World Cup delight as family says Mandela to attend opener

Nelson Mandela gave the World Cup the ultimate pre-tournament boost yesterday as his family declared the 91-year-old anti-apartheid icon would be among the crowds when the event kicks off.

As the country puts the finishing touches to preparations, rolling out the continent's first high-speed rail link and unveiling plans to bus fans from stadium to stadium, the announcement about Mandela removed one of the biggest worries for organisers who are desperate for him to attend.

Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, who acts as the family's spokesman, had previously said that his grandfather was too frail to make such an appearance.

But he told AFP that he would in fact attend the opener on Friday at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium, albeit only briefly.

"He will come and greet the fans... before he retires to his home," said Zwelivelile Mandela.

"We're trying to see how long he will stay at the stadium. At least 10 to 15 minutes."

Sello Hating, a spokesman of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, confirmed that "Mr Mandela, he has expressed an interest to attend the game" although he said that he would only make a final decision on the day.

Speaking on Sunday, President Jacob Zuma said he hoped Mandela would be present when South Africa take on Mexico but said there were no guarantees.

"If he did not appear, we would understand. If he is there, it will be a bonus for this tournament. We wish he would be there," said Zuma.

Mandela's lobbying was seen as the deciding factor six years ago when FIFA handed South Africa the right to stage the tournament for the first time on African soil.

Since then, it has faced almost endless accusations that it is no place to host a World Cup because it is either too crime-ridden or lacking in infrastructure.

It went at least some way towards silencing that criticism yesterday by opening the Gautrain, a three-billion-dollar rail link which can whisk passengers from Johannesburg's main airport into the uptown Sandton district.

The 160-kilometre-an-hour link will be one of the key legacies of the tournament and is intended to show that Africa can build transport facilities to rival those of anywhere in the world.

"I have been in Johannesburg just for one hour - the airport and here - but I really thought this was a first world service," Costa Rican football journalist Gustavo Jimenez told AFP as he stepped off the train at Sandton.

Security guards outnumbered passengers on the first day, reflecting the desire by authorities to deflect fears that a country with one of the world's highest crime rates is no place to stage the world's biggest sporting event.

Meanwhile, authorities in Johannesburg were sealing off roads in the downtown area where a giant fan park will play host to thousands of supporters unable to hunt down a ticket for Friday's opening.

But the preparations were not entirely problem-free, with cell phone users finding it next to impossible to get a connection.