FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke says South Africa isn’t ready yet to host the World Cup, and he still doesn’t know where all the teams will be based during the tournament.
With barely three months until the event starts, organisers still face problems with Soccer City – the incomplete Johannesburg venue for the opening match and final – filling stadiums, and handling the intense scrutiny on England’s proposed training camp.
“If the question is ‘Could we host the World Cup tomorrow morning?’ the answer is no,” Valcke said on Tuesday after a team workshop meeting in Sun City.
“At this stage, we couldn’t play the World Cup because Soccer City isn’t ready. At this stage, we couldn’t play the opening game. That’s a fact. At this stage we have 700,000 tickets still to sell, at this stage I can make a list of things that aren’t ready for the World Cup.
“We have 108 days – it seems short, it is short, but even if we have to stay awake all night every day we will be ready by the time of the World Cup.”
Valcke’s feisty comments came after a feisty exchange with reporters about the state of several training camps.
FIFA had wanted the list of training camps for the 32 finalists completed on Tuesday, but those plans have been derailed by teams still changing their plans ahead of the June 11-July 11 event.
FIFA still hasn’t had confirmation from England that it will be based at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus near Rustenburg amid concern about the state of its training pitches and the fact that around half of the bedrooms haven’t been finished.
Valcke on Monday was part of a high-level delegation featuring top officials in African football who inspected it along with England coach Fabio Capello.
“The rooms are there – there is a welcome desk where you can pay, a breakfast area where you can eat. There was a Sony television and internet in the room,” Valcke said.
“At the time of the World Cup, the FA (Football Association) need the 68 rooms, the medical centre and pitches. There are two which are being worked on by an Irish company who are experts in grass. We have been told the medical centre will be built on time.”
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