Sao Paulo stadium hosts final World Cup test
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — A smaller-than-capacity crowd and a few setbacks marked the final test event at the unfinished stadium set to host the World Cup opener in less than two weeks.
Only 37,000 people attended yesterday’s Brazilian league match at the Itaquerao in Sao Paulo, which won’t hold a full crowd until the opening game between Brazil and Croatia on June 12.
There were no major problems inside or outside the stadium, but some fans still complained of difficulties accessing the venue because of heavy traffic and lack of adequate instructions by local authorities.
The match also had to be briefly interrupted after balloons released by fans made it onto the field, and the announcement of a substitution on the stadium’s big screen upset one of the coaches because he had not yet authorised the change.
