Brazil proposes Manaus for Olympic soccer action

Brazil World Cup stadium Manaus will, subject to FIFA approval, host matches at next year's Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, the 2016 organising committee announced on Thursday.
The inclusion of the Amazon jungle venue follows the example of London 2012 where the football competition held games in provincial cities including Glasgow, Cardiff and Newcastle.
"Nothing is more emblematic than Amazonia," said organizing committee chairman Carlos Nuzman, who added the Olympics must be the "Games of Brazil" and not just Rio as the tournament comes to South America for the first time,
Manaus' Amazonia Arena was the scene of England's first round loss to Italy, one of four World Cup games staged in the city.
Last month, Nuzman said FIFA had voiced concern over whether pitches in Rio and fellow World Cup venues Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo and Salvador, would stand up to multiple use in early Olympic rounds.
That prompted the host nation to propose using more cities and Thursday, Manaus was officially put forward as a sixth venue.
Nuzman said the matter had been discussed at length but that to date FIFA had given "no indication, either in favour or against" the proposal.
A definitive decision is due by August.
There have been fears in Brazil that the Amazonia Arena, built at a cost of $270 million, would end up as a "white elephant" as the northern state boasts no top flight football club to fill the swanky, basked-shaped ground holding 41,000.
"We shall now work with FIFA to ensure these cities are approved," said Jose Maria Marin, president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Rio state governor Luis Fernando Pezao expressed confidence the tournament will leave "a great legacy".
Pezao also alluded to public worries about the cost of hosting sports events, which prompted nationwide demonstrations going into last year's World Cup, insisting that infrastructural investments for the World Cup and the Oympics "are for the benefit of the population".
The overall infrastructure budget for the Games will be $10.76 billion with private funding due to cover an operating budget of $2.45 billion.   
With 16 men's teams and 12 for the women, the current four-city structure could mean some stadiums hosting more than one match a day during the August 3 to 19 football event.
The women's qualifiers kickoff on August 3 with men's action starting a day later as Brazil's men target a crown still to elude the five-time world champions after their 2012 final defeat by Mexico at Wembley.
Rio's legendary Maracana, which hosted Germany's World Cup final win over Argentina in July, is scheduled to host semi-final and final matches.
Brazil used 12 venues at the World Cup, giving the Maracana a massive $400 million overhaul and spending almost $3 billion in all to spread the tournament across the country despite fears that several host cities would struggle to fill their new grounds thereafter.
As a partial solution, the Brazilian league brought domestic matches to the likes of Manaus' Amazonia Arena last season.
Nuzman hinted a decision would be made by February, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is due to visit to monitor progress on Games' preparations.
Source: AFP