All on track for 2010: Blatter
Shaun Benton
20 June 2007Everything is on track with South Africa's preparations to host the 2010 Football World Cup, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said on Tuesday.
Speaking outside the presidential offices of Tuynhuys in Cape Town after talks with President Thabo Mbeki, Blatter said he had earlier met with members of South Africa's Local Organising Committee and had seen "how they work and how they are going forward".
He had also seen the plans for 2010, and said that they were on the right track with regards to the building of the stadiums.
Blatter was accompanied by the president of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou, a Cameroonian national, who is also heading Fifa's own organising committee for 2010.
Mbeki introduced the two Fifa members to the press as "two fellow Africans". He said Blatter had already inspected South Africa's flagship stadium for the event at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
"I think it is very good to have this continuous focus on what we are doing ... and that Fifa make their own assessment," Mbeki said.
Also present at the talks were Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad, Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi, Deputy Sport Minister Gert Oosthuizen and Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan.
Blatter had earlier addressed a workshop on economic opportunities for small businesses in 2010.
He then headed to the building site at Green Point Stadium, where he met Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool and Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille during an inspection on the progress of the construction of the stadium.
Less than two weeks ago, City of Cape Town 2010 spokesperson Pieter Cronje said construction on the stadium - which will host nine matches, including a semifinal - was five weeks ahead of schedule.
He said he wanted to tell them that he believed in the capacity of Cape Town to have the stadium ready on time.
"We are on track and I'm happy," Blatter said, summing up his experiences of South Africa's progress towards hosting 2010.
He added that there would be a special football match between Bafana Bafana and an international XI in Cape Town on 18 July to celebrate the 89th birthday of former president Nelson Mandela.
"[Mandela] is already a monument and a humanist; he has written the history of humanity," Blatter said, adding that several football stars - including Ronaldo - would be playing in the match.
He added that he expected Bafana Bafana to field a good team, joking that they are "for the time being the only team qualified for the 2010 World Cup". As host to the event, South Africa's national team automatically qualifies.
Source: BuaNews
