Brazil 2014: Arena de Sao Paulo Hosts Test Event

In preparation for the World Cup the stadium that will be used for the opening game of the World Cup, between Brazil and Croatia, hosted a Brazilian League match on Sunday. Corinthians hosted Figueirense and lost 1-0 thanks to a goal from Giovani Augusto.

The game enabled tests to be conducted in 12 operational areas: safety and security, volunteers, spectator services, competitions, cleaning and waste management, transport (of the teams and match officials), media operations, TV operations, technology, medical services, catering and protocol.
LOC CEO Ricardo Trade spoke after the game and said he was delighted with how operations had gone:-

We are very satisfied. Obviously, there are still things we need to improve, but that’s exactly what this test was for – to see where we need to make changes to ensure we get off to a great start on 12 June. We feel very proud to see the stadium like this, though.

Speaking on behalf of home side Corinthians, Andres Sanches said that Sunday’s match was an entirely new experience for the club:-

We are learning to operate a stadium of this size and we’re improving with every game. There are very few people who will ever see an Opening Match like the one we’re going to put on here.

Sao Paulo Deputy Mayor Nadia Campeao said the event had been successful:-

It’s unlike any other stadium in Sao Paulo because it’s completely new. The most important tests we carried out were in restricting vehicle access and in the arrival of fans on public transport, and they worked. I would like to thank the Corinthians fans for using public transport to get to the stadium.

Raquel Verdenacci, the supervisor of Sao Paulo’s Special FIFA World Cup Secretariat, was also happy with the event:-

We are still working on the numbers, but all in all it was a very positive test. People arriving at the stations were directed to the right areas of the stadium, which was vital to the success of the operation. We’ll be making the necessary changes, but our assessment is a positive one.

Images from that game can be found at http://www.fifa.com/world-match-centre/nationalleagues/nationalleague=brazil-serie-a-2000000078/photos/galleries/gallery/234/094/8/index.html