Security precautions taken by South Africa in the build-up to the World Cup meet the highest standards, a security expert from Germany's Parliament said this week.

Frank Hofmann, acting Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs in Berlin, was speaking to German Press Agency dpa after an information-gathering visit to South Africa.

The politician was impressed by South Africa's close cooperation with security forces from participating countries, including Germany, and international agencies such as Interpol, on its security arrangements.

Frank Hofmann
We are very impressed by the professionalism of the security forces, especially at the leadership level, as well as by the preparations for the World Cup in general. The South Africans have every reason to be confident, given their World Cup preparations.

German football fans planning on visiting South Africa, should not be put off by "sensational headlines" about the purportedly high security threat to visitors, which, in his view, had no factual basis. Hofmann put part of the blame firmly at the door of British tabloids.

Out of the 2.2 million tickets sold so far, supporters from Germany, who are usually among the most enthusiastic, have bought only 32,269. By comparison, supporters in the United States, where football is a marginal sport, have bought 118,945.