May 15, 2007
By Lucky Sindane
IT'S official – Joburg is to host the dramatic final match of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™.
Johannesburg's City manager, Mavela Dlamini, welcomed the announcement on 15 May that the deciding match of the month-long football tournament would be played in the city.
The tournament final will be played at a newly revamped Soccer City Stadium, near Nasrec in the south of the city.
This was confirmed by the deputy minister of finance, Jabu Moleketi, at a press briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 15 May.
"Soccer City will host five first-round matches, one second-round match, a quarter final, and the final of the 2010 World Cup," said Moleketi.
Group matches should start between 11 and 15 June 2010, with the first-round games complete by 25 June 2010. The final will take place on 11 July.
"Three matches must be played in group stages whenever possible and no team must play more than one match in the same city in the first round," Moleketi said.
An artist's impression of the revamped Soccer City Stadium, near Nasrec in the south of the city
Dlamini said in a press statement that official confirmation of Joburg as the venue for the showcase event would bring a renewed sense of urgency to its preparations.
"The latest news will strengthen our direction, plans and programmes which are already in place. We now have a clearly defined target as we work towards delivering a very successful event," Dlamini said.
Moleketi also stressed the importance of deadlines in Joburg's host city preparations. "It is very important for us to know [the match schedule] by now so that we can put our security plans, transport plans and other necessary plans in place ahead of the matches."
Host city
Johannesburg is the only city in the country to provide two venues during the group stages of the 2010 event, namely Soccer City and Ellis Park.
Both Fifa and the Local Organising Committee have also established their operational headquarters in the city in the lead up to the event.
Soccer City recently received a cash injection of R1,5-billion, allowing its capacity to be increased to 94 000 by March 2009. Work began in January 2007, with a sod-turning ceremony attended by Joburg's executive mayor Amos Masondo.
In addition to the extended seating, the two-tiered stadium will also be fitted with an encircling roof.
Some 90 percent of the earthworks are complete, and 35 percent of the piles erected.
Built in 1987, Soccer City lies some eight kilometres to the southwest of the city.
Further north, in the inner city, the Ellis Park Stadium will also host a number of matches during the tournament: five first-round matches, one second-round match and one quarter-final. Its current capacity for 50 000 spectators will be increased by 10 000 seats for the 2010 event.
Ellis Park is also a host venue of the 2009 Confederations Cup, which will be held in the run-up to the Fifa World Cup. The Confederations Cup will be a test of South Africa's readiness to host the 2010 event.
"We are ready to host the football show piece come 2010," said Moleketi. "Those who criticise us will have nothing to say by 2009.
"If you go around the stadiums you will see that there is work in progress. South Africa's time has come; we are ready."
More than 400 000 visitors from across the globe are expected to travel to South Africa to watch the games. Based on the experience of the 2006 tournament in Germany a cumulative audience of more than 40 billion will watch the month long spectacle on television.
"This will present Johannesburg with a unique opportunity to market itself as a preferred destination for trade, investment and tourism, as well as assist in achieving our medium to longer term growth and development objectives," Dlamini said.
Costs
Early this year, Masondo said that current estimates were that more than R6-billion would be needed by the city to host a successful world cup. The result would be substantial new investment in infrastructure for transport, security, the provision of power, water and sanitation, the hospitality sector and tourism.
Masondo also said the City was already looking beyond 2010. "Every facility that we build, every rand that we spend on infrastructure will have lasting benefits for the people of Johannesburg."
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