the Confederations Cup between Brazil and Japan in June.

It has held 17 major events since then, including several first division football matches, stadium officials said.

At least three of the six World Cup stadiums still to be finished before the tournament kicks off in June will be handed over behind schedule.

A total of five people have died while working on the 12 venues, including one man in Brasilia.

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