FIFA Satisfied With 2010 World Cup Preparations

Jerome Valcke said preparations for the preliminary draws in the costal town of Durban on Nov. 25 were 95 percent complete.

FIFA'S general secretary said on Tuesday he was satisfied with the progress of South Africa's preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Jerome Valcke said preparations for the preliminary draws in the costal town of Durban on Nov. 25 were 95 percent complete and construction at stadiums was on schedule.

"As of this day, I am not worried at all. I sleep very well," Valcke told journalists after a meeting of the board of directors of the World Cup organising committee.

"I am happy with the preparations for the preliminary draw, there are little details to be fixed but these are just details. We are keeping a watchful eye especially on the stadiums," he said.

Valcke said a technical team had been put in place to monitor construction work on the stadiums.

There had been worries that construction work would be delayed at the Cape Town stadium when workers went on strike to demand better travel benefits and disrupted work for a week last month.

Local Organising Committee (LOC) chief executive officer Danny Jordaan said contingency plans had been put in place to cope with power cuts, which have hit the country in the past week.

"As you know, alternative energy sources must be available in all stadiums. At this stage it is not an issue because we have made plans, it is not an issue we should lose sleep over," said Jordaan.