Battle Gaúcha (Brazilian south region)

With the preparations prior to the  World Cup 2014, the Brazilian capitals are racing to prepare their stadium in hope of being chosen as one of the venues for games. But apart from the competition of cities, even more fierce is the competition from teams who plan to retire or build its arenas in time to be listed as official stage for World Cup. 

The facts of Porto Alegre: despite claims of the Minister of Sports, Orlando Silva, in relation to Beira-Rio being the stadium in Rio Grande do Sul that will host the Cup, that decision rests with FIFA, and will be made only in March 2009. For the definition, the local committees must confirm their projects in stages, with defined resources, construction contractors etc, which is increasingly difficult in this period of financial crisis that has struck upon the world and damaging, directly, investments in the country. 

According to the president of Internacional, Vitório Pìffero, Beira-Rio stadium and its surroundings will be reformed and reshaped. The changes are budgeted at U.S. $ 80 million and will be made with money from their own club, which has 75 thousand members, occupying the 2^nd place in Latin America, only behind the River Plate of Argentine, and the sale of the stadium  Eucaliptus. For the Cup, Internacional wants to construct a building to receive the cars, plus another parking area near the stadium. The lower bleachers of the stadium will be modified and expanded by removing the old moat and approaching the fans more to the field. The whole ring around the lower cabins and the seats of the stadium will be marked. The Beira-Rio Will receive a cover, built in steel structure, covering all seats of the stadium. It is also envisaged the construction of a hotel near the Beira-Rio, making an private investment of capital, in partnership with a hotel network. 

Grêmio in the other hand promises a brand new stadium, the Arena Project will meet all the requirements of FIFA and provide the urbanization of their surroundings, the neighborhood Humaitá, in the northern zone of the capital, this is an important factor when we think the legacy that the actions for the Cup will let behind. The vice president of the guild, Eduardo Antonini, came to say that the new stadium will be the "most modern in Brazil" and that they would not have sense of being left out of the dispute for the World Cup. The multipurpose arena is budgeted at $ 1 billion and in addition to the stadium, is planned to build a shopping center, office, hotel, convention center, housing and parking areas. In statements to prick the opponent team, Antonini even said that "those who know stadiums also know that reform is impossible, it is necessary to build (a stadium) again to reach the level we want." 

The board of the Internacional is not cheap, and appears calm in response: "There is no chance that the Cup games in Porto Alegre to be left to Beira-Rio," said the president Vitório Piffero.