World Cup Stadium Roof Collapses after Rain

05/29/2013 - 08h35

Less than 20 days away from the start of the Confederations Cup, part of the Fonte Nova stadium roof, one of the stadiums used in the event, collapsed Monday (27) morning due to heavy rain in Salvador.

The stadium, reopened on April 7 at the cost of R$ 689.4 million (US$ 334.4 million), will host three Confederations Cup games in June. It will also host matches at the 2014 World Cup.

Evandro Veiga/Correio da Bahia

The roof of Fonte Nova stadium collapsed due to the accumulation of water

The roof collapsed due to the accumulation of water on the east side of the stadium, one of the 36 panels that cover the stadium. Staff used buckets to remove water.

The consortium that manages Fonte Nova, formed by Odebrecht and OAS, said the problem was "atypical", caused by human error, and "it will never happen" during events.

In an interview to a TV Record affiliated station Governor Jaques Wagner from the Workers' Party (PT) said, when seeing the pictures of the damage, that "it was not meant to accumulate water" and "this is wrong".

The Fonte Nova stadium has been at the center of other problems. The first was in relation to the blind spots (where fans are not able to see the game) at the grandstand, as revealed by Folha.

Fonte Nova will stage Nigeria vs Uruguay game on June 20, part of Group B, and Brazil vs. Italy, in the 22, on Group A.

The match for the third place in the Confederations Cup will also be at the stadium.

Translated by SIMONE PALMA

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