We already know about how the stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which will host the opening match of the Tournament tomorrow, won’t be completely finished until after the World Cup. Now we’re getting a glimpse inside of another, more controversial stadium that appears to be not quite ready for its closeup.
Arena Amazonia in Manaus, the stadium that was erected in the middle of the Amazon Jungle, appears to be in the middle of a bit of a landscaping crisis. The field looks an absolute mess per images being tweeted out (which won’t be allowed come gameday, bee tee dubs).
Pictures reveal dreadful state of Manaus pitch just three days before England v Italy http://t.co/XTYmtVYxs6 pic.twitter.com/YCjekDjbuX
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) June 11, 2014
The pitch at #Manaus. Not the lush green billard table we were hoping for… pic.twitter.com/wfQPG3E5VW
— villamad.co.uk (@villamadtweets) June 11, 2014
The stadium is scheduled to host the opening Group D match between Italy and England on Saturday.
The oft criticized, $290 million dollar stadium built in a city that has no local team was always going to be a source of contention between the residents of Manaus and the Brazillian government for what’ll come of it after the World Cup ends, but things have already spiraled out of control here, and the first match hasn’t even been played yet. You’ve got patchy dry spots, some areas where it looks like plain dirt, and the green spots aren’t even good looking. According to Guardian reports, witnesses to the disastrous pitch have described it as “fully functional but not completely finished.”
The surface was in pristine condition earlier this year when the stadium was “completed,” but the field has been undergoing emergency repairs for several months after what the site describes as “seriously undernourished grass following the excessive use of fertiliser on the new playing surface.”
The pitch might be the least of the stadium’s concerns, however [via Guardian]:
In and around the changing rooms, naked power cables could be seen dangling from the walls. According to reports, outside the stadium workers were still applying a final coat of asphalt, while several security doors could be seen in their packaging, still waiting to be fitted.
Brazil, everybody!