Govt ready for Confed Cup

2009-06-10 22:38

Johannesburg - All is in order to ensure the FIFA Confederations Cup is a success, government communications said on Wednesday.

"South Africa is well-ahead in its preparations to ensuring a safe and secure 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup," spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso said in a statement.

All four of the venues for the event - Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, Free State stadium in Bloemfontein and Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg - were ready.

The statement followed a meeting of government's inter-ministerial committee on the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Construction on the stadia for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was progressing well and within the target dates set by FIFA, Rikhotso said.

The government was responsible for general security while venue security was the responsibility of the Local Organising Committee.

41 000 cops for cup

The SA Police Service would use 41 000 officers for the event. Of these 31 000 would be permanent members and 10 000 police reservists. A total of 8 000 officers would ensure the safety of the event.

Rikhotso said technical teams had been sent to municipalities to help put in place transport projects to ease the movement of fans and tourists during the tournament.

A total of 34 910 rooms had been secured for the tournament – 5 284 of these were from small operators.

There had also been good progress with installing information and telecommunication networks, including setting up the international broadcast centre at Nasrec in Johannesburg.

The tournament's opening match on Sunday would see South Africa play Iraq. Tickets were almost sold out.

"All signs are there that we are heading for a fully packed 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup, as will the 2010 FIFA World Cup," said Rikhotso.

- SAPA