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South African Organising Committee Updates UEFA On World Cup Progress
The chief executive officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee of South Africa, Danny Jordaan, has given UEFA a comprehensive update on the country’s preparedness to host the football showpiece.
26-Mar-2009 7:46:55 PM
Thirteen of the coveted final 32 places in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will be filled by teams from Europe, with Jordaan’s briefing very positively received by some of the key figures in world football.
At the invitation of UEFA president Michel Platini, Jordaan assured member associations at the Congress that South Africa’s 2010 stadiums were on course to be completed by October this year, in line with its FIFA deadlines.
He also updated them about the country's transport, safety and fan park plans for the first African FIFA World Cup, which takes place in June next year.
Jordaan also briefed the UEFA delegates about preparations for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009, which kicks off in June this year, and which will feature reigning UEFA champions Spain and reigning world champions Italy from Europe.
A substantial number of the anticipated 450,000 international visitors who will travel to South Africa for the World Cup are expected to come from Europe, with the likes of England, the Netherlands and Germany traditionally having among the largest fan bases at FIFA World Cup tournaments.
“Already well over 800,000 applications have been received for the 74,000 tickets that have been made available in this first round of ticket sales, many of them coming from fans in Europe," said Jordaan.
“This means that the tournament is already oversubscribed, but it is still of utmost importance that the associations know exactly what to expect in South Africa in 2010.”
At the invitation of UEFA president Michel Platini, Jordaan assured member associations at the Congress that South Africa’s 2010 stadiums were on course to be completed by October this year, in line with its FIFA deadlines.
He also updated them about the country's transport, safety and fan park plans for the first African FIFA World Cup, which takes place in June next year.
Jordaan also briefed the UEFA delegates about preparations for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009, which kicks off in June this year, and which will feature reigning UEFA champions Spain and reigning world champions Italy from Europe.
A substantial number of the anticipated 450,000 international visitors who will travel to South Africa for the World Cup are expected to come from Europe, with the likes of England, the Netherlands and Germany traditionally having among the largest fan bases at FIFA World Cup tournaments.
“Already well over 800,000 applications have been received for the 74,000 tickets that have been made available in this first round of ticket sales, many of them coming from fans in Europe," said Jordaan.
“This means that the tournament is already oversubscribed, but it is still of utmost importance that the associations know exactly what to expect in South Africa in 2010.”
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