January 23 – Two of South Africa’s World Cup venues have witnessed their first matches in preparation for the tournament, including in Cape Town, where England are due to play Algeria.
Local clubs Ajax Cape Town and Santos kicked the first ball in the 68,000 seater at the Green Point Stadium, in a match marked by colourful music celebrations and vuvuzela cries.
Only 20,000 tickets were made available for the game, in a move to test the capacity of the stadium.
The venue will then be filled during a rugby union match in two weeks time.
Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato said: ”This first game was treated like a real World Cup game, the organisers applied the standard FIFA regulations, in terms of crowd control and security.”
The event was dubbed the Cape Town Soccer Festival and also had a musical performance by Freshly Ground and an official blessing.
The match, which Santos won 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out following a 0-0 draw, was also used as an opportunity to test the transport arrangement.
Almost all of the ticket holders used the free park and ride facility and organisers claimed there were no problems.
Security was significantly increased ahead of the match.
More than 1,000 police officers from 24 different units patrolled the area around and inside the stadium on the day.
The Peter Mokaba Stadium (pictured) in Polokwane, meanwhile, also opened for the first time
It will host four group stage matches including a much anticipated clash between France and Mexico.
The Peter Mokaba Cup, featuring defending South African Premiership team SuperSport United, Soweto giants, Kaizer Chiefs, student Premiership side, BIDvest Wits and Danish club Brondby, saw two semi-finals and a final played on the same day, watched by a crowd of 18,000, less than half its 46,000 capacity.
Roger de Sá, the former South African goalkeeper and coach of BIDvest Wits, said the stadium handled the day professionally.
He said: “All round it’s a very good stadium.
“The training grounds are close by and the stadium itself has a good pitch and tight atmosphere with modern touches.”
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