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The Local Organising Committee of the World Cup is spending its budget prudently, and is meeting its FIFA targets, the organisation says after its board meeting.
WITH just 58 days to go until the world's biggest sporting event - the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ - the Local Organising Committee (OC) confirmed that it was in good financial health and all was on track to host a world-class tournament in South Africa in June.
Happy with OC spending: OC CEO Danny Jordaan
This was announced at a press conference at the Sandton Sun in Sandton on Thursday, 8 April after the OC's annual general meeting of the board of directors. It was attended by Irvin Khoza, the committee chairman; Danny Jordaan, the chief executive; and the FIFA secretary-general, Jérôme Valcke.
"I am happy to report that the OC has maintained financial prudence and discipline throughout and I am confident that this will continue as we enter the final phase of delivering the tournament," said Jordaan.
"We presented our financial report and have an approved budget, fully funded by FIFA for $423-million [about R3-billion]. Today, we have spent something in the order of 32 percent of that budget; 68 percent of [it] is left."
Critics who claimed that stadiums would not be completed and that the organisation would run out of money can swallow their words, as Jordaan confirmed that infrastructure at all stadiums had been completed and more than half of the budget was still intact.
"The major hurdles have been overcome. The last major inspection tour of all the stadiums has now been completed and the outcome was good as it identified our focus areas for the coming weeks," said Valcke.
World Cup concert
One of the issues raised in the board meeting was that of the FIFA opening concert to be held at Orlando Stadium on Thursday, 10 June.
Since the concert's line-up was announced on 17 March, FIFA has come in for a lot of criticism for overlooking local artists.
Valcke made it clear that even though the World Cup was to be played in South Africa, it was still an international event. The official FIFA concert would be broadcast all over the world, so it could not only have South African artists performing.
"No-one will have an interest if the concert does not have international artists performing. It has to be a concert with international [artists], and that's what we will do."
Khoza said his organisation had engaged with the minister of arts and culture and the Creative Workers' Union of South Africa, and they had agreed that a decision would be made on 12 April whether or not to add more local artists to the line-up.
Jordaan encouraged South Africans to embrace the event and to act as good hosts.
"The World Cup is about the people and the country. Every South African should support the event, buy the tickets, buy the jersey, fly the flag, know the anthem, be South African, [and] be a good host."
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