Organizers of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa prompted more questions than answers on Tuesday when they failed to show up for a news conference to discuss their readiness to host the soccer tournament.
Irvin Khoza, the chairman of South Africa's local organising committee, and other key executives had been scheduled to brief the media after they stipulated a "1pm sharp" starting time at the plush Westcliff Hotel in Johannesburg.
An hour later, the executives had failed to appear and journalists walked out.
LOC communications manager Tumi Makgabo said she had made three attempts to establish the reasons for the non-appearance of the board members, who include chairperson Irvin Khoza, CEO Danny Jordaan and Fifa secretary general Dr Ernst Linsi, but had only learnt "they were involved in a meeting of their own at the hotel".
"I am as perplexed as you are. I really apologise," Tumi Makgabo, a spokeswoman for the local organizing committee, told reporters.
"We have become accustomed to this kind of thick-skinned arrogance and disrespect towards the media," said one local soccer journalist, "but we had hoped matters would change once the World Cup operation swung into gear.
"Apparently this is not the case," he added.
Similar confusion emerged a month ago before the LOC's initial briefing on how the organisation of the World Cup was progressing, with half the media only informed of the session at the last-minute and the other half not at all.
"This kind of shortcoming will not happen again," said Khoza at the time.
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