Plague of problems hits Brazil World Cup and Olympic venues And this was six years ago. Joao Havelange stadium looked a picture in 2007, but has since fallen into disrepair as the World Cup and Olympics approach. IF YOU thought having to work on Good Friday was pretty ordinary, it could be worse. You could be an Olympic or World Cup stadium manager in Brazil. Despite the Cup being a year away and the Games still three years off, alarm bells are ringing, with a worrying number of stadiums either in dire financial straits or simply falling apart. The Brazilian national football team might be the pride of their nation, but the same can't be said for the João Havelange Stadium - the main Olympic venue - which is now closed indefinitely due to clearly visible structural problems. Usain Bolt to race 150m on Copacabana beach But that's far from the only problem with the venues for the world's two largest sporting events. A lack of cash has stalled construction at two other stadiums, while more issues plague other venues. Among the litany of problems: FIFA warned in December that the Arena Amazonia may not be ready in time for the World Cup The construction company in charge of building the 43,000-seat Pantanal stadium quit in February with debts of $500 million A funding crisis hit the Itaquerao stadium in Sao Paulo in March this year, with a bank refusing to release $202 million in loans The Olympic rowing lake was rendered unusable after it was flooded with 65 tonnes of dead fish Pictures of João Havelange hardly inspire confidence. The stadium was this week photographed with rust and broken metalwork clearly visible, forcing authorities to declare it dangerous and shut the site down.