{"id":2758,"date":"2009-06-13T00:08:04","date_gmt":"2009-06-12T22:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=2758"},"modified":"2009-07-10T16:46:35","modified_gmt":"2009-07-10T14:46:35","slug":"fifa-south-africa-is-not-only-ready-south-africa-is-committed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/fifa-south-africa-is-not-only-ready-south-africa-is-committed\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA: “South Africa is not only ready, South Africa is committed”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>FIFA Chairman Sepp Blatter is visiting South Africa, and has given the thumbs-up\u00a0to what he has seen on his latest visit to South Africa, to mark the 365 day countdown to 11 June 2010.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blatter met President Zuma and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille at Green Point stadium in Cape Town\u00a0this week, and declared: “South Africa is not only ready, South Africa is committed”, reports The Times<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Blatter congratulated Zuma on his presidency, stating that he was happy that “he likes football and has realised what the World Cup can bring to his country and the continent.”\u00a0\u00a0 Blatter added:\u00a0 “You have the confidence and trust of FIFA but also of the fans.\u00a0 Everyone wants to be here.”<\/p>\n

Danny Jordaan, CEO of the Local Organising Committee, praised the beauty of Durban’s Moses Mabhida and Cape Town’s Green Point stadia.\u00a0\u00a0 “The 2010 Fifa World Cup must be the end of an era and the beginning of a new era.\u00a0\u00a0 It must herald an era.\u00a0 It must herald an era\u00a0in which our country becomes a major driving force and an active participant in the global economy” said Jordaan.<\/p>\n

Jordaan also said that 630 000 tickets have been sold to fans in 188 countries, half of these being sold to South Africans, for the 2010 World Cup.\u00a0\u00a0 The USA and the UK are the next biggest ticket purchasers, with roughly 70 000 and 43 000, respectively.<\/p>\n

Jordaan also said that 70 % of the 640 000 Confederations Cup tickets have been sold.\u00a0 The Confederations Cup commences on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Cape Town Tourism organised the ceremonial kicking off of soccer balls from Table Mountain on 11 June, to mark the 365 days before the start of the World Cup, and attracted a fair number of Capetonians.\u00a0\u00a0 CODA performed a new song they have written for the World Cup, and vuvuzelas trumpeted.\u00a0\u00a0 The Green Point Stadium is already about 70 % completed, and will be ready for handover on 14 December, says a special Independent Newspaper “1 year to kick off” insert.\u00a0\u00a0 A pedestrian underpass will run underneath the traffic circle near the stadium, and the Green Point Common will be upgraded.\u00a0\u00a0 Green building practices are being applied for the stadium\u00a0construction.\u00a0\u00a0 The Cape Town International airport upgrade will have been completed by November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FIFA Chairman Sepp Blatter is visiting South Africa, and has given the thumbs-up\u00a0to what he has seen on his latest visit to South Africa, to mark the 365 day countdown to 11 June 2010.\u00a0\u00a0 Blatter met President Zuma and Western Cape Premier Helen Zille at Green Point stadium in Cape Town\u00a0this week, and declared: “South […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,22,11],"tags":[264,32366,16,630,18,1525,186,1232,128,1527,96,32389,32388,1526],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t