Share

Soccer City's turf test

Johannesburg - Police officers, binmen, traffic officials and other City of Johannesburg workers pulled on football boots and hit the pitch at Soccer City, the World Cup showpiece stadium, for a tournament on Friday.

Around 20,000 mostly family members and friends watched as teams of workers filed out onto the turf for games lasting about 20 minutes.

The games, which were played mostly two at a time in opposite halves of the pitch, are the first at the venue of the opening game and final of the Cup since it was officially completed earlier this month, according to the World Cup local organizing committee.

Soccer City, which is located in Soweto township on the south- western outskirts of Johannesburg, received a 3.8 billion-rand (512 million dollar) facelift.

With a capacity of 94,000 seats it is the biggest stadium in Africa.

Many of the spectators came clad in the yellow jerseys of the South African national team Bafana Bafana, as the national Football Friday campaign starts to gain traction.

The campaign urges citizens to get behind the national team in the run-up to the June 11-July 11 World Cup by wearing the jersey, and flying the national flag.

Many also had vuvuzelas - the plastic trumpets with the braying sound beloved of local football fans.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE