Six more teams arrive for World Cup
Six more teams arrive for WC
Posted: 2010-06-06 21:22
The 2010 Fifa World Cup Organising Committee welcomed Greece, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Chile and New Zealand who arrived in South Africa today (Sunday) when the teams jetting into the OR Tambo International airport.
"It is a great pleasure to be able to welcome the six teams that arrived in South Africa today. With the football stars now arriving in the country, we are really starting to feel the excitement. The World Cup has well and truly landed," said CEO, Dr Danny Jordaan in a statement.
"We had a great trip, got some good rest and couldn’t have asked for a better weather. Now, two years after having started our hard work, here we are as one of the 32 nations playing in the greatest tournament of all."
"We want to enjoy this World Cup as much as we can and now we have all of our attention focused on Ivory Coast. Our players are ready to ‘eat grass’ in order to succeed," Portugal’s coach, Carlos Queiroz told the media.
Portugal play their opening game against Ivory Coast in Port Elizabeth on June 15.
Greece will open their tournament against Korea Republic in Port Elizabeth three days earlier.
Japan will play their first game against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in Bloemfontein on June 14 while the Netherlands will play their opening fixture against Denmark at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on the same day.
Chile begin the tournament in Nelspruit against Honduras on 16 June 16 and New Zealand will open their tournament against Slovakia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on June 15.
Germany are scheduled to arrive in South Africa tomorrow morning after leaving Frankfurt in a chartered plane.
Making the flight is a squad of 23 players who coach Joachim Low believes can make history of their own in the southern hemisphere, even though the event will also be a first for many of them.
"We have young players who are technically very good and the potential is high," he said. "Everybody has worked hard, but we still have another week of hard work ahead."
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