PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI SAID SATURDAY IN BERLIN THAT SOUTH AFRICA WAS ALREADY POURING MONEY INTO THE 2010 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP AND WAS CONFIDENT IT COULD AFFORD THE PRESTIGIOUS SPORT EVENT, ACCORDING TO DPA. ASKED WHETHER TICKETS FOR THE 2010 EVENT WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE FOR ORDINARY SOUTH AFRICANS, HE REPLIED THAT MANY FOOTBALL FANS HAD TRAVELLED TO GERMANY TO THIS YEAR'S WORLD CUP ALTHOUGH THE SOUTH AFRICAN TEAM HAD NOT QUALIFIED FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP'S FINAL ROUND. "THEY HAVE THE MONEY - DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT," HE SAID. SPEAKING AFTER PAYING A CALL ON GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, MBEKI SAID FUNDING HAD BEEN APPROPRIATED IN THE CURRENT YEAR'S BUDGET FOR WORLD CUP VENUES AND SOUTH AFRICA WAS CONFIDENT IT COULD FULFIL ALL THE CONDITIONS SET BY THE WORLD FOOTBALL BODY FIFA. MBEKI AND MERKEL WERE SCHEDULED TO SHARE A VIP BOX AT SUNDAY'S FINAL IN BERLIN BETWEEN FRANCE AND ITALY. MBEKI SAID HE WAS DELIGHTED THAT THE NATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (NOC) IN GERMANY AND ITS CHAIRMAN FRANZ BECKENBAUER HAD OFFERED TO SUPPORT SOUTH AFRICA'S NOC IN ITS PREPARATIONS, AFTER THE CURRENT WORLD CUP IN GERMANY FINISHES WITH SUNDAY'S FINAL BETWEEN ITALY AND FRANCE IN BERLIN. HE SAID THE SOUTH AFRICANS HAD BEEN GATHERING INFORMATION IN GERMANY FOR THEIR OWN PLANNING, ESPECIALLY REGARDING SECURITY ISSUES. "I AM ASSUMING THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEMS," MBEKI ADDED.
