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2010 test no big deal

New stadium being given a low-key initiation

Nov 23, 2009 9:15 PM | By MAZOLA MOLEFE

Durban's pride of 2010, the Moses Mabhida stadium, will get a low-key opening on Sunday with a KwaZulu-Natal derby between Amazulu and Maritzburg United.


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TESTING TIME: The view that greeted Fifa inspectors in September when they inspected Durban's Moses Mabhida stadium
TESTING TIME: The view that greeted Fifa inspectors in September when they inspected Durban's Moses Mabhida stadium

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The teams are in the basement of the Premier League.

Only 22,000 fans will be let into the venue, which will seat 70,000 during the World Cup next year.

It will be the second of South Africa's five brand-new World Cup stadiums to be opened, following the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium in Port Elizabeth, which was used for the first time in July.

Other new stadiums to be used at the World Cup and due for completion next year are Green Point in Cape Town, Mbombela in Nelspruit and Peter Mokaba in Polokwane.

The refurbished, or rebuilt, stadiums are Soccer City, Loftus Versfeld, Ellis Park, Free State stadium and Royal Bafokeng, Rustenburg.

Sunday's opening match is regarded as a test run to identify any problems. There will be more such tests ahead of the World Cup.

The Moses Mabhida stadium, whose capacity will be reduced to 54000 after the World Cup, was completed late last month and is scheduled to host seven World Cup matches, including a semi-final.

The R1.6-billion stadium was scheduled to host Bafana Bafana's friendly international against Japan earlier this month, but the eThekwini municipality feared the venue would not be ready in time and the game was moved to Port Elizabeth.

It was built next to rugby's King's Park stadium and named after a general secretary of the SA Communist Party.

Host club Amazulu have limited the tickets to 22,000 because, according to the club's media officer, Philani Mabaso, it will help the fans get used to the new seating arrangements.

"The team and the municipality decided it would be better to have fewer people attend the opening of the stadium to avoid confusion," he said.

"The seats are colour-coded and most South African soccer fans are not yet familiar with that arrangement. So it is better to have a smaller number of confused fans than the capacity crowd of 70,000."

By late yesterday, more than 14,000 tickets had been sold.

Amazulu will play six of their seven PSL home games at the stadium.

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Comments

Nov 24 2009 03:49:41 AM
Vlad
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This is a CLEAR sign of things to come....

Truely a WHITE Elephant if I ever did see one...

R6,8 billion for this stadium... what for? To keep some ANC officials happy at the 2010 two week tournament?

There after it will go to the DAWGS!!!

I can see the graffiti splashed out on those beautiful off white wall claddings... homeless people camping out on the overhangs... plastic bags fluttering against the fences...

Watch this space!!!!!!!!
Nov 24 2009 07:18:28 AM
PSG
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Nov 24 2009 03:49:41 AM
Vlad
Vlad maybe I'm reading from a different article but the one that I'm reading from clearly states that this is a R1.6b stadium not the R6.8b that you are talking about :-).
Nov 24 2009 08:33:23 AM
Farell Fox
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is Vlad stuck on stupid or what??

or maybe stupid is stuck on Vlad! groundbreaking stuff!
Nov 24 2009 08:32:14 PM
Sechaba-is-not-a-fake-Communist
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Vlad was born through rape leave him alone. He was mentally disburbed from birth


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