World Cup clash goes ahead despite stadium safety fears

The World Cup clash between Mexico and Cameroon went ahead yesterday despite warnings from firefighters that the stadium was unsafe for fans.

Firefighters in the World Cup city of Natal said they were concerned about some safety problems in the stadium

Lt Christiano Couceiro told the UOL news portal that a Thursday inspection of the Arena das Dunas found problems, including missing guardrails to keep fans from falling and temporary seating that wasn’t bolted to the structure.

He also said that an area with 11,000 temporary seats had not been inspected by his department.

Inspectors returned to the stadium early yesterday ahead of the afternoon kick-off, but Couceiro said Fifa officials barred them from entering the stadium.

Fifa didn’t have an immediate response to the Natal fire department’s concerns.

“On Thursday, we could say that 95% of ... the stadium was within regulations.” Couceiro told UOL.

The fire official said he reported his findings to the Rio Grande do Norte state security secretariat and told them that if any incident occurred in the stadium it “will be the responsibility of the organisers”.

Couceiro added that the areas where inspectors found problems should have been blocked off from the public, and that is what would take place at any other venue holding a large public event.

Calls to Couceiro were not returned, but an official with the Natal fire department confirmed the problems in a telephone call. He spoke on condition that he not be named, saying he wasn’t authorised to speak to the press.

Meanwhile, a bus strike that began in Natal forced the local government to find a fleet of school buses and other vans to transport fans to the stadium.

The city government arranged for school buses and vans to transport fans, with shuttles running from malls and supermarkets to the stadium.