July 14, 2006
By Anish Abraham
DISPELLING fears over South Africa's readiness to host the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, the chief executive of the 2010 Local Organising Committee, Danny Jordaan, says the country is ahead of where Germany was at a similar stage in their preparations.
"The country will host a spectacular like no other," Jordaan said during a Radio 702 special broadcast on 13 July.
The FIFA World Cup trophy was also unveiled at the event.
Local Organising Committee chair Irwin Khoza and former Gauteng premier and businessman Tokyo Sexwale also took part in the broadcast. Other dignitaries included FIFA's director of marketing and television, Jerome Valcke, North West premier Ednah Molewa and former Bafana Bafana player Mark Fish.
Barely a week after Italy lifted the 2006 trophy, the Local Organising Committee is making sure South Africa will be ready in 2010.
"We require a catalyst to take South Africa forward and the World Cup is exactly such an opportunity," Khoza said.
Confidence ahead of 2010
South Africa had to take advantage of hosting the event and put in place several legacy projects that would continue to impact positively on the lives of citizens long after the event, he added.
"There will be numerous opportunities for business, especially in the areas of construction, telecommunications, tourism and hospitality," Sexwale said.
Talking soccer: business leader Tokyo Sexwale and chairperson of the 2010 Local Organising Committee Irwin Khoza
He dismissed speculation that South Africa would not be ready in time, saying that local stakeholders were well aware of the task they were facing.
Sexwale also reminded listeners that the past World Cup could easily have been held locally, had South Africa not lost out to Germany by a single vote in 2002.
"We are ahead of where Germany were in a comparative stage. We have already chosen our host cities and have now unveiled our World Cup emblem. We are making good progress," said Jordaan.
FIFA's Valcke was equally confident about the country's ability to host the tournament was. He said 2006 hosts Germany had taken the organisation of the competition to a higher level, and South Africa could achieve a similar feat.
Valcke stressed, however, that South Africa did not have to imitate Germany and had to ensure that 2010 had its own unique flavour.
"The World Cup itself is very easy – it's just 64 matches. The really complex part is the logistics of bringing it all together," he said.
Benefiting communities
Jordaan said that as a developing country, South Africa could not just build facilities solely for the World Cup, but had to ensure they continued to benefit communities long after the event. He talked of the costs of building stadiums as well as associated costs of maintenance, which amount to R20-million per year.
A good way to ensure this money could be recouped was to ensure that the stadiums built were multi-purpose facilities, catering for a variety of sporting and athletic codes.
"We can't afford a situation like in South Korea and Japan where they had to tear down stadiums after the World Cup because there was no further use for them," he said.
Two stadiums in Johannesburg – the FNB Stadium in Nasrec and Ellis Park Stadium in downtown Joburg – have been selected to host official 2010 matches and will receive multi-million rand upgrades.
It is hoped that smaller stadiums like the Orlando Stadium in Soweto will host warm-up matches or act as a home base to a participating team.
Minister in the Presidency, Essop Pahad, assured listeners of the government's support, which will play a vital role in the build-up to the tournament.
For Pahad, the most extraordinary thing he had witnessed was the manner in which the past World Cup had united the people of Germany, a mood he hoped would be replicated in South Africa in 2010.
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