10 January 2006 20:36:10 GMT
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Germany's leading consumer magazine has condemned four of next summer's World Cup stadia as having serious safety concerns.
The twelve stadia due to host World Cup matches next summer were analysed by Stiftung Warentest and the four stadia in Berlin, Leipzig, Kaiserslautern and Gelsenkirchen were found to have major worries, especially when it came to allowing crowds to escape onto the pitch.
England aren't due to play at any of the grounds which are said to have the worst concerns but the report is a major embarrassment for the organizers.
"There are still faults in terms of safety, escape routes and construction which do not correspond to the latest technology," Stiftung Warentest's report said.
"The importance of escape routes on to the pitch was shown by the disasters in Brussels in 1985 and in Sheffield in 1989 as during a panic in the stands, spectators usually run down towards the pitch."
While some stadia, such as the Allianz Arena in Munich, have been built with the World Cup in mind, some grounds have undergone redevelopment to update them for the tournament.
The Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern first opened in 1920 and despite work to update the ground, it was forced to close in November when two cracks appeared in one of the stand.
Franz Beckenbauer, president of the World Cup organising committee, has dismissed the report and reiterated his country's readiness to host the tournament, which begins in June.
"Stiftung Warentest know a lot about facial cream, olive oil and vacuum cleaners and that is what they should stick to," Beckenbauer told the Bild newspaper.
Germany has spent around 1.4bn euros in making sure the 12 stadia are ready for the World Cup.
