South Africa star: We will be ready to handle World Cup
South Africa will be ready to handle the World Cup by the time it hosts the event in 2010, according to one of the national team's former stars.
Although South Africa has successfully hosted major sports tournaments in the past, including the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 1996 African Nations Cup, the scale of the World Cup has raised questions over the country's capacity to stage such an event.
However, Lucas Radebe, who played for South Africa and Leeds United for a number of years, argues that the concerns have only served to help solve any problems, with issues such as security having been "improved greatly".
Speaking at the Laureus sports awards, Mr Radebe is quoted by Reuters as saying: "I think you will see a different South Africa when the time comes round."
He adds that the World Cup provides the country with an ideal opportunity to demonstrate to the international community what the country is "really like".
The World Cup is expected to yield significant improvements for South Africa's transport infrastructure, as well as attracting investment. Construction is already underway for the new stadiums and facilities designed to accommodate the event.
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