Three of the four pitches which will be used for the Confederations Cup-- Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein -- are usually used for the SA rugby union.
It left football officials with little time for "transformation" as sponsors' logos and pitch markings had to disappear.The grass had to be cut so that it changed from rugby length regulation grass ( grass long enough to soften the impact of several heavy bodies falling to earth one on top of the other) to soccer length regulation grass (grass short enough not to get in the way of those zippy passes) etc,etc,etc.....
Stadium sharing has been a feature of South African sport for many years as a legacy of apartheid left few top-class football venues for international competition while there was an abundance of excellent rugby venues.
FIFA appears to be winning the race against time.
That football still looks a bit out of shape though.It needs more work ..!
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