The Brasilia stadium set to host 2013 Confederations Cup games in June will not be ready until next month after heavy rainfall delayed the laying of the pitch, authorities said. Federal District Governor Agnelo Queiroz said in a statement issued late Monday that the inauguration of the 71,000-seat Mane Garrincha national stadium, initially set for Sunday, would now take place May 18, with the final of a regional league that will serve as a test event.

Two Brazilian football fans were shot dead Sunday as violence marred an official test event for a 2014 World Cup stadium.According to local judge Maria Jose Bentes, more than 200 people were arrested in the northeastern city of Fortaleza over a series of incidents in the vicinity of the Castelao Stadium.Military police said the fatal shootings occurred during a confrontation between rival fans before the Ceara-Fortaleza match, which officially opened the venue.Two Ceara supporters were shot in the head and died at the scene, within four kilometers of the stadium.

Two consortiums are competing for the 35-year operation of Rio's iconic Maracana stadium, the venue for the final of the 2014 World Cup as well as the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2016 summer Olympics, officials said Thursday. Maracana S.A and the Rio Sporting and Cultural Complex Consortium can take part in the bidding, at a date which has yet to be fixed, a state government spokesman told AFP.

By Mike Collett MANCHESTER (Reuters) - Construction workers who helped rebuild Brazil's Maracana stadium will play in the first match to be staged there later this month, Rio de Janeiro's Secretary of State for Sport Andre Lazaroni said on Thursday. The rebuilding of one of the world's iconic stadiums, which will host the World Cup final next year as well as matches in the 2016 Olympics, has been beset by problems but is now expected to be finished by April 24.