Jordaan predicted nine of 10 stadiums will be ready by the end of October, well ahead of the June 11, 2010, kickoff, with only Cape Town's Green Point the exception because of delays over environmental concerns.

He said: "As things stand at the moment, we are very confident.

 

"It is not a straight line.

 

"It is a rollercoaster."
 

Criticism has hit South Africa for years with claims it would not be able to pull off organising the World Cup, and there have been calls for FIFA to come up with a Plan-B for 2010 in case the tournament needed to be moved to a different country.

Jim Brown, the FIFA competition director, said: "There's absolutely no reason, from my perspective, why it won't be here.

 

"The issue is, do we have enough tickets?"

Jordaan also claimed a victory over his detractor, with the early opening of the stadium in Port Elizabeth, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.
 

He said: "It was completed more than 12 months before the World Cup starts."

 

For this month's Confederations Cup, a dry run for the World Cup, FIFA is using four World Cup stadiums which needed little upgrading.

As much as stadium preparedness, international concern has centred on security.

 

There, too, Jordaan sought to allay fears.
 

He pointed to the organisation at short notice of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League tournament, which ended without any security incidents.

Jordaan said: "This country has the capacity to safeguard events like no other country."

 

Even if stadiums and teams can be easily secured, many fear fans from across the world will run into trouble.

South Africa has among the highest murder and rape rates in the world and has gained an international reputation as a violent society.
 

The Government and local organisers are keen to counter this ahead of World Cup.

Jordaan said: "We don't want you to have an experience in this country of fear and anxiety.

 

"You will find people warm and embracing.
 

"You should not be any more worried than when you walk in Atlanta or Toronto or any other city of the world."
 

With one year to go, transportation problems have surfaced again.
 

South Africa has no decent mass transport system like the previous host Germany and it will be a challenge to deal with 450,000 fans criss-crossing the nation and its host cities.
 

The Government is spending more than US$15.8 billion on improving existing public transport infrastructure.

 

However, that move has angered minibus taxi drivers who fear it will drive them out of business.
 

Transport Minister Sbusiso Ndebele will today hold talks with leaders of the taxi industry too try to resolve the impasse.