2010 will transform South Africa; will locals get tickets?

South Africa's World Cup chief executive Danny Jordaan has said that the finals will transform the country into a better place.

"When there are water shortages in Polokwane, I must answer what is going to happen to 2010; when there are power outages [in the Western Cape], I must answer what is going to happen to 2010; now there are questions about what is going to happen to Mugabe and I must answer what is going to happen to 2010," said Jordaan.

He said that although it is not always easy, he is glad to answer the questions.

"Post-2010 South Africa must be significantly better than pre-2010 South Africa," Jordaan said.

That said, there is one question he is sick of answering, "Will FIFA move the cup?"

He insists that South Africa has met the requirements for starting construction on stadiums (the last of the five new grounds will begin work on Friday) and that 2010 is already the "highest revenue earner in World Cup history."

Now attention seems to be turning to the additional 30,000 hotel rooms the country will need to host officials, the media and fans.

But what about the local population, will they have a chance to see a match or two? There will be reduced prices over what was seen in Germany, but some fear the number of tickets available just won't be enough. Of the three million total tickets, South Africans will get one million of them.

It does seem that stadium construction is moving along a bit more then it was a short time ago, but 55,000 hotel rooms sounds like a low number to me. I must admit that I don't have any background in predicting this sort of thing, but with at least 300,000 fans and thousands of media folks and officials and it does seem a bit low.

Hopefully with a third of the tickets, South Africans will get a chance to see some good games. It would be a shame if all they got out of it come July 2010 was the sight of a bunch of travelers walking into their new stadiums.