Brazil crowds up but stadium usage still problematic

A lone spectator watches the Copa Sudamericana soccer match between Brazil's Sao Paulo and Chile's Huachipato at Morumbi stadium in Sao Paulo September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Paulo Whitake

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The average attendance at Brazil's new arenas in the five months since the World Cup was higher than the league mean but stadiums in cities without major clubs are in danger of becoming white elephants, studies and experts said.

The average attendance at all games in the 12 stadiums was 18,300, just above the 16,562 recorded over the season in Brazil's Serie A, statistics compiled by the Folha de S.Paulo and Lance! newspapers showed.