/ 24 June 2008

‘Slight delays’ to 2010 Loftus upgrade

Upgrading Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria is ”slightly” behind schedule but the stadium will be ready for the Soccer World Cup in 2010, manager Hugo Kemp said on Tuesday.

”Every construction job goes behind at some stage,” he said in reaction to reports that Loftus and the Tshwane metro were behind schedule.

”This is not a concern as we will make up time lost,” he said.

”I can assure the country and Fifa that all the renovations for Loftus will be completed by December 2008. The upgrading at Loftus is not major compared to other World Cup venues.”

Kemp said the cost of the upgrade was about R100-million, while the rebuilding of Soccer City, south of Johannesburg, has been estimated at about R1,56-billion.

”I have no fear whatsoever we will complete the renovations ahead of schedule on December 2008,” he said.

The renovations are only scheduled to be completed in March 2009, according to Tshwane metro spokesperson Console Tleane.

Beeld newspaper reported earlier that Essop Pahad, Minister in the President’s Office, had registered his disapproval at the pace of Tshwane’s preparations for 2010.

The report said that matches scheduled for Loftus could be switched to Johannesburg if the stadium was not completed on time.

However, Tleane said: ”I was present at that meeting last Thursday and the minister did not show major concern for deadlines. The meeting was a routine one dealing with Loftus. We accepted there were slight delays but nothing to get worried about.”

The meeting was attended by 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairperson Irvin Khoza, chief executive officer Danny Jordaan, and president of the South African Football Association, Molefi Oliphant.

Jordaan, in Vienna at the Euro 2008 Championships, also denied that there were any major problems with Loftus.

”There is no chance World Cup games would be taken away from Loftus. The stadium will be completed on schedule. I actually praised Tshwane at that meeting for their good work in getting the stadium and city prepared for 2010. It is all systems go as far as the LOC are concerned in Tshwane.”

Meanwhile representatives of Pretoria and the other 2010 hosts cities — Johannesburg, Polokwane, Nelspruit, Rustenburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Bloemfontein — are in Austria giving presentations to European soccer officials about their readiness to host the first edition of the tournament on African soil.

”If we would not be ready then why on earth would we be making these presentations in Austria?,” said Tleane. – Sapa