FIFA pleased with progress South Africa making for 2010 World Cup

From AFP

CAPE TOWN, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) — World football's governing body FIFA said Tuesday that South Africa's programme of stadium building remained on schedule, despite a recent strike by construction workers in Cape Town.

"So far, things are all right," FIFA spokesman Alain Leiblang told journalists in Cape Town as a FIFA delelation wrapped up a tour of the 2010 World Cup hosts.

"All things are on track. I don't want to say for the future, but for the two cities that we have inspected everything is correct."

Amid a three-day inspection of four of the country's nine tournament host cities, Leiblang said outstanding issues were merely a matter of detail.

No serious shortcomings had been identified, and there was littles concern over recent labour disputes between workers and stadium construction companies in Cape Town and Durban.
"This is nothing. I have known much worse," said Leiblang -- referring to a general strike in France as it prepared to host the same tournament in 1998.

"So far, we have a calender, we have a time schedule, it is on track."

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