Construction work on the World Cup's main field might be halted

Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images

Construction work on the World Cup's main field might be halted
(Image credit: Friedemann Vogel/Getty Images)

Brazil's World Cup preparations seem to be going from bad to worse. Construction work at the stadium that will host the game's opening match might be halted if contractors don't fix problems with the field's 20,000 temporary seats. Brazilian prosecutors said they're concerned about worker safety at the highly troubled Itaquerao Stadium, which is scheduled to host the highly anticipated Brazil vs. Croatia match in just four weeks.

Inspectors alerted construction workers to the problems a few weeks ago, but so far, nothing has been done to fix them. The company in charge of the stands dismissed the possibility of the work having to be stopped and said they would fix the seats by the end of the day.

This complication is just the latest in a string public embarrassments for not only the Itaquerao Stadium, but Brazil in general. Two workers died in November in a crane collapse and the field has been steeped in financial trouble. Brazil has promised it will be ready for June's global spectacle, but that remains to be seen at this point.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.