Far from perfect, but Brazil set fair for World Cup

Brazil has problems like most countries but one that appears to be rapidly disappearing is the notion that it will not be ready to host the World Cup in just over 18 months' time.

While anxieties remain about the Amazonia Arena in Manaus and airports including Belo Horizonte as well the upgrading of roads and the construction of a few hotels, Brazil looks on course to stage a successful World Cup.

"In the past 40 years only the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and the Athens Olympics in 2004 still had building worries at the end. That will not happen here," said Ricardo Trade, the chief executive of Brazil's World Cup organizing committee (LOC).

However, a general mood of skepticism remains in the country.

Many Brazilians do think the stadiums will be ready on time but a feeling exists that the transport system, airports and hotel capacity will struggle to cope.

There is also a belief that some stadiums, built at enormous cost through Brazil's continually emerging muscle as the world's sixth largest economy, are destined to become white elephants and that much of the building work is over budget.

For the last two weeks officials from world soccer's governing body FIFA, Brazil's LOC and representatives from national and state governments and the tourist board accompanied 20 foreign journalists on a tour of the six World Cup venues which will also stage matches at next year's Confederations Cup.

The stadiums are in varying states of readiness from the virtually complete Mineirao at Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza's Castelao Arena to the far-from-finished Maracana in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia's Mane Garrincha National Stadium.

But there is no sense of panic.

"We are not involved in a race against time," deputy sports minister Luis Fernandes told reporters in Brasilia.

"Our main concern is the stadium in Manaus, which, being in the Amazon jungle has its own problems - but they will be solved. All 12 stadiums will be ready for the finals."