26 Dec 2013

Most expensive Brazil World Cup stadium has leaking roof

11:32 am on 26 December 2013

The most expensive of the 12 stadiums built or revamped for the 2014 World Cup has a leaking roof less than eight months after it was finished, according to the stadium's operators.

Secopa, the local government agency that runs the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia, will ask the company that rebuilt it to explain why parts of the roof let in rain during last weekend's women's match between Brazil and Chile.

The $620 million stadium is scheduled to stage six World Cup matches, including a quarter-final and the third-place playoff.

It comes with a five-year guarantee and any repair work will be paid for by the builders.

The uproar over the scandal of a leaky roof at the 73,000 seat arena is not the first time construction work at Brazilian stadiums has been called into question.

The Joao Havelange stadium in Rio was closed earlier this year, six years after it was built for the Pan American Games.