Valcke: Too early to know if Recife will be ready

SAO PAULO (AP) -- FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says it's still too early to tell if the northeastern city of Recife will be able to host the Confederations Cup next year.

Valcke visited Recife on Tuesday to begin a tour of World Cup host cities in Brazil and said that "there's still a lot of work to do'' to get the city prepared for the Confederations Cup.

But he said he got guarantees from the local government that all the work will be completed in time, giving organizers "confidence that Recife will be ready'' for the World Cup warmup tournament.

The stadium in Recife was 53 percent ready at the end of May. Local organizers have until November to show FIFA that the city can be included among Confederations Cup venues.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.