South Africa’s 2010 Soccer World Cup bid squad was completing its preparations on Wednesday for its final presentation to the Fifa executive on Friday.
Bid committee chairperson and Orlando Pirates boss Irvin Khoza said the final rehearsal will take place between noon and 2pm on Thursday.
It is expected Khoza, bid chief executive Danny Jordaan and South African President Thabo Mbeki will make the final pitch to the Fifa executive at its head office in Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday.
The 24-member executive, after hearing the final presentations of the other bidders, will decide who will host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The decision will be announced at 10.30am on Saturday.
Khoza and a high-powered team left for Zurich on Tuesday night. At full strength, the team is expected to include Deputy President Jacob Zuma, former presidents Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk, Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and several Cabinet ministers.
Also in the team is Kaizer Chiefs boss Kaizer Motaung, former Ghanaian soccer star Abedi Pele and possibly Oscar-winner Charlize Theron.
United Democratic Movement president Bantu Holomisa will depart for Zurich on Wednesday night to join the South African sports fraternity for the bid announcement.
The UDM said on Wednesday Holomisa is going in his personal capacity, as he did when the 2006 bid announcement was made.
”We lost the 2006 bid but Mr Holomisa is confident that this time the South African bid will be successful. The UDM believes that the hosting of this tournament cannot be left in the hands of the football fraternity alone.
”While we respect the authority of Fifa, Safa [the South African Football Association] and the South African government and their specialists to manage the hosting of such an event, we believe that unique ways need to found to include the public and empower as many people as possible,” the UDM said.
South Africa is among five African countries competing to win the right to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, and most commentators have put South Africa or Morocco as the hottest favourites. The other African countries are Libya, Tunisia and Egypt.
The Fifa inspection team rated Tunisia and Libya as not ready to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
It said South Africa, in its second attempt, is ready to host an excellent World Cup, with Tunisia and Egypt only being ready to host a good tournament.
North West, Tshwane ready for announcement
The North West provincial government and three of its district municipalities are to set up big screen facilities for the public to watch the announcement of the successful bidder of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The North West provincial department of sports, arts and culture in a statement on Wednesday said the big screens will be set up at Mmabatho Convention Centre, Mafikeng; Tlhabane Community Hall, Bojanala district; and the Oppenheimer Stadium, Orkney.
The Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality on Wednesday announced it will erect a big screen on Church Square for Saturday morning’s announcement.
Roads around the square will be closed between 6am and 7pm for traffic.
Entertainment has been laid on and buses will run from Hammanskraal, Temba, Winterveld, Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa, Mabopane, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi and Olievenhoutbosch to the square. — Sapa