FIFA vice president and inspection committee chief Antonio Matarrese on Monday gave good marks to Japanese venues for the 2002 World Cup after visiting six of the 10 venues in a five-day inspection tour.
"I'd like to express my total satisfaction together with my colleagues regarding the progress of the preparation . . . We have no doubts about how serious and hard-working the Japanese are," Matarrese said.
The four-member committee visited stadiums in Niigata, Yokohama, Kashima, Kobe, Osaka and Shizuoka, three of which are brand new.
Peter Velappan, Asian Football Confederation general secretary and FIFA World Cup committee coordinator, compared the pitches to "billiard tables," saying "30 teams (that qualify for the tournament) will be very lucky to have such wonderful facilities."
Niigata, Kashima and Yokohama will host the Confederations Cup (May 30-June 10), a test-run tournament for the World Cup.
When asked if the recent financial crisis involving FIFA's marketing company ISMM will affect next year's World Cup, Matarrese replied: "FIFA always finds solutions. Don't worry." He added that FIFA will discuss the ISMM problems at its meeting in July in Buenos Aires.