Johannesburg ready to host 2010 World Cup Final
Johannesburg City Manager Mr Mavela Dlamini has welcomed today's final confirmation by the organisers of the 2010 FIFA World Cup that the deciding match of the month long tournament will be played in Johannesburg.
According to the FIFA calendar, this match will take place on 11 July 2010.
Mr Dlamini says Johannesburg will be ready to host the global football community in 2010 as the most successful final ever in the history of the World Cup.
"This will make a major contribution in helping South Africa to host a World Cup that the entire country and the continent of Africa will be proud of," says Mr Dlamini.
He further said official confirmation of the city as the venue for the showcase event will bring a renewed sense of urgency to Johannesburg preparations.
"The latest news will strengthen our direction, plans and programmes which are already in place. We now have a clearly defined target as we work towards delivering a very successful event," says Mr Dlamini.
Johannesburg is the only city in the country to provide two venues during the group stages of the 2010 event - namely Soccer City and Ellis Park. Both FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have also established their operational headquarters in the city in the period leading up to the event.
While construction and renovations inside and outside the Soccer City grounds continues, an announcement on the upgrading of Ellis Park and its surrounding areas is expected to start soon after finalisation of tender adjudication. The city is scheduled to announce its 2010 masterplan covering all aspects of its preparations at a media conference in due course.
More than 400 000 visitors from across the globe are expected to travel to South Africa to watch the games. Based on the experience of the 2006 tournament in Germany a cumulative audience of more than 40 billion will watch the month long spectacle on television.
"This will present Johannesburg with a unique opportunity to market itself as a preferred destination for trade, investment and tourism, as well as assist in achieving our medium to longer term growth and development objectives," says Mr Dlamini.
Early this year, the Executive Mayor of Johannesburg, Councillor Amos Masondo said that current estimates are that over R6 billion will be required by the city to host a successful World Cup. The result will be substantial new investment in infrastructure for transport, security, the provision of power, water and sanitation, the hospitality sector and tourism.
Mayor Masondo also said the city is already looking beyond 2010. "Every facility that we build, every Rand that we spend on infrastructure will have lasting benefits for the people of Johannesburg," he said.
Ends
Issued by:
Nthatisi Modingoane
Media Liaison Officer
Johannesburg City
Tel: 011 407 7354
Fax: 011 403 3494
Cell: 082 467 9228
E-mail: nthatisem@joburg.org.za
