FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke was very impressed with his first visit to the iconic Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg today. The giant 94 700-seater stadium will be the historic tournament’s showpiece that will host the opening match and final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. “On the shirts of the workers here in the stadium it said ‘I am proud to be building Soccer City Stadium’. And when you are here you share the same feeling the workers have and the same thing they have written on their shirts. You just want to see the first game being played at the stadium”, said Jérôme Valcke, who personally got a first hand view on the significant pace of the construction at Soccer City over the last few months. The FIFA Secretary General was particularly heartened by the commitment of the 2 400 construction workers on site, who are working flat out to ensure the stadium is completed as scheduled by December 2009: “Each time I come here I see the amazing evolution of the stadium. Yesterday I saw the first part of the roof going up and today the second part of the roof was already going up as well. Hosting the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010 will be a unique moment and that is why we must make it happen.” Dr Danny Jordaan, Chief Executive Officer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa, who accompanied the FIFA Secretary General on the stadium visit, shared Valcke’s sentiments: “Soccer City will be the heart of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This is the cathedral of South African football. It’s South Africa’s Wembley. Our Maracana.” Mr Valcke was in South Africa for a meeting of the Board of Directors of the 2010 Organising Committee. During his four-day stay he also paid his first visit to the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane, which will play host to the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Credit: 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee