WORLD football governing body - Fifa has hailed the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as a great success.

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said the tournament has set a benchmark that future World Cups will be judged upon.

The financial benefit to South Africa is still to be revealed but Fifa was impressed after the final board meeting of the organising committee.

"Hosting the event in South Africa proved to be a huge success,” Valcke said last week.

"I think that we can say that South Africa brought a new benchmark in terms of the World Cup. That’s what we will have to achieve with 2014 and the World Cup in Brazil.

"During the 31 days [of the World Cup] there was not a single day when we had a big problem, where we had a crisis.

"For Fifa it was a unique experience and we will use this experience for 2014 and all the World Cups we have in the future.”

The organising committee’s meet in Johannesburg was held a little over two months after Spain beat the Netherlands in final on July 11.

For the tournament’s chief local organiser, Danny Jordaan, the biggest achievement for the month-long event was that it changed the widely held view that South Africa was unsafe.

"At the end I think the police walked away with great credit for the efficient and safe environment that they created,” Jordaan commented.

Final figures for the money earned by the local organising committee, to be set aside for the development of South African football, will be announced in early November by Fifa president Sepp Blatter and the country’s president Jacob Zuma.

Agencies