MANAUS: At last a date has been set for the first match in the much-delayed World Cup stadium in Manaus, capital of the Amazon and one of the most controversial venues.

After four ‘delivery’ delays in the past year March 9 will see the most local club, Nacional, play Remo of Parana in a second round match in the Copa Verde, a regional competition for clubs in the north, centre-east and Espirito Santo.

The match will be restricted to a 20,000 attendance in a stadium whose full capacity is 43,000. Nacional will have 10,000 tickets with 7,000 going to construction company Andrade Gutierrez. The remaining 3,000 will be distributed among local charities.

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