THE Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit will be ready for the 2010 World Cup games in June, Local Organising Committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan said.
THE Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit will be ready for the 2010 World Cup games in June, Local Organising Committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan said.
Jordaan said this would be the case despite the pitch having been stripped of grass on two occasions since the beginning of construction.
The pitch has nothing but fertiliser on it just a few months before the start of the World Cup.
Jordaan was addressing about 120 local and international media who have embarked on a week-long tour with the Fifa delegation to mark the 100 days to the kickoff of the World Cup.
"The process is nearly complete ... I'm more than confident that it will be finished before the tournament," he said.
Out of all the stadiums visited so far Mbombela was the only one that was lagging behind.
Richard Hayden, an expert from the United Kingdom Sports Turf Research Institute, has been appointed to fix the pitch.
Hayden said the R1,2billion Bombela Stadium could have a state-of-the-art pitch in about seven weeks.
Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said "it was better to remove the pitch" because it wasn't completely satisfactory.
"In seven or eight weeks there will be a state-of-the -art pitch because the weather is kind here," Valcke said.
There will be no match fixtures at the stadium before kickoff.
Parliamentary committee on sport chairperson Butana Komphela said the aim was to create a model city of excellence without compromising anything.
"We want a pitch of high quality," he said, despite this having had an effect on some activities that were intended for the stadium.
"A quality pitch will surpass any shortcoming," he added.
Gauteng, Bloemfontein and Polokwane also promised the world a spectacular World Cup - Sapa
Mbombela is doing fine
THE Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit will be ready for the 2010 World Cup games in June, Local Organising Committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan said.
THE Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit will be ready for the 2010 World Cup games in June, Local Organising Committee chief executive officer Danny Jordaan said.
Jordaan said this would be the case despite the pitch having been stripped of grass on two occasions since the beginning of construction.
The pitch has nothing but fertiliser on it just a few months before the start of the World Cup.
Jordaan was addressing about 120 local and international media who have embarked on a week-long tour with the Fifa delegation to mark the 100 days to the kickoff of the World Cup.
"The process is nearly complete ... I'm more than confident that it will be finished before the tournament," he said.
Out of all the stadiums visited so far Mbombela was the only one that was lagging behind.
Richard Hayden, an expert from the United Kingdom Sports Turf Research Institute, has been appointed to fix the pitch.
Hayden said the R1,2billion Bombela Stadium could have a state-of-the-art pitch in about seven weeks.
Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said "it was better to remove the pitch" because it wasn't completely satisfactory.
"In seven or eight weeks there will be a state-of-the -art pitch because the weather is kind here," Valcke said.
There will be no match fixtures at the stadium before kickoff.
Parliamentary committee on sport chairperson Butana Komphela said the aim was to create a model city of excellence without compromising anything.
"We want a pitch of high quality," he said, despite this having had an effect on some activities that were intended for the stadium.
"A quality pitch will surpass any shortcoming," he added.
Gauteng, Bloemfontein and Polokwane also promised the world a spectacular World Cup - Sapa
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