Johannesburg - Soccer fans have begun arriving at the Coca Cola Park stadium in Johannesburg where the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup is due to kick-off in a few hours.
The gates opened shortly before 12:00 and fans have been advised to be seated by 1pm.
Excitement has been building in South Africa with participating teams arriving in the country and Confederations Cup posters as well as the national flags of the various countries taking part in the tournament being put up all over the Gauteng province.
The enthusiasm will reach a pinnacle when the match between South Africa and Iraq kicks-off at 4pm.
The opening ceremony, which will precede the game, is expected to be a major affair, having been produced by the renowned Lebo M and Jack Morton Worldwide.
Between them, they have won a Grammy Award, co-produced the Lion King South Africa as well produced the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
A number of roads around the Ellis Park Stadium will be closed off to the public. Fans and spectators who will make their way to the stadium have been advised to use the park and ride facilities.
Motorists will have to pay a cover charge of R30 for a car, R60 a minibus and R200 for a bus for parking.
Nine public viewing areas have been opened to the public where the festivities and match will be broadcast live on big screen televisions, leaving no excuse to those without tickets to miss out on the action.
The opening match will also be broadcasted worldwide.
Thousands of officers have been deployed at the stadium to ensure public safety. South African Police Services, Metro Police and security officials are also manning intersections and performing final security checks.
South Africa has been fine tuning its transport, security and health plans over the past few months and over 4 000 volunteers have been trained to perform various functions such as assist fans in finding their seats and manning refreshments tents.-
