FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke admitted his relief on Friday after a court overruled a judge’s decision to cancel Brazil’s friendly clash with England at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on safety grounds.
“After 30 seconds of anxiety, I was delighted to receive a statement from the authorities in Rio saying that it was a bureaucratic error and that there is not, in fact, a problem with security or with the structure,” Valcke said before entering the FIFA Congress in Mauritius.
“I am getting ready to fly to Rio after the Congress to attend the match. The Maracana is a sublime stadium,” he added.
“The Maracana is like a nice car. Now it needs to be driven.”
The O Estado de Sao Paulo daily on Thursday quoted court sources as saying the Rio judge who earlier cancelled the match had acted on a request from state prosecutors.
They had said that there was no evidence the Maracana met “the minimum necessary conditions to host games or events”.
But the authorities in Rio appealed that ruling before a duty judge.
They argued that because of a “bureaucratic mistake” the safety report had not been delivered to the relevant official.
The judge duly overturned the earlier ruling, clearing the way for the game to go ahead.
An estimated 74,000 people are expected to watch Sunday’s game, the second test for the stadium inaugurated on April 27 after a multi-million-dollar 30-month renovation.
The friendly is to serve as preparation for the Brazilian national squad ahead of the Confederations Cup in the country from June 15 to 30.
The Maracana will host four Confederations Cup matches as well as seven World Cup games next year, including the finals of both tournaments. In 2016, it will host the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics.
England are already in Brazil having flown on a private jet straight after Wednesday night’s friendly draw in Ireland.
FIFA's Valcke relieved as Maracana gets green light
