Jennifer Lopez will perform at the World Cup opening ceremony after all, despite announcing that "production issues" would prevent her from being at the Sao Paulo concert. 

World Cup BrazilThe World Cup in Brazil kicks off on Thursday [Photo: Getty images, Credit: Joe Raedle]

A spokesperson told People magazine that Lopez has reversed her decision, saying, "She will be there..Jennifer has always wanted to participate in the World Cup opening ceremonies. We have been trying to work out scheduling and logistics. Any statements to the contrary were premature. Jennifer would not want to disappoint her fans or fans of fútbol."

Lopez - who recently split from her long-term boyfriend Casper Smart - will perform her official World Cup song We Are One (Ole Ola) alongside Pitbull and the Brazilian pop star Claudia Leitte. The song, written by nine different artists, has been compared unfavourably to Shakira's excellent Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - the official song of the World Cup 2010 that topped the chart in 20 countries.

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Manaus pitchEngland's World Cup pitch in Manaus [Photo: Getty images, Credit: Michael Heiman]

More than 600 performers have been rehearsing for the opening bash at Arena Corinthians on Thursday (June 12, 2014). The 25 minute show will be" a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people, football", its artistic director, Daphné Cornez, told fifa.com. The show will be staged just before Brazil play the opening fixture of the competition against Croatia. 

In other news, England and Italy will have been alarmed by photographs of the Manaus pitch on which they will contest their first game on Saturday. Pictures emerging this week show the playing surface in awful condition with bare dirt, dry places and yellow lines running across the pitch.

According to the Guardian, naked power cables are still dangling from the walls and several security doors are still yet to be fitted. 

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