ZURICH: FIFA president has added German design and construction companies to the blame game over the preparation delays ahead of the World Cup finals in Brazil writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

In an interview with the Qatar-owned French TV channel BeIN Sport, he sought to dispel any fault of the football authorities in the problems.

He said: “The organization of work is bad but this has nothing to do with football. The big companies, mainly from Germany and France, are responsible.”

Schlaich Berger and Partner from Stuttgart and Berlin architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners are among the German companies which cornered some of the most lucrative projects, according to German media.

Engineering company SBP was involved in work at the Maracana which will host the World Cup Final which both companies were in a consortium responsible for the stadium roof and surrounds at the Estadio Nacional in the capital Brasilia.

GMP had been involved in controversy in Germany over the delaus at the new Berlin airport.

Braunschweig architects Schulitz and Partners were involved in designing the Salvador stadium while engineering specialists Werner Sobek (Stuttgart) contributed to the Itaquero stadium in Sao Paulo.

At least the Qatar hosts of the 2022 World Cup finals appear to have learned from the Brazil example that bigger is not necessarily better.

Recent statements from Supreme Committee officials suggest that the Qataris want to reduce the number of stadia to the FIFA recommended minimum of eight. Brazil persuaded FIFA to allow it to use the maximum possible of 12.

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