Soccer City stadium handover set for April
Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium, venue of the opening and final World Cup matches, will be handed over to Fifa in April, organisers said on Friday.
“This stadium is now complete,” World Cup boss Danny Jordaan told a press conference inside the 94 700 seat stadium inspired by an African calabash.
“The outer perimeter is not complete. We still have to do the beautification of the environment outside the stadium,” he said, adding that the venue would be ready for Fifa in April.
The initial deadline for delivery had been mid-March.
The grounds around the stadium, located between the famous township of Soweto and downtown Johannesburg, remain filled with construction equipment.
But the stadium will still be handed over Wednesday to local officials, who will then deliver it Fifa, said Sibongile Masibuko, the provincial head of World Cup preparations.
To test the facilities, Soccer City will host on March 22 a football tournament for 20 000 municipal and provincial workers.
After Fifa takes over the stadium, it will host two full-capacity games before the World Cup kick-off on June 11, including one local match and an international friendly between national side Bafana Bafana and another World Cup competitor.
The rival team and the date for the match have not been determined yet.—AFP
