Culture

Rio's Maracana Stadium Does Not Appear to Be Entirely Stable

Maracana Stadium, which was built for the 1950 World Cup, has seen better days.

By Adam Chandler
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Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium, which was built for the 1950 World Cup, has seen better days. As fans poured into the venue to watch Sunday's match between between Argentina and Bosnia, a key staircase began to sway under the weight of the stream of fans. Here's the nerve-wracking footage packaged with a calming, delightful accent:

Brazil's World Cup has had its troubles. From issues with the quality of the pitch at Arena Amazonia to construction-related deaths and scrapped projects to civilian protests, the excitement we were all promised has extended from the exhilarating field of play into the stadiums and the streets. So it's not entirely surprising that some the infrastructure doesn't appear up to snuff.

The famed Maracana Stadium, which was renovated in 2011, is still slated to host a total of 13 matches throughout this World Cup, including the final match next month. But fear not, when asked about the stairway by an Associated Press reporter, a spokeswoman for Rio de Janeiro's state government said to e-mail the question and she would respond to it.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.