'2010 WC will leave legacy of pride in Africa'

The 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa will leave the legacy of security in the country and of pride on the continent, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said.

Updated on: Jan 27, 2009, 14:46:11 IST

AFP | By HT Correspondent, Johannesburg

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The 2010 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa will leave the legacy of security in the country and of pride on the continent, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Monday.

"There will be a double legacy. There will be the one in South Africa. There will be extremely tight security. We hope that this security will be maintained after the World Cup in order to ensure that we have left a legacy," he said in an interview to mark 500 days to go to the event.

"The other legacy is for the whole of Africa. We want them to be proud and be able to say "we Africans have organised the world's most important sporting event: the FIFA World Cup," Blatter said in the exclusive interview to FIFA.Com, copies of which were released in Johannesburg.

"We have to trust in the African' ability to organise the competition. Trust will give them confidence. If they have confidence, they will be better in the future, not only as footballers, but as organisers," he said.

At a news conference on Monday in Nasrec, outside Johannesburg, FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said that certain logistics problems to be solved ahead of the World Cup were putting the organisers on a "very tight schedule."

"I am not afraid anymore about the stadiums. The infrastructure is okay.

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