FIFA concludes visit to World Cup host cities

A group of about 40 people from FIFA and the local organizing committee traveled to the northeastern city of Natal on Monday, the last stop in a seven-day trip across Brazil. They also visited Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Cuiaba and the jungle city of Manaus. The other six host cities had been inspected last year. The inspection group scrutinized local plans for dealing with traffic, security, fan management, commercial partners, marketing, hospitality and media. Ricardo Trade, an executive director at the local organizing committee, said the visits were important to help organizers "evaluate several aspects" and improve planning for the World Cup.