World Cup hosts South Africa settle on training base

By Piers Edwards
BBC Sport, Johannesburg

Bafana Bafana fans are keen on the team's good showing

Hosts South Africa have finally settled upon their training venue for the World Cup, just three months before the start of the finals.

Johannesburg's Sturrock Park will be Bafana Bafana's training camp for the tournament, the South African FA (Safa) announced on Thursday.

The 2010 World Cup hosts were embarrassingly forced to select a new training venue in February after failing to kick-start refurbishments at their original choice.

Having finally settled upon a corner of the Wits University campus, the first team to know it would contest the World Cup has become the last to select its camp.

"Wits University is a home of football and we are delighted that Bafana Bafana will prepare in venues with a strong football culture," said Leslie Sedibe, Safa's CEO.

Sedibe was alluding to the fact that South Africa's pre-World Cup preparations also incorporate an ongoing training camp in Brazil as well as next month's trip to Germany.

One of South Africa's most established universities, Wits' students founded local PSL side Bidvest Wits in 1921, with the club nicknamed 'Clever Boys' as a result.

Bafana Bafana will not be the only side training at Wits University for the Dutch football federation decided upon the venue long ago.

Sections of the campus, where South Africa trained ahead of last year's Confederations Cup, will also be utilised by fans using the Park & Ride system for Johannesburg matches.

The hosts' original venue, Esselen Park, was stood down last month when it emerged that nothing had been done to implement the necessary US$2m-worth of refurbishments.

"It's unfortunate, regrettable and deeply embarrassing that having qualified in 2004, we are still unable to confirm our camp," said Sedibe at the time.

Sandown High School, located near to Bafana Bafana's team hotel in northern Johannesburg, was then touted as a potential replacement but unexpectedly dropped earlier this week.

Having won the hosting rights in May 2004, South Africa - drawn in Group A with Mexico, Uruguay and France - will stage the World Cup between 11 June-11 July.