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SAO PAULO, Brazil -- A safety engineer at the World Cup stadium where a giant crane collapse killed two workers allegedly warned his supervisor of possible problems with the operation, only to have his concerns brushed aside, a labour union leader charged Thursday, as sniping over the accident heated up. The incident has fed worries about Brazils capacity to host next years showcase tournament, as well as the 2016 Olympics, though authorities insist they will be ready for both. Sao Paulos Arena Corinthians was slated to be completed by the end of December, and workers have suggested that speed was a top priority on the construction site, with many working 12-hour shifts and skipping vacations. The stadium was initially scheduled to be part of the Confederations Cup earlier this year, but world footballs governing body FIFA scrapped the venue from the warm-up tournament because of financing problems before construction even started. Antonio de Sousa Ramalho, president of Sao Paulos civil industry workers association, told The Associated Press in a phone interview that supervisors pressed ahead with the operation to finish the roof despite several rainy days that soaked the soil. He said the engineer warned his supervisor that it appeared the ground was not stable enough to support the 500-ton piece of roofing. "To his surprise, he was told by the supervisor that nothing was wrong and work should continue," said Ramalho, who declined to provide the workers name for fear of possible reprisals. "They discussed the matter for a while but in the end the supervisors decision stood." Odebrecht, the powerful Brazilian construction company behind the stadium project and three other World Cup venues, strongly denied the claims, and a civil defence official said an initial inspection of the construction site a day after the accident showed no evidence the ground was unstable. "Odebrecht and Sport Club Corinthians clarify that there was no warning previous to the accident," the statement said. The company added that Ramalhos union does not represent most of the workers involved in the crane operation. Following a visit to the site Thursday, the civil defence official in charge of the inspection said there were no obvious signs that the ground was unstable. "When we looked at it, it didnt seem like the ground shifted, maybe just a few millimeters," Jair Paca de Lima said in a television interview. "Maybe after an analysis with the equipment we will know more." According to Brazilian media reports, investigators are also looking into human or mechanical error as possible reasons for the collapse. Lima said only the area where the accident happened will remain closed, but work can resume at most of the stadium as soon as Monday, when a three-day mourning period ends. Constructors will be allowed to clear the crane and the metal structure after getting clearance from civil defence authorities, which is expected to happen soon. The labour ministry later Thursday said constructors were prohibited from using the other nine cranes at the site until they can show "safety measures are in place and there is no more risk of accidents." Ramalho, the union leader, said workers had been pulling long hours for quite some time in an effort to get the stadium completed on time, a point confirmed Thursday by loader Sergio Almeida, who told the AP typical shifts were 12 to 13 hours long. Besides the Sao Paulo stadium, Odebrecht was involved in construction of the Fonte Nova stadium in Salvador and the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, both of which were delivered for this years Confederations Cup. It also renovated Rio de Janeiros Maracana Stadium, which will host the World Cup final. A small part of the roof at Arena Fonte Nova collapsed in May from weight of accumulated water from heavy rainstorm. At the time, officials denied any structural problems with the project and blamed a mistake by a worker who inspected the roof. FIFA said earlier Thursday it was waiting to learn more about the extent of the damage from Wednesdays accident. FIFA officials and other global soccer personalities are due in Brazil next week for the high-profile World Cup draw in the resort city of Costa do Sauipe. FIFA leaders have said repeatedly that there is no Plan B for next years tournament -- particularly since nearly 1 million tickets to the matches have already been sold. "It is too premature to make any detailed assessment on the situation of the Corinthians Arena as we are still awaiting the technical report to be able to evaluate the scale of the damage," FIFA said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. "We will be able to provide an update earliest next week following the FIFA Organizing Committee of the FIFA World Cup." Jose Maria Marin, the president of the local World Cup organizing committee, said he lamented the accident but was confident it would not significantly affect the opener in Sao Paulo on June 12. "Im certain that the stadium will be ready for the start of the World Cup," he told Brazilian media. Air Max Wholesale Free Shipping . - The Baltimore Ravens have hired Steve Spagnuolo to be their secondary coach and assistant head coach. Nike Air Max Online Ireland . Sweeting scored two in the first and three in the second before Strong (4-4) got two back in the fourth. Sweeting then scored three in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh to grab a commanding 9-2 lead. http://www.irelandairmax.com/ . 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Hollis-Jefferson went 5-for-6 from the field and added six rebounds, while Stanley Jefferson contributed 14 points for the Wildcats, who used their trademark tough defense to dominate the games final 24 minutes and advance to Tuesdays winners bracket matchup with Kansas State.MANCHESTER, England - Widely tipped as a possible relegation contender following its summer of upheaval, Southampton has stunned English football by winning eight of its first 12 games to sit in second place in the Premier League and split the countrys established powers.The results of Southamptons next three games could show whether it has the ability to hang around for the long haul.The team managed by former Netherlands defender Ronald Koeman hosts champion Manchester City on Sunday to kick off a challenging run of fixtures that sees it play Arsenal and Manchester United in the next two rounds and then Everton and Chelsea later in December.If the south-coast club comes through that tough schedule boasting some victories and with its self-belief intact, the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham, United and Arsenal — teams struggling for form in the race for the Champions League places — may start to worry.I think its possible, a bullish Koeman said of Southamptons chances of a top-four finish, because I dont see a lot of teams that are better than Southampton.Southampton lost its manager Mauricio Pochettino and many of its best players in the off-season, including Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren to Liverpool and Luke Shaw to United, but their replacements have taken no time to fit in. Players like winger Dusan Tadic and striker Graziano Pelle have been among the revelations of the season so far and Koeman already has the air of a Premier League veteran in just his first year in English football.Southampton is six points behind unbeaten Chelsea but two clear of City, seven ahead of United and already has 12 more than sputtering Liverpool.Here are some things to know about the 13th round of the Premier League:___AWESOME AGUEROIf it wasnt for the brilliant form of Sergio Aguero, Man City would not be in a position where it has the chancee to move second in the standings with a win at St.ddddddddddddMarys stadium this weekend.The Argentina striker took his goal tally in all competitions this season to 17 in 18 games by scoring a hat trick — including two late strikes — in Citys 3-2 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.With Yaya Toure a shadow of last season and Citys defence looking porous, Agueros goals are carrying the champions.He is unstoppable, City midfielder Samir Nasri said. At the moment, he is one of best players in the world. Apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, who is on another planet, he is up there with (Lionel) Messi and (Luis) Suarez.___SIZZLING CHELSEAIf Chelsea was the little horse in last seasons title race, in the words of coach Jose Mourinho, this season it is a thoroughbred.The London club is still unbeaten in the league heading into an away match at Sunderland on Saturday, with a 5-0 thrashing of Schalke in the Champions League the latest show of strength from Chelsea.Everything the players do is with big focus and ambition, but at the same time with this component, which is something new in Chelsea football — this happiness, this flair, this beauty, Mourinho said.___LIFT-OFF FOR UNITEDMan Uniteds 2-1 victory at Arsenal last weekend was a signature result for Louis van Gaal in his tempestuous first season in charge at Old Trafford.It was Uniteds first win against a top team this season and lifted the 20-time English champions back into the top four, where they are desperate to stay to get back in the lucrative Champions League.Van Gaals problems in defence havent eased ahead of Saturdays home match against Hull, though, with left back Luke Shaw joining a lengthy list by hurting his ankle against Arsenal.Defenders Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Rafael da Silva, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans have all missed recent games for United. 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