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World Cup organisers insist Port Elizabeth will be ready

Article Published: Friday 7 March 2008

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Despite facing a FIFA deadline next month and disgruntled workers occupying the stadium, the organisers of South Africa's 2010 World Cup insist the Nelson Mandela Stadium - a semi-final venue - will be ready in time.

Speaking at a travel trade fair in Berlin, Tumi Makgabo - the outgoing spokesperson for the South Africa 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee (SALOC) - said the Port Elizabeth stadium is on schedule for football's premier event.

But the sports governing body FIFA has given the ground until April 29 to prove they will be ready to host next year's Confederations Cup after work on the brand-new 48,000-seater stadium fell behind schedule.

On Thursday, unhappy workers were reported to have occupied the partly-built arena casting further doubt whether the Port Elizabeth venue will be ready in time when the Confederations Cup starts on June 14 next year.

Around 1,000 workers took over the site to put pressure on city bosses amidst concerns about recruitment policies and an ongoing health issues.

SALOC and FIFA will make a final decision whether the stadium remains as one of the five venues to host the Confederations Cup - the traditional preparation tournament held by the World Cup's hosts - at their next meeting on April 26.

Local officials in Port Elizabeth are frantically working to resolve key issues around ticketing and seating.

But there is no danger of the stadium being scratched from the list of 10 stadiums set to host the World Cup and Makgabo says the stadium's progress is not causing organisers sleepless nights.

"It's not a huge concern," she told AFP.

"We are on track to be ready for the World Cup and this is the one venue which is being built from scratch in 24 months.

"Where else in the world will you find venues that are being built in that time frame?

"So from the outset there was a clear understanding it was going to be a huge challenge. There is no conspirancy, we aren't hiding anything.

"Do we want to rush it and get it ready for Confederations Cup, but not be quite happy with it, or should we make sure it's perfect for 2010?

"It's not sending the wrong message, what often happens with an event of this magnitude is people get excited about things which potentially could go wrong.

"We saw it with the 2006 World Cup in Germany, we saw it with Athens Olympics in 2004, we saw it with the World Cup in Korea and Japan in 2002."

"The proof will be in the pudding - people won't get it until they have got it."
 
SAPA- AFP




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