The upgrading as well as the building of new stadiums in the country will cost about R1.8bn and 13 South African towns and cities will have to observe a deadline of June 2008 to meet a FIFA deadline for the infrastructure to be in place, says 2010 Soccer Bid Company CEO Danny Jordaan.

Speaking at a breakfast function on Thursday, an upbeat Jordaan noted that the 13 stadiums - either existing or to be built - in host cities were less important than the readiness of Bafana Bafana.

Noting that Germany had originally had 15 host cities in the running for the 2006 World Cup, he said that this had significantly been cut down to an eventual 12. FIFA required at least eight host cities, he said.

While the building and transformation of stadiums was an important business, he did not wish to see what had happened in three cases in Japan when after world class stadiums were built for soccer events, they had been bulldozed afterwards because there was no longer any use for them.

"I don't think we can encourage that kind of thing," he said.

Jordaan, however, emphasised that the best news for business was the strength and success of the local team. "Our local team, Bafana Bafana, must be world class. It is more difficult to build a world-class team than it is to build a stadium," said Jordaan.

He noted that Real Madrid had recruited world renowned players like David Beckham at great expense but had recently been pipped by Monaco who had spent far less.

Billionaires associated with the game

The financial rewards of South Africa hosting the world Cup was a contribution of about R17bn to GDP, some 122 800 jobs and 400 000 visitors.

Noting that it was a common belief that soccer fans tended to be poor, he said that billionaires were now associated with the game - giving the Russian link to Chelsea in the UK as an example - and noting South African billionaires' links to clubs.

Noting that new stadiums were planned in Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Kimberley, Polokwane and Orkney, he said Kings Park, Ellis Park, Loftus, Royal Bafokeng and Newlands needed upgrading.

Important too was the training of stadium managers. Teams would be sent to Germany for the 2006 World Cup to part of volunteer management structures, noting that at present there was "not a single" black stadium manager in South Africa.

Takings from a single match could amount to anything from R5m to R7m.

Jordaan noted that cities would have to ensure that they could cope with transport and telecommunications for the World Cup while security was the responsibility of the state. He noted that 70 000 to 80 000 people might wish to use cellphones to report that Beckham had missed a penalty.

He said consideration had to be given to rapid intercity trains and transport to satellite towns - such as Stellenbosch and Somerset West - where teams could be housed away from the main playing centres, such as Cape Town's Newlands and Athlone Stadium.

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