FORTALEZA, BRAZIL (16 December 2012) At a ceremony held today, Brazil President Dilma Rousseff unveiled a plaque marking the completion of the renovation of Castelão Stadium in Fortaleza. The 63,903-seat soccer stadium is Brazil’s first 2014 World Cup Stadium to be inaugurated and will host six World Cup and three 2013 Confederations Cup matches. She remarked that the arena makes all Brazilians proud, and demonstrates to the world that Brazil is capable of staging the biggest sporting events in the coming years. The ceremony was capped off with a performance by Raimundo Fagner, a singer from the Brazilian state of Ceará.
"I was in London recently and visited a stadium, and I'd like to say that the Castelão stadium shows that Brazil is capable of winning on and off the pitch. [The Castelão] shows that Brazilians are capable of overcoming obstacles and delivering a project of this magnitude," stated President Dilma Rousseff.
"A lot of people said that we weren't capable, but today we have started to show them that we are and the stadium has been delivered. And I’d like to remind you of one thing. Today, 16 December, we inaugurate the stadium at a very special moment -- a moment of hard work, luck and victory, when Corinthians has been crowned the champion of the FIFA Club World Cup. This fact, regardless of any other, shows that Brazil is capable of two things: winning on the pitch and building a stadium of this high standard," President Rousseff added.
The Brazilian Minister of Sport Aldo Rebelo said, "By delivering the first stadium for the 2014 World Cup, the city of Fortaleza and the state of Ceará are an example of how capable we are of hosting the biggest sporting event in the world. And doing so competently, meeting deadlines, and with a project that combines architectural beauty, modernity and efficiency."
The governor of the state of Ceará, Cid Gomes, emphasized that the stadium was delivered without any financial overruns and ahead of schedule. "The stadium is ready due to the effort and work of over two thousand people who gave it their all. We're going to have great matches here," he said.
FIFA President Joseph Blatter sent a video message to congratulate Brazilian authorities and the people of the state of Ceará for delivering the Castelão. According to Blatter, who was in Japan to watch the final of the FIFA Club World Cup, today’s event is special as it is a milestone reached in Brazil’s preparation for the Confederations Cup 2013 and the World Cup in 2014. "The total renovation of the Castelão represents an excellent example of the partnership between the federal, state and municipal governments, as well as the Local Organizing Committee and the Brazilian people," he stated in the video, played on a big screen installed in the stadium’s promenade. Blatter also said he is looking forward to watching the first match of the Confederations Cup in Fortaleza on 19 June 2013 between Brazil and Mexico.
For more information contact: Katie Lowry, Fleishman-Hillard New York
Telephone: + 1 212-453-2217
Email: kathleen.lowry@fleishman.com
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