SWITZERLAND/FILE: FOOTBALL/SOCCER- FIFA president Sepp Blatter says he is confident that South Africa will be ready to stage the World Cup in 2010 despite concerns over delays in building new stadiums

Record ID: 726207

  • Title: SWITZERLAND/FILE: FOOTBALL/SOCCER- FIFA president Sepp Blatter says he is confident that South Africa will be ready to stage the World Cup in 2010 despite concerns over delays in building new stadiums
  • Date: 7th December 2006
  • Summary: (FILE - CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA)(JULY 7 2006)(REUTERS) VIEW OF GREENPOINT STADIUM/MAN CUTTING GRASS WITHIN STADIUM
  • Embargoed: 22nd December 2006 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAFK99GKOXGOW5XDSSWTHM1M3M
  • Story Text: FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Wednesday (December 6) said he was confident that South Africa would be ready to stage the World Cup in 2010 despite concerns over delays in the building of new stadiums.
    "We talked about the World Cup in South Africa, because we were alarmed by media declarations, and because we ourselves have noticed that works are not going how we hoped," Blatter told journalists at a news briefing.
    Then he turned it into a joke with Danny Jordaan, South Africa 2010's chief executive officer.
    "We trust South Africa, and ask them now, Danny, could you take a few spades and pickaxes we have here, so holes can start being dug and so stadiums can start to rise," Blatter said .
    With the exception of Cape Town's stadium, which is currently involved in a planning dispute, building work is expected to be under way on all sites by the first quarter of 2007 according to Jordaan.
    The Executive Committee has now finalised the dates for the World Cup finals which will take place between June 11 and July 11, 2010.
    FIFA's executive committee has expressed disapproval at the conduct of its own vice-president Jack Warner, also president of Concacaf, following the alleged resale of World Cup tickets through a tour company in Trinidad and Tobago, but it will not pursue any further disciplinary action.
    "It will now be up to the FIFA administration to decide whether in the future, they can or cannot continue to work with the "Simpaul" organisation for the ticketing of the 2010 World Cup, but that was not an issue to be addressed by the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee has expressed its disapproval of Mr Warner's attitude", Sepp Blatter said.
    Blatter said the executive committee had made its decision after hearing a report from FIFA's disciplinary committee.
    According to the Disciplinary committee conclusions, there is "no concrete evidence" that Warner knew about the resale of World Cup tickets by his son Daryan Warner through Jack Warner's former travel company Simpaul.
    FIFA opened its investigation into Warner's activities in September, following allegations that he had personally profited from the resale of 180 World Cup tickets, contrary to FIFA's own ticketing rules.
    The matter was first brought to FIFA's attention following two separate investigations by auditors Ernst & Young in April and July.
    During a visit to Britain earlier in the year Warner had been asked by reporters whether he thought he done anything wrong. "Absolutely not," he retorted. "If I did I would not be here."
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