Organisers of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa have confirmed that the deciding match of the month long tournament will be played in Johannesburg and that the city is ready to host it.
Johannesburg City Manager Mavela Dlamini on Tuesday welcomed the final confirmation of the 2010 World Cup final.
Johannesburg will be ready to host the global football community in 2010, he said, at the most successful final ever in the history of the World Cup.
"This will make a major contribution in helping South Africa to host a World Cup that the entire country and the continent of Africa will be proud of," says Mr Dlamini.
He said official confirmation of the city as the venue for the showcase event will bring a renewed sense of urgency to the city's preparations.
"The latest news will strengthen our direction, plans and programmes which are already in place.
"We now have a clearly defined target as we work towards delivering a very successful
event," says Mr Dlamini.
According to the FIFA calendar, this match will take place on 11 July 2010.
Johannesburg is the only city in the country to provide two venues during the group stages of the 2010 event, namely FNB Stadium and Ellis Park.
Both FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have established their operational headquarters in the city in the period leading up to the event.
While construction and renovations inside and outside the FNB Stadium grounds continues, an announcement on the upgrading of Ellis Park and its surrounding areas is expected to start soon after finalisation of tender negotiations.
The city is scheduled to announce its 2010 masterplan, covering all aspects of its preparations at a media conference in due course.
More than 400 000 visitors from across the globe are expected to travel to South Africa to watch the games.
Based on the experience of the 2006 tournament in Germany a cumulative audience of more than 40 billion will watch the month long spectacle on television.
"This will present Johannesburg with a unique opportunity to market itself as a preferred destination for trade, investment and tourism, as well as assist in achieving our medium to longer term growth and development objectives," says Mr Dlamini.
Early this year, the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Councillor Amos Masondo said that current estimates are that over R6 billion will be required by the city to host a successful World Cup.
The result will be substantial new investment in infrastructure for transport, security, the provision of power, water and sanitation, the hospitality sector and tourism.
Mayor Masondo also said the city is already looking beyond 2010.
"Every facility that we build, every rand that we spend on infrastructure will have lasting benefits for the people of Johannesburg," he said.
Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi said Tuesday that all those who had doubts about the country's abilities to host the soccer spectacular would be proved wrong, as all the stadiums will be ready by October 2009.
"The pessimists will have to eat their words at the end of the day. Come 2009, when everything is ready and we host a successful Confederations Cup, they will have to think of something else to be negative about and they will come up with something."
Renovations to four of the stadiums set to host 2010 fixtures would be complete by December 2008.
These stadiums are Vodacom Park in Mangaung, Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg, Loftus stadium in Pretoria and Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Those who will be completed by October 2009 are Mbombela in Nelspruit, Peter Mokaba (Polokwane), Nelson Mandela Bay, Green Point (Cape Town) Moses Mabhida (Durban) and the Soccer City in Johannesburg.
The deputy minister noted that all work on the stadiums was on schedule.
Johannesburg City Manager Mavela Dlamini on Tuesday welcomed the final confirmation of the 2010 World Cup final.
Johannesburg will be ready to host the global football community in 2010, he said, at the most successful final ever in the history of the World Cup.
"This will make a major contribution in helping South Africa to host a World Cup that the entire country and the continent of Africa will be proud of," says Mr Dlamini.
He said official confirmation of the city as the venue for the showcase event will bring a renewed sense of urgency to the city's preparations.
"The latest news will strengthen our direction, plans and programmes which are already in place.
"We now have a clearly defined target as we work towards delivering a very successful
event," says Mr Dlamini.
According to the FIFA calendar, this match will take place on 11 July 2010.
Johannesburg is the only city in the country to provide two venues during the group stages of the 2010 event, namely FNB Stadium and Ellis Park.
Both FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have established their operational headquarters in the city in the period leading up to the event.
While construction and renovations inside and outside the FNB Stadium grounds continues, an announcement on the upgrading of Ellis Park and its surrounding areas is expected to start soon after finalisation of tender negotiations.
The city is scheduled to announce its 2010 masterplan, covering all aspects of its preparations at a media conference in due course.
More than 400 000 visitors from across the globe are expected to travel to South Africa to watch the games.
Based on the experience of the 2006 tournament in Germany a cumulative audience of more than 40 billion will watch the month long spectacle on television.
"This will present Johannesburg with a unique opportunity to market itself as a preferred destination for trade, investment and tourism, as well as assist in achieving our medium to longer term growth and development objectives," says Mr Dlamini.
Early this year, the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Councillor Amos Masondo said that current estimates are that over R6 billion will be required by the city to host a successful World Cup.
The result will be substantial new investment in infrastructure for transport, security, the provision of power, water and sanitation, the hospitality sector and tourism.
Mayor Masondo also said the city is already looking beyond 2010.
"Every facility that we build, every rand that we spend on infrastructure will have lasting benefits for the people of Johannesburg," he said.
Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi said Tuesday that all those who had doubts about the country's abilities to host the soccer spectacular would be proved wrong, as all the stadiums will be ready by October 2009.
"The pessimists will have to eat their words at the end of the day. Come 2009, when everything is ready and we host a successful Confederations Cup, they will have to think of something else to be negative about and they will come up with something."
Renovations to four of the stadiums set to host 2010 fixtures would be complete by December 2008.
These stadiums are Vodacom Park in Mangaung, Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg, Loftus stadium in Pretoria and Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
Those who will be completed by October 2009 are Mbombela in Nelspruit, Peter Mokaba (Polokwane), Nelson Mandela Bay, Green Point (Cape Town) Moses Mabhida (Durban) and the Soccer City in Johannesburg.
The deputy minister noted that all work on the stadiums was on schedule.
- BuaNews
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