Odebrecht constrution company denies risk of collapse at Arena Corinthians

Odebrecht construction company denied that the Arena Corinthians, which hosted matches of Rio 2016 Olympic Games, in São Paulo, poses risks to the audience. "Over its two and half years of operation, dozens of football matches and many other events were held without offering any risk to its s," read the note published at Corinthians website by the company that built the stadium.

On Tuesday (Nov. 1), after an inspection, São Paulo's water utility company Sabesp found evidence of leaking at the stadium. The company responsible for the city's water supply said that in February they had warned Corinthians football club about the high water consumption in the stadium, "which would signal an internal leaking," according to the company's statement.

Risk of landslide

A news article published by Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported a risk of sliding at the parking lot of the stadium due to a water leaking. Beside the parking lot, the Radial Leste Avenue es, connecting São Paulo downtown to the east zone of the city.

Odebrecht says the leaking found by Sabesp was caused by a problem at the water log and it has not affected the building. The landslide that happened this year in part of the stadium parking lot was caused, according to the construction company, by rain unexpectedly above the regular level. "Erosion from 2016 was caused by torrential rains, which were beyond any expectation, so much so that the insurance company has been ed and offset part of the loss," read the statement.

The construction company also says that it ensures the quality of the work delivered, but repairs to the space are of responsibility of the Real Estate Fund that manages the arena. According to the company, the space has all documents and reports that ensure its security. "The stadium has a permit and all other security reports necessary for its operation were issued by public agencies that periodically inspect the local facilities, and it has no restriction."

Translated by Amarílis Anchieta