Fifa Ellis Park tour 'a success'
Ndaba Dlamini
22 February 2008A joint inspection of Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg by a Fifa and 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) team has been described as "successful".
The tour of the stadium, one of the venues for the 2010 Fifa World Cup and Confederations Cup 2009 matches, took place on Monday, and featured LOC chairman Irvin Khoza and CEO Danny Jordaan, as well as experts in competitions, marketing, information technology, media, stadium security and transportation.
Dennis Mumble, the head of the inspection team, said it was the sixth inspection conducted by Fifa and the LOC since construction and refurbishment of World Cup stadiums began.
"This is a regular scheduled inspection that mainly focused on the overall space planning; that is, when and how we are going to utilise any of the stadium's space during the Confederations Cup and the World Cup," he said. "The inspection tour, which all members of the team described as successful, also included discussions with stadium management."
The R81-million upgrade of Ellis Park Stadium, earmarked as a semi-final venue for the World Cup, began in September 2007 and should be finished by July this year.
Following this week's visit, the team will tour five other 2009 Confederations Cup stadiums - Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg, Free State Stadium in Mangaung, Polokwane's Peter Mokaba Stadium and Nelspruit's Mbombela Stadium.
"The Ellis Park precinct will move to the usage stage very soon. Construction of transport infrastructure and upgrading of local neighbourhoods is taking shape and we are confident that come 2009, everything will be ready for the Confederations Cup," said Sibongile Mazibuko, the municipality's executive director in charge of 2010 preparations
LOC tensions
Responding to media reports that there are tensions between himself and Jordaan, Khoza said the bids for the 2006 and 2010 Fifa
World Cup were not about the members of the LOC, but about the country and the continent.
"For us what's important is the project, it's not ourselves. There is a lot of despondency and hopelessness in our country. The 2010 Fifa World Cup is one project, which gives hope to all of us. Let us not destroy it."
He said everyone was convinced that the LOC was doing a good job. "We are only 18 months away now [from the Confederations Cup] and we are happy with what we have achieved, which is there for the whole country to see."
"This World Cup can never fail. We will make sure no-one makes it fail and de-motivate us, trying to make us fail," Khoza said. "This project is all about the collective."
Source: City of Johannesburg
