Press release

Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth dropped from FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 schedule

The Board of Directors of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) today took the decision to remove Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth from the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 schedule, after receiving a report from the OC's Technical Team (OCTT).

The decision has been communicated to the Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Nondumiso Maphazi, by the OC. While it was noted that significant progress had been made on the stadium and that it will undoubtedly be ready for the 2010 FIFA World CUpTM, the OUT reported that it was unlikely to meet the March 30 deadline for completion of the stadium set by FIFA and the Organising Committee on 6 May 2008 at the last Board meeting.

The Board met at SAFA House today, with a FIFA delegation led by its Secretary General Jerome Valcke in attendance, and received updates on the progress at all 10 FIFA World Cup stadiums from the OCTT. With respect to the Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth Stadium.

At the last Board meeting, the OC Chairman Dr Irvin Khoza said that the OC was closely monitoring all the FIFA Confederations Cup stadiums and that if there was a chance that any of them failed to comply with the agreed deadlines, they would be removed from the FIFA Confederations Cup schedule.

"We acknowledge the progress that has been made on the Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth stadium in recent months. With the complex nature of the construction and erection of the roof of the stadium, however, it was decided that it would be too high a risk to keep the stadium in the FIFA Confederations Cup schedule. But the stadium has been one of the star performers of the FIFA World Cup construction process and again, we reiterate that the stadium will be a wonderful venue in 2010. We want to commend the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality on the work that has been done on the stadium," said Dr Khoza.

"We fully support the decision which was taken today by the Board based on bare facts and the ongoing monitoring of the OCTT of developments in Port Elizabeth. The Board showed that it is not afraid to take tough decisions to ensure the overall success of the FIFA Confederations Cup. Nelson Mandela Bay stadium bears the name of a great man who, at the host announcement in 2004, told of how inspirational this tournament is to him. And in 2010 it will be an outstanding stadium in a great location worthy of the big name it stands for - there is no doubt about it", said Jerome Valcke.

The Board enthusiastically noted that as at 131100 today 5 490 people had applied to be volunteers at the FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009. In total, about 5 000 volunteers will be required for the tournament, which takes place from 14 June to 28 June 2009, to assist in operational areas such as accreditation, administration, information technology, language support, logistics, transport, information services, media and marketing etc. That number has already been exceeded in just one week since the application process opened on 1 July 2008. The volunteer application process, however, is open until the end of August, when volunteers will be screened, interviewed and selected.

"We are delighted to see the overwhelming response from thousands of South Africans who have shown their eagerness to volunteer for the FIFA Confederations Cup. It shows again that South Africans are extremely supportive and are willing to be part of the World Cup process. We have stressed on many occasions that this World Cup belongs to each and every South African and that it will only be successful if the entire country gets behind the project. The enthusiastic response to our call for volunteers for the Confederations Cup is therefore extremely pleasing. We would like to thank those who have applied and encourage people to continue applying until the end of August," said OC Chairman of the Board, Dr Irvin Khoza.

Potential volunteers for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 can apply online in the FIFA Confederations Cup section of FIFA.com until the end of August. Any inquiries about the volunteer programme can be directed to the programme's call centre number on 0800 52 52 52.

The Board was also updated on the FIFA Confederations Cup preparations being in full steam, with a strong focus on the draw on 22 November 2008. The Board received a detailed report on the transportation solution for next year's FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFAWorld Cup.

Among other key matters discussed during the meeting:

The Board confirmed that the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World CUpTM will be held in Johannesburg on June 11 2010. The FIFA Congress will also be held in Johannesburg prior to the World Cup.

For further information please contact:
2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee Communication Department, email: media@2010saloc.com, Tel:: +27 11 567 2010, Fax.: +27 11 494 3162, www.FIFA.com