Most expensive World Cup kicks off in a month
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Steve Chiotakis: What’s expected to be the most expensive World Cup ever staged gets kicked off in South Africa a month from today. But soccer’s governing body had to pitch in $100 million bucks to keep preparations on track. For Marketplace, the BBC’s Karen Allen reports from Johannesburg.
Karen Allen: South Africa’s built five new stadiums, a new airport and brand new roads. But even a $6 billion budget wasn’t enough to ensure the soccer World Cup began on schedule. Several countries complained the practice fields weren’t ready for the event. Jerome Valcke is the head of soccer’s world governing body, known as FIFA:
Jerome Valcke: Some teams were unhappy about the level of services.
Billions of dollars have also been spent on grassroots and social projects. Danny Jordaan is the driving force behind this year’s World Cup. He believes the competition will leave a lasting legacy in South Africa.
Danny Jordaan: And it’s about creating jobs for people who live here so that they too have a chance of a better life.
The International Soccer Association won’t have to go searching for the extra $100 million. The agency’s already made $3 billion from the sale of World Cup TV broadcasts.
In Johannesburg, I’m the BBC’s Karen Allen for Marketplace.
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