SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's government on Monday urged officials in the city of Cuiabل to do whatever necessary to get its stadium ready in time for this year's World Cup soccer tournament, following a prosecutors' report that an October fire at the venue caused far more damage than previously disclosed.
Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo downplayed the severity of the October 25 fire at Cuiabل's Arena Pantanal, which he described as "small," but he acknowledged that prosecutors in Mato Grosso state, where the stadium is located, have demanded a new, independent evaluation of its safety following the report of structural damage there.