| FIFA president sides with South African stadium builders |
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| Wednesday, 12 March 2008 | |
 ZURICH (AP) — FIFA president Sepp Blatter showed his solidarity with construction workers readying 10 stadiums in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Blatter met with South African trade union leaders Tuesday and said he wanted the workers to be treated fairly. “Although FIFA is not the employer or the builder responsible for constructing the stadiums, it is well aware of its social responsibility in connection with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and is also keeping an eye on it,” Blatter said. Stadium construction is managed by the 2010 organizing committee, with most of the expected $1 billion in costs met by the government. Blatter has made several visits to monitor construction and has made repeated assurances the stadiums will be ready when the tournament opens June 11, 2010. Work on Moses Madhiba Stadium in Durban was held up by a strike last November, two weeks before the qualifying draw was held in the city. Union leaders had threatened similar disruptions at the other nine sites. “The workers, especially those laboring on the construction sites, need a wage that will enable them to live, enjoy a safe and healthy workplace and social benefits as well,” said Crosby Moni, the deputy president of South Africa’s largest construction workers’ union, the Nat Union Mineworkers. “We have no doubt that FIFA can help significantly to reach this goal,” he said. Three other stadiums are being built for the World Cup. Six more are being upgraded, including the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, where a second tier will increase capacity to 48,000 seats. The World Cup final will be played before an expected crowd of 94,700 at Soccer City in the Johannesburg suburb of Soweto. “We sent a signal of hope and trust in the abilities of South Africa and the entire African continent when we awarded the 2010 World Cup,” Blatter said. “The FIFA World Cup is intended to have an enduring and positive effect on the economy and generate social change.” |
