A government report has stated that work on improving transportation infrastructure has yet to commence in more than half of the host cities, while airport renovations will not be completed in time for the 2013 Confederations Cup. However, Brazil’s Sports Minister Orlando Silva is convinced the country will deliver for 2014. "We are confident the country is on the right track to host the World Cup," he said, according to the Associated Press.
The government had previously stated that five airports were expected to be ready ahead of the Confederations Cup kick-off in June 2013, but none will be completed by then. Work on five of the 13 airports for the World Cup has not begun, while the remaining eight have seen their completion dates pushed back. Work is yet to start in Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Manaus, Recife and Salvador.
Meanwhile, a federal judge this week stopped work at Sao Paulo's international airport, Brazil’s largest, saying that the project commenced illegally without a bidding process. "We are confident that the airports will be ready in time for the World Cup," Civil Aviation Minister Wagner Bittencourt maintained. "We can rest assured they won't be a problem. In fact, they will be part of the solution."
Work to revamp transportation infrastructure in the host cities will also fail to finish ahead of the Confederations Cup, the traditional curtain raiser and test bed for the main event. According to AP, most projects are scheduled to end in late 2013, but some are not expected to be completed until one month before the World Cup begins in June 2014. Only nine of the near 50 transportation projects for the World Cup are currently underway, while work is yet to commence in seven host cities."We are working at the right pace to get the country ready to host a great World Cup," Planning Minister Miriam Belchior added.