Danny keeps problems in check
2007-11-27 17:16
Johannesburg - Danny Jordaan is a man with
a raft of problems but he shows no sign of panic or fear.
As the driving force of South Africa's preparations for the
2010 World Cup, Jordaan has much to contend with.
"It is absolutely inevitable that if you are putting on a
World Cup then there are going to be problems, big problems in
some cases, but it's how you deal with them that matters - not
that you have them," he said in an interview with Reuters on
Tuesday.
"Of course there are things we worry about but we are not
worried that we cannot solve them, that is the key issue."
Jordaan, 56, is the chief executive officer of South
Africa's World Cup organising committee and has just passed a
significant milestone on the long road he has been travelling to
ensure the finals will be played in his country.
Sunday's draw in Durban for the preliminary tournament, a
glitzy 90-minute affair staged in Durban, went off with barely a
hitch.
As the finals inch closer, Jordaan admits his main concern
is the stadium rebuilding programme. While he is convinced that
every seat in every stadium will be in place in time for the
kickoff on June 11, 2010, there are still hurdles to overcome.
"We will not sleep peacefully until the day the stadiums are
all finished," the former member of parliament and
anti-apartheid activist said.
"Stadium building programmes have become such a major news
item. People read about it day to day. In the past, people
decided to build a stadium and they built it, simple as that.
But now the media seem to focus on every nut and bolt as it goes
in.
"I understand why and while it puts us under enormous
pressure, a lot of pressure from the media...we are comfortable
with it."
Striking workers
He is not so comfortable, though, with the idea that
striking construction workers could hinder plans to get the
stadiums finished on time.
"We will never call on the workers not to strike or condemn
them because the right to strike is a part of the culture of our
democratic society but the stadium building plan is also a
national priority.
"The workers may have conflicting interests but our
interests are that the stadiums must be finished on time.
"This is a national priority. We must resolve these matters
in a way that all of our interests are taken into account."
Another issue close to Jordaan's heart is making the World
Cup accessible to some of South Africa's poorest citizens by
introducing a cheap category of ticket costing $20 for the
opening-round matches and making 120 000 of around three million
tickets free to residents.
He has also pledged that some of the World Cup finalists
will stage some of their training sessions in townships and
poorer areas, so those who cannot get to matches will have a
chance to feel a part of the World Cup.
"Perhaps they will not train there every day and of course
some training sessions are closed. But we have stadiums suitable
for World Cup training. We want to make the World Cup as open as
possible to as many people as possible."