The Soccer World Cup stadium in South Africa’s top tourist destination hosted its first football match on Saturday, with organisers saying everything appeared to work fine without any major glitches.
An estimated 20 000 fans used a park-and-ride system to take buses from the city centre to the new 68 000 seater arena to watch Ajax Cape Town take on Santos, the city’s top two teams.
The stadium will host several matches, including a semifinal, when the first World Cup to be played on the African continent begins in June.
“This event is important so we can pick up any flaws now,” said Carlo Scott, who will help coordinate up to 1 700 volunteers during
the World Cup games.
“I’ve played at many big venues around the country, and I know the players will enjoy the atmosphere and facilities here,” said Scott, who was a striker for both Ajax and Santos during his
playing career.
The game eventually ended goalless at the end of regulation time, with Santos winning 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out.
Don Hayes, of Noordhoek, came with his wife and two young sons.
He said he had applied for World Cup and hoped to be back.
“The stadium is just awesome. We can really be proud of it,” Hayes said.
The stadium has come to symbolise both the pitfalls and advantages associated with hosting the first World Cup on African soil. It was long delayed by objections from local residents outraged at the prospect of raucous football fans disturbing an
area which has some of the country’s most expensive real estate.
The final construction cost of R4,45-billion was also much more than originally budgeted and there are fears that it may become a very expensive white elephant after the tournament.
But it has also provided a platform for Cape Town authorities to launch a massive R12-billion infrastructure improvement programme to upgrade transport and other facilities that would otherwise have been neglected. – Sapa-AP