SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s sports minister is dismissing delays in stadium construction for the 2014 World Cup and says construction work in the northeastern city of Salvador will be completed in time for next year’s Confederations Cup.

Minister Aldo Rebelo visited Salvador on Tuesday and said he is confident it will be included as a host city for the warmup competition in 2013. FIFA will decide by next month whether Salvador and Recife will host matches along with Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza and Brasilia.

Rebelo dismissed an alleged report obtained by local media from FIFA saying that soccer’s governing body is worried with the “critical situation” of stadium construction in Brazil. He said FIFA President Sepp Blatter said otherwise in a meeting with local organizers last week.

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