Amid Safety Concerns, Brazil vs. England to Go Ahead

• Telegraph, Friday, May 31, 2013 1:16 PM

As it turns out, England will face Brazil at the newly renovated Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. The game was originally suspended because of safety fears that were later withdrawn by the Rio state government. "All safety requirements for the friendly between Brazil and Englandhave been complied with and, because of a bureaucratic failure, the appraisal from the public ministry that proves the compliance with the rules on safety at the Maracana have not been sent to Suderj," the official statement read. Suderj is the Rio state authority on sports administrative issues.

While the renovation of the 78,000 capacity Maracana was completed last month, a judge had ruled that there wasn’t sufficient evidence that the work had been finalized. "Despite numerous requests from the public ministry (the state prosecutor), the reports were not delivered in their entirety and we do not have at this moment the proof the stadium meets the minimum requirements necessary to put on matches or events,” judge Adriana Costa dos Santos had said. “Because of the inaction of those responsible, there is no way we can allow the stadium to be reopened without the proof that it is in satisfactory conditions for hygiene and safety."

(The game airs live in the USA on Sunday, 3 pm ET on beIN Sport.)

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