Corinthians arrange test game at Arena ahead of World Cup

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Corinthians have hastily arranged to a second league game at their stadium later this month after FIFA said it wanted to test the venue with a bigger crowd ahead of the World Cup’s opening match there in June.





Corinthians are to play Cruzeiro at the Arena Corinthians on May 29, just two weeks before the stadium hosts the opening game in Group A between Brazil and Croatia, the club said.

The game "will count on the operation and services of some aspects of a FIFA World Cup match," a statement on the Corinthians website (www.corinthians.com/br) said.

Corinthians lost 1-0 at home to Figueirense at the Arena Corinthians on Sunday in front of 36,000 paying fans in the first official game to be held at the ground.

FIFA, however, expressed concern that the stadium was still incomplete and wants to see another game.

"Arena de Sao Paulo still needs 100 per cent from everybody to guarantee necessary structures are in place for opener,” FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said on Twitter.

"A test event does not compare to the scale, needs and global attention of the opening match of the World Cup. "The opening World Cup match attracts 65,000+ watching live in the stadium and a billion on TV. 24 Days to Go."

Seats and other temporary structures for sponsors, broadcasters and fans have yet to be installed at the Arena Corinthians and the Cuiaba and Curitiba stadiums.





(Editing by Julien Pretot)


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Corinthians arrange test game at Arena ahead of World Cup | SBS News