Germany 'ready to assist on 2010'
David Masango
9 October 2007A host of German experts and advisers are ready to assist South Africa in any way to ensure a successful 2010 Fifa World Cup, says German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Merkel, speaking during a visit to the headquarters of the 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) in Johannesburg on Friday, expressed both Germany's readiness to assist South Africa in the build-up to the soccer extravaganza and her confidence that the country would meet its deadlines.
South Africa and Germany are already cooperating on policing and safety and the establishment of Fan Parks for the tournament.
"We consider ourselves friends of South Africa and we want to ensure that South Africa delivers a successful tournament in 2010," she said.
Merkel was briefed on the state of SA's preparation for the tournament before inspecting progress on the refurbishment of Soccer City, the stadium where the final of the tournament will be played in 2010.
The R1.5-billion upgrading of the stadium will increase its seating capacity from 70 000 to 94 700.
LOC chief executive officer Danny Jordaan told Merkel that there were a number of things that the LOC wanted to emulate from Germany 2006, including the huge success in organising the tournament, the welcoming atmosphere from the German people, and nation-building.
"In the past we had a country that was divided between black and white, but now we want the tournament to contribute to nation-building," Jordaan said. "We want to come out of the World Cup as one nation."
He added that the tournament would leave a lasting legacy for South Africa, with infrastructure development "not only for the 90 minutes of the final, but [to] benefit the country beyond 2010."
Jordaan added that 14 000 jobs had been created at stadium construction sites across the country. "Job creation is key to this tournament," he said.
The tour of the facilities formed part of Merkel's official visit to South Africa. Earlier on Friday, she met President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria, where the two discussed a number of issues, including Germany's work in the G8 and the European Union, development cooperation and peacekeeping in Africa.
Source: BuaNews
