It’s time to have a ball

The superstars are coming Soccer kick-off sparks season of optimism All systems go for the mother of all soccer parties.“South Africa’s dream is now a reality,” said 2010 boss Danny Jordaan as he declared all systems on track for the Soccer World Cup curtain raiser, which kicks off with a clash between Bafana Bafana and Iraq in the opening match of the tournament next Sunday.

While the Confed Cup has always been perceived as a “bridesmaid” event to the actual World Cup, South Africa could reinvent it internationally, said Edward Griffiths, former CEO of SA Rugby and co-author of four SA sport bids.

The eight nations will battle it out for the Confed Cup trophy at stadiums in Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Pretoria and Rustenburg.

All 16 matches are to be televised by the SABC and Supersport.

Despite continuing concerns that some matches, particularly in Rustenburg, could be played before half-full stadiums, Jordaan said almost 500000 tickets had already been sold or ordered, which is 70% of the total available — and he predicted “a possible record of 80% or even 90% ticket purchases by the end of the tournament”.

More than 4000 volunteers dressed in either blue or red uniforms and an additional 2260 ushers and stewards will be directing guests and fans at airports, key city nodes and stadiums.

Roads will be closed around Ellis Park from 8am for Sunday’s opening match. Four park-and-ride shuttle bus pick-up nodes have been set up around Johannesburg, a model that will be used in all four host cities. Park-and-ride shuttles will be free for ticket-holders, but parking at the pick-up zones will carry a fee.

The completion of other World Cups stadiums, Green Point in Cape Town, Moses Mabhida in Durban, Nelson Mandela in Port Elizabeth, Mbombela in Nelspruit, and Peter Mokaba in Polokwane and Soccer City in Johannesburg, is expected at the end of the year.

Source: www.thetimes.co.za