SAO PAULO, Brazil -- FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke is giving Brazilian organizers only a few more weeks to show that the stadium in Curitiba will be ready in time for the World Cup. Nike Free 5.0 Grigie . Valcke showed real concern about the pace of construction at the Arena da Baixada after visiting the southern city on Tuesday, saying that work there is more than late. He said he believes the stadium will make it, but declined to guarantee it will be part of the tournament that begins in June. Valcke said local organizers have until Feb. 18 to demonstrate that the work can be completed in time. "What we are expecting is that these technicians will work from now up to the 18th of February and by the 18th of February they will say, OK, guys, its fine," Valcke said. Most of the delay at the venue, which was about 90 per cent completed, was blamed on difficulties getting the needed funding for the construction. The stadium is being built mainly by local club Atletico Paranaense. "For the time being, I trust that the decisions that have been made today will give us Curitiba as one of the host cities," Valcke told a news conference. "It will be a difficult birth, but at the end we will have a baby." Brazils deputy sports minister Luis Fernandes said that after Tuesdays visit it was clear something had to be done to guarantee Curitiba as a host city. "With the current pace of construction, the stadium would not be ready in time," Fernandes said, adding that more workers are expected to be added to the construction site to try to get the venue ready. The trip to Curitiba was not originally scheduled for this weeks inspection tour by FIFA, but footballs governing body added a stop there after receiving the latest construction report from local organizers. Valcke was initially expected to go to the jungle city of Manaus. The Arena da Baixada was the most delayed among the six that still have to be delivered for the World Cup. FIFAs inspection tour began on Monday in Sao Paulo, with Valcke visiting the Itaquerao stadium, where a crane collapse late last year killed two workers and caused significant delays in construction. The Itaquerao, which will host the World Cup opener between Brazil and Croatia on June 12, is expected to be ready in mid-April. On Wednesday, the Arena das Dunas in the northeastern city of Natal will be the latest stadium to be delivered. Valcke will be there for the inauguration ceremony along with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Brazil promised to deliver all 12 by the end of 2013 but only the six that were used during last years Confederations Cup were ready. Four of those had missed their initial completion deadline of the end of 2012. The Arena da Baixada is due to host four World Cup matches, all in the group stage. The first is Iran vs. Nigeria on June. 16. Nike Roshe Run Floral Shop . -- Zach Parise had a goal and two assists, Mikael Granlund scored the go-ahead goal on a power play early in the second period and Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves for the Minnesota Wild in a 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. Nike Free Nere e Bianche .com) - Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season as the Boston Bruins defeated the New York Rangers 3-0 on Thursday.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tallied 13 points and eight rebounds as No. 8 Arizona got back on track with an easy 73-49 victory over Arizona State at the McKale Center. Stanley Johnson had 13 points and seven rebounds to help the Wildcats (13-1, 1-0 Pac-12) bounce back from their lone defeat of the season, a 71-67 loss at UNLV on Dec. 23. Brandon Ashley also scored 13 points in a Pac-12 opener in which Arizona led by 20 at halftime and was never threatened by its in-state rival. Arizona State (8-6, 0-1) shot just 32.6 percent and committed 22 turnovers. with no Sun Devil finishing in double figures. Gerry Blakes paced ASU with nine points. The Wildcats displayed little rust from their 12-day layoff, sinking four attempts from 3-point range in the games first five minutes en route to taking a 15-7 lead they built upon later in the opening half. Six straight points shortly afterward extended Arizonas advantage to 21-8 eight minutes into the period, and the margin was 18 with 6:03 left in the frame after Gabe Yorks dunk off an ASU turnover finished off a 12-2 run that mmade the score 33-15. Nike Roshe Run Floral Italia. . Arizona, which shot 58.6 percent for the first half, closed out the stanza with six straight points to own a commanding 45-25 lead at the break. The Wildcats continued to increase the margin following the intermission, with two Ashley free throws and a Dusan Ristic basket putting Arizona up by a 56-31 count with under 14 minutes to go. A 13-4 surge, capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Jonathan Gilling, brought the Sun Devils within 60-44 just past the midway mark of the second half. Arizona State got no closer, however, as the Wildcats countered with a 7-1 push to put the game completely out of reach. Game Notes Arizona has now won 13 straight Pac-12 home games and 30 in a row overall at the McKale Center ... The Wildcats finished 5-of-10 on 3-point tries and outrebounded the Sun Devils 33-23 ... Arizona State has lost in five straight visits to Tucson ... The Arizona athletic department announced Saturday that it will retire the jersey of NBA veteran Jason Terry during the Wildcats home game against USC on Feb. 19. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
