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FROSTED: Suspended SABC CEO Dali Mpofu having his picture taken in happier times. The SABC board suspended him hours after he announced the suspension of the broadcaster's head of news Snuki Zikalala. Picture: Khaya Ngwenya

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) will decide within a week on what exchange rate to fix tickets for next year's Confederations Cup in South Africa.

FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke told a group of journalists at the Safa House, in Johannesburg today, that the decision to change all prices for category 1 to 4 tickets was taken by the SA 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) at their annual general meeting on Monday and Tuesday.

He said the decision was taken on realisation that the majority of spectators who will attend the June 14-28, 2009 event will be South Africans.

Valcke also said that FIFA hoped that newly-appointed Bafana Bafana coach Joel Natalino Santana would continue where Carlos Alerto Parreira had left off.

"We are not worried about Bafana Bafana's ranking at the moment (they are ranked 69th in the world) but the target should be that they reach at least the quarter-final stage of the World Cup. It will be a disaster if Bafana Bafana are knocked out before this stage," he said.

He also revealed that ANC president Jacob Zuma had given them assurance that the structure of the LOC will not change after next year's general elections but he hinted that FIFA president Sepp Blatter might ask South African Football Assocition president Molefi Oliphant to stay on after next year's elections.

Oliphant has declared that he will not stand for re-election next year. The last time around he was conviced by Blatter to stay on.

"It would be better to continue with the same people until the World Cup is over," said Valcke. "It will be disturbing to have to work with new people just a year before the World Cup."

There are seven government ministers who serve in the LOC board of directors.

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