Stadium ‘will be ready in time’
STEVEN TAU
JOHANNESBURG - The 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) says it remains confident that the playing surface at the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria will be ready in time for its first Fifa World Cup soccer match featuring Serbia and Ghana on June 13.
This after the pitch at the venue was deemed not to have been in a condition conducive to an official match by some who attended a local Premier Soccer League (PSL) match between Kaizer Chiefs and Jomo Cosmos there on Saturday afternoon.
Soccer legend and SABC football analyst Deshi Bhaktawer described the state of the pitch as “terrible” when contacted by The Citizen yesterday.
The 50 000-seater is home to one local rugby team (the Blue Bulls) and three PSL sides (Supersport United, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns).
A number of PSL matches were abandoned towards the end of last year due to a water-logged pitch.
As a result of the number of matches that were abandoned, according to the groundsmen, additional drainage had to be put in place last month.
Despite this, LOC spokesman Rich Mkhondo added that work on the pitch was on course and that everything will be ready in time for the opening World Cup matches, which include the Bafana Bafana versus Uruguay tie on June 15.
There is also a Super 14 clash scheduled to take place at Loftus between the Bulls and the Brumbies next week on Saturday.
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