Soccer City ready for kickoff

Johannesburg - Construction work at Soccer City - the biggest stadium to be built for any Fifa World Cup tournament - was completed on Wednesday, almost two months ahead of schedule.

The newly-reconstructed 89 000-seater stadium located near Soweto will host the first and final matches of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, on June 11 and July 11. It was expected to be completed in December.

"The ground's design is inspired by the iconic African pot, known as the calabash," said constructor Aveng. The African calabash is used to store food, water and traditional beer.

Speaking at the event, the MD of Aveng subsidiary Grinaker-LTA, Neil Cloete, said stadiums built for international events are "difficult tasks" as timelines are tight and penalties high.

Once visitors and fans enter the stadium, they'll notice a wave of orange seats separated by seats painted in black representing a thick band.

Starting from the seats closer to the pitch, some are painted in black all the way to the top of the stadium, resembling a stripe from afar. Each one points in the direction of a World Cup stadium in the country; one band even faces the direction of the Olympia Stadium in Berlin, where the final match of the 2006 Fifa World Cup was played.

The pitch, which was laid in August, has already taken the shape of a football field, with only a few patches of sand still visible.

Construction is complete, and workers are now putting finishing touches to the 193 suites. The stadium will be handed over to Fifa in March 2010.

Aveng has also been involved in the construction of Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth and the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, and supplied steel for the Moses Mashida stadium in Durban.

- Fin24.com