FIFA’s Valcke: Still waiting for complete list of training camps for World Cup in SAfrica

FIFA: Waiting for list of WCup training camps

SUN CITY, South Africa — FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said Tuesday he still doesn’t know where all 32 World Cup teams will be based during the tournament in South Africa.

FIFA wanted the list of training camps completed on Tuesday, but those plans have been derailed by teams still changing their plans ahead of the event, which starts June 11.

With more than three months to go, organizers still face problems with Soccer City — the incomplete Johannesburg venue for the opening match and final. Organizers also need to fill stadiums and handle the scrutiny on England’s proposed training camp.

“If the question is ‘Could we host the World Cup tomorrow morning?’ the answer is no,” Valcke said after a meeting in Sun City.

“At this stage, we couldn’t play the World Cup because Soccer City isn’t ready. At this stage, we couldn’t play the opening game. That’s a fact. At this stage we have 700,000 tickets still to sell, at this stage I can make a list of things that aren’t ready for the World Cup.

“We have 108 days — it seems short, it is short, but even if we have to stay awake all night, every day we will be ready by the time of the World Cup.”

Valcke’s comments came after a feisty exchange with reporters about the state of several training camps. FIFA still hasn’t had confirmation from England that it will be based at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus near Rustenburg. There was concern about the state of its training field and accommodations.

Valcke on Monday was part of a high-level delegation featuring top African soccer officials who inspected it along with England coach Fabio Capello.

Capello said he is ready to sign the contracts and expects the training fields to be ready in time for the finals.

“We checked everything and it improved a lot from the last time we stayed here,” Capello said. “The pitches are good and will be better for June. The hotel is really, really nice and the medical center will be ready in two months. I’m really, really happy because it’s the third time I’ve stayed here and the facilities are fantastic.

“We visited four different places and this was the best.”

Valcke also spoke about the accommodations.

“The rooms are there — there is a welcome desk where you can pay, a breakfast area where you can eat. There was a Sony television and internet in the room,” Valcke said. “At the time of the World Cup, the FA (Football Association) need the 68 rooms, the medical center and pitches. There are two which are being worked on by an Irish company who are experts in grass. We have been told the medical center will be built on time.”

Valcke was also frustrated that England’s Group C rival Algeria has yet to decide where it will be based. South Africa announced Sunday it had been forced to move from a base that was badly run down.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s tourism ministry has ordered an investigation into allegations that hotel prices are unreasonably high during the tournament.

The probe into hotel prices follows an investigation announced last month into whether South African airlines are colluding to inflate prices during the World Cup.