FIFA president Sepp Blatter needed to put pressure on South Africa's World Cup organisers to increase the pace of preparations but the country was a good choice to host the 2010 finals, he said yesterday.
Blatter used a news conference marking 100 days to the start of the tournament on June 11 to again round on those who doubted South Africa had the capacity to stage the 32-team event.
"From time to time we had to put on some pressure but I never had any doubt. Now it's time for the world of football to accept the tournament will go ahead in South Africa," he said.
"We have come a long way to where we stand now only 100 days from kick-off. It has been a long road paved with trust and confidence but with patience as well," Blatter said, repeating a well-worn theme of several months.
"There was a lot to do to change mentalities and to convince people, even within FIFA," he said of the decision to allow only African countries to bid for the hosting of the 2010 finals.
Blatter said he had campaigned for an African World Cup during his bid for the presidency of world soccer's governing body in 1998 and that "a dream is now reality.
"We believe in this World Cup but why does the world not want to believe? It is easy. It's just trust and confidence."
South Africa's deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe told the news conference staging the World Cup had already been a major economic boon for the country.
"We invested billions in infrastructure ahead of the world recession and those benefits have been already felt by all South Africans. The hosting of the World Cup will give an important impact to tourism. The country stands to benefit greatly from it," he said.
Motlanthe warned the tourism industry against profiteering, making a direct reference to domestic airline ticket prices during the month-long World Cup.
"There will be no ripping off of any of the passengers by artificially increasing the airline ticket prices," he said, although substantial in-creases having already taken place.
The news conference came at the end of a whirlwind tour of the 10 World Cup venues by FIFA officials and local organisers.
The countdown to the last months of preparation switches focus today when South Africa's under-performing national side take on neighbours Namibia in a warm-up friendly.