There’s virtually no way that South Africa’s football, rugby, and cricket teams will have use for ten stadia, all of which hold at least 45,000 people (Soccer City stadium, pictured at left, holds 95,000). In the 2009-2010 season, South Africa’s Premiere Football League played 212 games — only four drew more than 40,000 fans, according to Sports Industry magazine. Five of these stadia are brand new, built just for the World Cup. Many of them have been built on land that could have been used for much-needed housing. The costs of maintaining these structures — from regular building maintenance to power to security — are big enough to raise the question of whether, and how, they will be kept up
Will the World Cup Stadia Become South Africa’s New Slums?
The Infrastructurist
July 13, 2010
