South Africa still not ready to host World Cup
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Is South Africa ready to host the World Cup?
In short, no.
The venue for the opening match in Johannesburg is still under construction and there’s concern about where all the teams will be based when soccer’s premier event gets underway June 11.
‘We couldn’t play the World Cup because Soccer City isn’t ready,’ said FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke on Tuesday. ‘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 for the World Cup.’
Delayed construction and logistical problems aren’t the only issues affecting South Africa’s World Cup preparations.
The country’s tourism ministry announced Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into allegations that hotels are raising prices during the month-long tournament. Some of the country’s airlines are already under investigation for similar accusations of price gouging.
-- Austin Knoblauch
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
