By Nangamso Mabindla
10 August 2006

BUFFALO City's preparations to claim a stake in the upcoming Fifa Soccer World Cup that will hit our shores in 2010 are well on track, said the chairperson of the city's 2010 Committee, Mhleli Matika.

Since the city missed out on being a host for the World Cup, it now aims to be a base city for one of the teams participating in the biggest sports tournament in the world.

"Our stand as a base city is being strategically moulded because we can never be left out of a once-in-a life time opportunity for the world's biggest sporting extravaganza and all the benefits it brings to our country. This is an opportunity for which Africa has waited for 100 years," said Matika.

After Buffalo City's sister municipality, the Nelson Mandela Metro, was named as one of the host cities, the municipality offered to serve as a base city for the team based in Port Elizabeth. According to the soccer world governing body's regulations, a host city needed to have a 40 000-seater stadium.

"To be Fifa-compliant, for our city to accommodate one of the teams for the month-long tournament, we need an approximately 12 000-seater stadium," said Matika. "This is our immediate need as a base city and we are busy looking at our options."

According to Matika, the city has existing facilities that can be developed to meet Fifa requirements. These include the ABSA Stadium, the Amalinda Stadium, the Sisa Dukashe stadium and the Bhisho stadium.

The Soccer World Cup would also present the city with an opportunity to invest in the beautiful game. "We are well aware of the needs of communities, especially the soccer community, and we will never let the city down by not exploiting all the 2010 opportunities," added Matika.

With the World Cup expected to create a projected 159 000 jobs and attract over 400 000 visitors, local government leaders are already looking at opportunities for their areas.

"We are definitely not sitting back, we have applied for millions of rands of the R3,5 billion set aside by the Department of Transport for road infrastructure for municipalities gearing for 2010," Matika said.

Matika added that the city had gained a lot of contacts and experiences from Stuttgart, Germany, when they attended the 2006 Soccer World Cup tournament. The delegation also visited Wurzburg, a base city for the World Cup, where the world headquarters of DaimlerChrysler is situated.

"In a nutshell, Buffalo City is well on top of our game, but we are not rushing in headlong. Our preparations are on track," Matika said.