A three-day FIFA inspection tour of four of the nine 2010 FIFA World Cup™ host cities and stadiums got underway today in Johannesburg.

A delegation from FIFA and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee (LOC) visited Johannesburg's Soccer City today to get a first-hand impression of the progress being made in building the iconic stadium that will host the opening match and the final of Africa's first FIFA World Cup™.

The site visits will continue to Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay tomorrow and will culminate in a visit to Durban on Wednesday 10 October. At this occasion the inspection team will then also visit the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, the location of the November 25 Preliminary Draw, to get an update of the event which will mark the global kick-off of the journey to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Inspection visits are standard procedures in the preparation of any FIFA competition to get a better understanding of the status of the preparation in the host country as well as to strengthen relationships with the local authorities, the host city and stadium teams to clearly define the next steps towards the final competition.

The delegation is composed of experts in competitions, marketing, IT, media, accommodation, security, stadium construction and transportation from both FIFA and the OC.

"The past inspection visits proved to be very constructive and fruitful. Our delegation looks forward to personally seeing the progress made by our South African colleagues in the development of facilities and the mobilisation of all sectors of the national economy towards the successful staging of the first FIFA World Cup in Africa in 2010, " said FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke. "We must be realistic to the fact that there is still a lot of work to be done between now and 2010. But I want to stress that FIFA continues to have unflinching confidence in South Africa and together we shall undertake to make this first African FIFA World Cup the tremendous success we know it will be. The results of this routine inspection will be presented at our next Board meeting on the 16th of October," added Valcke.

"We are very happy to welcome the FIFA delegation. The inspection tour is an important component of the state of readiness programme. We are sure the inspection team will find a lot of progress has been made since the last tour a year ago, particularly in the areas of stadium construction. They will see the high quality of programmes the host cities have embarked on in transport and airport expansion. They will also see that a lot of hard work has gone into the preparations for the Preliminary Draw. Again, we welcome them and look forward to engaging with them. We are confident they will find the project well on track," said LOC Chief Executive Officer Danny Jordaan.

Around 1400 workers are currently on the Soccer City site full-time, with project manager Fanie Stadler telling the inspection delegation that the project was on course.

"We're on time with the programme at the moment. Eighteen percent of the money for the project has been spent already. Our completion date is 23 April 2009 and there's no reason why we should not make it," said Stadler.

Another project manager on site, Portugal's Rubens Demetrio, said the experience of working on the stadium that will be seen by billions worldwide come June 2010 was "fantastic".

"It's great, it's important, it's a privilege. I would like to see Portugal playing here in the final in 2010," said an optimistic Demetrio.

The City of Joburg's 2010 co-ordinator, Sibongile Mazibuko, led a presentation to the inspection tour delegation, with detailed plans for the stadium, transport, infrastructure and 2010 training venues.

Mazibuko said the City of Joburg intended to meet its 2010 mandate in adherence with FIFA requirements, but with "a distinctive African flair".

"We want to deliver on time, within budget and within the design specifications. We want to create a superb fan experience that exceeds all expectations, delights fans and creates rave reviews of the city from the national and international media," said Mazibuko.

She added that while the 2010 project was a crucial one for the city, it wasn't being seen in isolation, but needed to relate to long-term planning for the city.

"We are using the 2010 FIFA World Cup to leapfrog development and to leave a sustainable, positive legacy for the City of Joburg. We are going to use the World Cup to drive development in a very aggressive manner in Johannesburg," said Mazibuko in conclusion.