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| | GEO Sports | | Reconstruction of soccer stadium in J’burg completed | Updated at: 1838 PST, Saturday, October 17, 2009
 JOHANNESBURG: Reconstruction of the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg has been completed and it will soon be handed over to FIFA.
the newly-reconstructed Soccer City Stadium will host the inaugural match of the World Cup Football on June 11, 2010.
The Soccer City Stadium has been constructed in Johannesburg's southwest and is only a short distance from one of the country's football-crazy townships, Soweto. About 40 per cent of Johannesburg's population live in Soweto and this proximity is bound to make the stadium a hub of activity throughout the 2010 finals.
The ground's design is inspired by the iconic African pot known as the calabash, and its aesthetic appeal will be heightened when the stadium is lit at night.
The original stadium, which was known as the FNB Stadium, is situated on the same location. It had a capacity of 80,000 whereas the newly-reconstructed stadium has the capacity of 94,700.
A special encircling roof has been constructed and new floodlighting has been installed in the stadium.
This stadium has been constructed espesially for the Football World Cup 2010 and it will host host the first and final matches of the event in South Africa.
The stadium is widely regarded as the heart of football in South Africa as it has hosted many important matches through history.
In the mid 1980s, officials came together to build the first international football stadium in the country and the construction was funded from the football fraternity's coffers.
The Soccer City hosted the first mass rally of Nelson Mandela after his release from prison in 1990. Thousands of mourners lamented Chris Hani's assassination at the stadium in 1993.
It was also the venue for the 1996 CAF African Cup of Nations final, with South Africa eventually triumphing 2-0 over Tunisia. |  |
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