South Africans are confident like never before about the prospects of the nation staging a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup but concerns in the areas of crime and pricing troubled them.

The ruling football body FIFA’s Local Organizing Committee (LOC) said in a statement issued on Friday that a poll conducted by the Sport+Market company revealed that three out of four residents say that South Africa will be ready on time for the event.

More important, 77 percent of those polled said they were more confident about the tournament’s success than they were in 2004 when the nation was awarded as host of the football extravaganza.

A vast majority believes that the June 11-July 11 World Cup tournament will unite the country, raise its image abroad and boost areas such as infrastructure and tourism.

However, 53 percent of South Africans are concerned about the country’s notorious crime rate and 58 percent fear that the World Cup will lead to inflated prices for residents.

Traffic congestion was also a concern in the survey. The LOC said the overall result of the poll was encouraging as South Africans now appeared "to recognize the many advantages of hosting the event."

Source: African Press Agency

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