Kickoff (Cape Town)
5 January 2009
The Nelson Mandela Bay 2010 World Cup Stadium in Port Elizabeth is likely to be opened on June 16 with a rugby match.
Municipal spokesman Lourens Schoeman told The Herald newspaper that they were no longer under pressure to meet the March 31 deadline for completion due to the fact that the city had been withdrawn by the 2010 LOC as a venue for the 2009 Confederations Cup.
But he added that the stadium would be ready for the June 16 rugby encounter between the touring British Lions and a Coastal Unions side, offering rugby enthusiasts first use of the facility.
"Nelson Mandela Bay is no longer a host for the Fifa Confederations Cup, therefore there is no March 31 deadline to meet," Schoeman said. "The stadium will be ready for the rugby match between the British Lions and a Coastal Unions side on June 16.
"Progress with construction at the stadium has been moving at an impressive rate with the playing area fully grassed, the players'change rooms completed, 40 000 of the 44 000 seats already installed and 30 percent of the roof completed. The lighting infrastructure is being installed as work on the roof progresses," Schoeman added.
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