Put those thoughts of the 2010 World Cup in the USA, England or Germany out of your mind ...
"Plan B is dead," Danny Jordaan, head of the World Cup local organizing committee told reporters in Johannesburg in a year-end review of preparations for the tournament.
Jordaan was referring to speculation earlier this year that FIFA, soccer's world governing body could yank the World Cup from South Africa if the country was deemed ill-prepared to become the first African host of the tournament.
FIFA president Joseph Blatter's admission in June that FIFA had a 'Plan B' when it came to the host nation made for sensational headlines.
By now, the skeptics, mostly Europeans, have been proved wrong, according to Jordaan.
All 10 World Cup stadiums - five new, five upgraded - will be ready on time, he said.
Having said this, the cost will be higher than forecast due in part to a weaker rand.
"All of the stadiums will be complete and there is no doubt about that," Jordaan told a news conference.
"Some of the (construction) materials will be procured outside the country. As the rand weakens, there will be some cost overruns," he said, noting that the price of oil added another layer of unpredictability to the process.
Rising prices for imported cement, steel and other key building materials and higher labor costs have wreaked havoc on the stadium construction budget, leading to a 3.2 billion rand ($314 million) shortfall.
Local organizers are concerned about keeping the budget from spinning out of control and finding the funds to meet the shortfall, which the South African government has already pledged 1.4 billion rand towards.
South Africa expects 480,000 visitors for the World Cup, which starts on June 11, 2010, and hopes the month-long finals will spur tourism and investment in Africa's richest economy.
MY POV: Good for South Africa. About time they showered good news on the non-believers around the world.
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