Concerns are growing over the state of the Azteca Stadium as the World Cup draws ever closer. The iconic stadium in Mexico City is slated to host the opening match of the tournament, but delayed renovation works have organisers worried just 115 days out.
Mexico is hosting the World Cup along with the United States and Canada and the Azteca is its most famous venue, having hosted the World Cup final in both 1970 and 1986 and seen Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal. But the stadium is currently a building site, with crucial work not going to plan.
The stadium has officially been rebranded as Estadio Banorte after the bank which loaned the money that made the modernisation works possible. But an official report by the stadium's owners, Grupo Ollamani, to the Mexico Stock Exchange last week laid bare the issues.
Grupo Ollamani president Emilio Azcarraga said in the report that the consortium believes a “possible disqualification or relocation of key matches by FIFA” is a genuine risk because of a “failure to meet deadlines for the remodelling works and unforeseen costs.”
A planned friendly between Mexico and Portugal on March 28 is in serious doubt, while the World Cup opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 is also under the microscope. Azcarraga is hopeful that the stadium will be ready for the World Cup, even if deadlines are not met between now and then.
England could be affected if things don't go to plan, though, because a likely route to the final would include a last-16 tie against Mexico at the Azteca on July 5.
“This first stage, which ends on March 28 with the reopening, is important," said Azcarraga. “Then we’ll continue with the remaining work needed for the World Cup, and after that, because there are many things that, due to the complexity of the project, can’t be done.
“For example, the large parking lot outside the stadium, where we had to get rid of a lot of trash, we will have to do that after the World Cup.
“There was an issue with the lighting of the columns that wasn’t quite right, so that will be addressed later. It’s also about maintaining a consistent maintenance system, which I think was lacking in the past.”
Under the plans for the tournament, FIFA will take over the stadium in early May. And it is world football's governing body that holds the power to move matches away from Mexico's iconic 88,000-seater stadium.
It seems as though the works outside of the stadium, like the aforementioned car parking, will be left until after the World Cup, which could mean a less than ideal aesthetic for visiting fans. Instead, the owners will prioritise building new media facilities, the demolition of sections of the stands to relocate locker rooms and replacing seats to meet FIFA's criteria.
The Azteca isn't the only troublesome World Cup venue, with Gillette Stadium outside Boston facing issues over licencing. A row between FIFA and the local council over costs at the home of the New England Patriots in Foxborough - where England will play Scotland in their second group game - has rumbled on but should be sorted in the coming months.
