World Cup stadium construction to begin in January

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 3 (Reuters) South Africa will start building five new stadiums in January for the 2010 soccer World Cup, local organisers said today.

''Construction must start in January 2007,'' Irvin Khoza, the chairman of South Africa's 2010 local organising committee told a news conference in Johannesburg.

Khoza said four existing stadiums would be used for the first World Cup to be staged in Africa and another would be extensively refurbished.

The committee told parliament in July that stadium construction would start this month.

Khoza confirmed that the government had allocated 8.3 billion rand (1.06 billion dollar) for the stadiums, more than three times the 2.3 billion rand estimate made in 2004 when the country won its bid.

There has been widespread government criticism at the increasing costs and questions over what will happen to the new stadiums after the Cup. At the moment the country's domestic league struggles to fill small stadiums during weekend matches.

Other major concerns are the country's high crime rate and inadequate public transport.

''Crime is a challenge,'' FIFA secretary-general Urs Linsi said at the news conference. ''Transport is also a challenge. The existing transport system is over-stressed.'' The government says it will strengthen measures to contain crime but latest police crime data for 2005 show no sign that the authorities arey getting on top of the situation.

A high-speed rail service for the Johannesburg area was approved last week but critics doubt it will be ready in time.

Last month FIFA president Sepp Blatter said he planned to travel to South Africa to ''fire up the organising committee''.

''For the moment they have plans, money and decisions but I have yet to see the pickaxes and spades needed to start the work,'' Blatter said.

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