FIFA has warned Brazil’s World Cup 2014 host city of Curitiba that it could be excluded unless work speeds up.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said that work at the Arena da Baixada stadium was seriously behind schedule.

A decision on whether Curitiba, in southern Brazil, will remain as a host city will be announced on 18 February, he said. Less than five months before the tournament kicks off, six out of 12 venues are still unfinished.

Four matches are due to be played at the 42,000-capacity Curitiba stadium: Spain-Australia, Honduras-Ecuador, Iran-Nigeria and Algeria-Russia.

After a visit to inspect the work at the Arena da Baixada, Mr Valcke described the situation as “delicate” and “very complicated”.

“Let’s be honest. We do not like the current state of the stadium. This is not only delayed, it is way behind schedule,” he said.

-BBC-

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