Press releases
Schäuble: "Take concerns seriously – but there is no reason for panic"
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Following publications by German consumer watchdog Stiftung Warentest on the safety of the World Cup stadiums, Federal Minister of the Interior Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble warns against any hysteria and offers to carry out an intensive examination of the safety concerns raised.
"We take the concerns of Stiftung Warentest seriously and, with World Cup spectators from Germany and across the globe in mind, the stadiums have been examined once again by an independent body 150 days before the start of the age World Cup", said Schäuble.
"The results presented following the initial assessment by our experts rule out any cause for panic-mongering. The twelve World Cup stadiums were built or rebuilt in line with the latest building standards, incorporating FIFA conditions and taking into account scientific expertise. In the successful test run of the Confederations Cup and in the German Premier League (Bundesliga), the arenas underwent and undergo regular practical tests. The World Cup stadiums, with few exceptions, passed these tests with flying colours."
However, the minister responsible for the World Cup guarantees provided by the Federal Government promised to examine the results of the study in co-operation with the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, the World Cup Organising Committee, the German Länder concerned and the safety experts. "We are grateful for recommendations on how to improve safety in the stadiums, and we will press for their implementation", explained the Federal Minister of the Interior.
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