06/05/2008 16:33

Johannesburg - A South African football stadium being built from scratch for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup was given a lifeline on Tuesday amid stern warnings it could be pulled from the event at any time.

Delays have hampered the construction of Port Elizabeth's Nelson Mandela Bay stadium and Fifa announced it could remain as a venue for the tournament - a traditional warm-up for the World Cup - only on strict conditions.

"At this stage all five stadiums are still in. We are placing tight monitoring on all of them and if by any chance any of them fails to comply with the agreed deadlines they will be removed," said Irvin Khoza, chairperson of the 2010 World Cup's Local Organising Committee.

"Port Elizabeth is a new stadium and that's why we have been patient with them. Recently they have accelerated the process, which gives us comfort."

South Africa is building five new stadiums for the 2010 tournament while another five are being upgraded at a total cost of R1.5bn.

The arena in Port Elizabeth is the only new stadium to have been earmarked to stage Confederations Cup matches.

The Confederations Cup, a festival of continental champions, is seen as the first test to the country on its readiness and capabilities to stage the World Cup a year later.

Fifa secretary-general Jerome Valcke said Port Elizabeth was a "very, very special case" and was being given until March 2009 to complete the stadium, while the other stadiums had to be completed by December 2008.