14 December 2006News that Durban will stage the Fifa World Cup preliminary draw on November 23, 2007, after securing the right to host the event ahead of Johannesburg and Cape Town, has been warmly welcomed.
The announcement was made in Johannesburg by World Cup local organising committee Chairman Irvin Khoza on Wednesday.
The preliminary draw is regarded as the launch event for the 2010 tournament and will decide which teams play each other in the qualifying rounds.
The event will also present Durban with an opportunity to market itself as a home base for visiting teams as it will be attended by 3 000 Fifa delegates and representatives of the countries hoping to qualify for the finals.
The draw will take place at Durban's International Convention Centre and will be broadcast live to more than 200 countries worldwide.
South Africa and Italy will receive automatic entry to the finals by virtue of being the hosts and reigning champions respectively.
Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Bonke Dumisa said the draw would garner good publicity for Durban.
eThekwini Mayor Obed Mlaba said the coup came hard on the heels of eThekwini winning the Vuna award for the best-run municipality in the country.
KwaZulu-Natal Local Government MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu also praised the municipality for winning for the Vuna award.
Source: IOL
No comments:
Post a Comment