BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s sports minister says some cities slated to host World Cup games in 2014 may be removed from the list if they don’t start refurbishing their stadiums or build new ones soon.
Orlando Silva says many cities did not meet the March 31 deadline to begin renovating their stadiums or build new ones. Unless they meet the second deadline on May 3, they run the risk of being excluded from the World Cup.
FIFA has approved 12 cities to host the 2014 games in Brazil. Silva says eight would be enough for the event. He did not say what cities were running behind schedule.
Silva made his remarks on Friday at a business forum.
