The South African Football Association (SAFA) is planning to use 10 stadia for the 2010 FIFA World Cup instead of 13, Danny Jordaan, the association's chief executive officer, said today. "In the bid book, we submitted 13 venues. We are now looking at 10 venues. FIFA wants eight," Jordaan said. "That has budget and savings implications because the fewer venues you are going to have, the less costly (it is)," he told members of Gauteng's legislature.

Of the 13 stadia SAFA planned to use for the event, four were to be built from scratch. Jordaan said SAFA did not foresee any of the stadia, or any infrastructure that would be built for the World Cup, turning out to be a "white elephant".

The process of building stadia, or upgrading them, must start in June or July, he said. "That process must get underway because the stadia must be completed by June 2008.

"The construction companies tell us they need 24 months. If it requires to be a labour intensive process, they will need 30 to 36 months. Unless they start getting the process underway by June or July this year, they will have to mechanise, and if they mechanise, they are not going to create the jobs that we want to create," Jordaan said. "The government must move ahead on this issue, it's very important that those jobs are created, and that those economic opportunities are created."

He said building stadia simply for the World Cup would be "politically difficult. I don't think we can do it. We have to say no". Security and infrastructure would be the sole responsibility of the government, the former ANC MP said. He urged members of the legislature to organise one meeting where he could deal with all their concerns. "That single hymn sheet has to be put together," he said.

Jordaan said SAFA, in consultation with FIFA, would make a decision about the price of tickets in 2008. "That is FIFA's position. Government is responsible for security, safeguarding the event," he said.

from SAPA

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