FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has completed his final inspection tour of the host venues for this month’s World Cup and conceded there are still concerns over three of the nine stadia.

Venues in Natal, Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo all have work still to be done and Valcke warned organisers from each that work must continue.

It is the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo that presents the biggest headache for FIFA after a second test event was played on Sunday night. A Brazilian league game was limited to just 40,000 rather than the capacity 65,000 on the request of the city fire department.

It is looking increasingly likely that next week’s opening game between Brazil and Croatia will be limited to a 40,000 crowd as well, with tickets not yet on sale for the remaining 25,000 seats as construction workers race to finish preparations in time.

That said, Sunday’s event was said to have ran smoothly, with the main problems being limited to traffic congestion and delays at security check points.

Meanwhile, Valcke said it would be a “race against the clock” for the city of Natal to be ready for kick-off at Arena das Dunas. The stadium is due to host a repeat of the 2010 final as Netherlands and Spain go head-to-head on June 13.

"All must be perfect that day,” Valcke stated.

"We need full commitment from all parties in Natal to ensure all will be in place and tested," he added.

FIFA has now confirmed it is satisfied with the plans for Fan Fests in each of the host cities. According to the FIFA website, the Fan Fests will “offer free admission to secure, family-friendly locations where both local and international fans can watch FIFA World Cup matches in a unique FIFA World Cup environment.”

Photo: Action Images

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