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Jordaan slams 2010 interference
23/11/2006 10:16 - (SA)
Billy Cooper, Daily Sun
Johannesburg - World Cup 2010 CEO, Danny Jordaan, has angrily denied suggestions that Australia will step in to host the football spectacle.
"Utter nonsense - they must get off our backs."
That was his reaction on Wednesday to yet another report that Australia have offered to step in and stage the 2010 showpiece.
The latest move came from the premier of New South Wales, Morris Iemma.
Iemma told the Australian Associated Press: "We stand ready to step in if South Africa is unable to host the 2010 World Cup and the Football Federation of Australia puts in a bid to act as emergency hosts."
He was speaking after annoyed journalists, both local and from major overseas news agencies, walked out of a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday to discuss the 2010 showpiece after the Local Organising Committee (LOC) bosses and top Fifa officials failed to show up.
After waiting for over an hour, the media walked out and embarrassed the 2010 LOC and Fifa.
Jordaan apologised, stating there were important issues to discuss with Fifa which unfortunately overran.
But on the Australian offer he stormed: "Fifa have time and again stated that Australia have no chance of taking the 2010 World Cup away from us. I wish they would stop. They have no chance but they keep on and on.
"Fifa president Sepp Blatter was in Australia recently where he told them that Plan A is to host the 2010 finals in South Africa, Plan B is South Africa and Plan C is South Africa.
"I do not know where the Australians are coming from, we as the LOC have never ever been off-track in our preparations. So they are simply wasting everybody's time."
- Daily Sun
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