England Match Goes Ahead!

Last updated : 01 June 2013 By Footy Mad - Editor

sThe Rio state government confirmed that Judge Adriana Costa dos Santos has reversed her ruling that the stadium was unsafe.

There had been fears that the clash would not go ahead after the match was officially suspended due to safety concerns.

However, a statement on the Rio state government website later confirmed the stadium complies with "all safety rules".

The statement also confirmed a safety certificate had been granted.

"All safety requirements for the friendly between Brazil and England have been complied with and, because of a bureaucratic failure, the appraisal from the public ministry that proves the compliance with the rules on safety at the Maracana have not been sent to Suderj," the statement read.

Suderj is a division of the Rio de Janeiro state authority that holds responsibility for administrative issues with major sports venues.

The renovation of the 78,000-seat Maracana was completed last month - it is also due to hold the opening ceremony of next month's FIFA Confederations Cup and matches in the tournament.

The judge's original decision came after a prosecutor submitted a request for the match to be cancelled because of a lack of assurances that work on the stadium had been finalised, with worries that debris left over by construction workers could be hurled in the case of a disturbance. There were also reports that there could be a problem with flooring.

The judge was quoted by newspaper Estado as saying: "Despite numerous requests from the public ministry (the state prosecutor), the reports were not delivered in their entirety and we do not have at this moment the proof the stadium meets the minimum requirements necessary to put on matches or events.

"Because of the inaction of those responsible, there is no way we can allow the stadium to be reopened without the proof that it is in satisfactory conditions for hygiene and safety."