Jumat, 11 Juni 2010
World cup opening ceremony 2010
THE 2010 FIFA World Cup™ is finally here, and Joburg is geared up for the biggest sporting event in the world.
You’ll find everything you need to know here: from the World Cup venues to the transport to the games; from where to get into the spirit even if you don’t have tickets to the matches to safety tips and advice.
As a key host city for the month-long football extravaganza, the City of Johannesburg has made sure that everything is ready for you, the fans.
Some 15 of the 64 matches take place in this bustling metropolitan city.
Match venues
Joburg is the only host city in South Africa to provide two venues – Soccer City and Ellis Park.
Soccer City
This wonderful venue, with its unique African calabash design, will host both the opening ceremony and the final match.
It is the 11th largest stadium in the world with a seating capacity of more than 90 000.
Also known as FNB Stadium, Soccer City was built in 1987 and had distinctive blue and white plastic bucket seats for 80 000 people. A two-metre wide “moat” ran around the entire field to protect players from pitch invasions by spectators.
The first football game to be played here was, appropriately, a Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, two of the most popular teams in Johannesburg and South Africa.
Subsequently, it staged some of the most memorable football matches in the country, hosting numerous cup finals, charity matches and internationals involving the national team, Bafana Bafana.
Besides being the premier venue for football matches, the stadium will be remembered for the mass rally held in 1990 to welcome the release of Nelson Mandela from prison.
About 100 000 people swarmed into the stadium to hear Mandela, who was later to be elected as the country’s first democratically-elected president, call for a united South Africa.
Now, the stadium has been completely redesigned and almost rebuilt from scratch.
Right next door to Soccer City is SAFA House, where the offices of FIFA and the Local Organising Committee are based.
Soccer City is, clearly, the “jewel in the crown” of South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Ellis Park
For decades Ellis Park was known as one of the world’s most recognisable rugby stadiums and the venue for legendary clashes between the South African Springboks, the All Blacks of New Zealand and the British Lions.
Now it’s ready to host the “beautiful game”.
It was originally built in 1927-28, and June 1928 saw the first test played at the stadium against the All Blacks.
The old stadium was demolished in March 1979 to make way for a bigger, more modern facility.
On 24 June 1995 it hosted the Rugby World Cup Final, and then President Nelson Mandela came out of the tunnel wearing the Number 6 jersey. South Africa won the Cup against New Zealand and Ellis Park became a symbol of a united South Africa.
In 2005 it became the first black-owned stadium in South Africa when the Golden Lions Rugby Union handed the management of Ellis Park Precinct to a company with 51 percent black ownership. Interza Lesego, Orlando Pirates FC and Ellis Park Stadium (Pty) Ltd make up the new management.
Today Ellis Park is the home ground of both Orlando Pirates Football Club and the Golden Lions Rugby franchise.
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