German football legend Franz Beckenbauer has visited the construction site for the Green Point Stadium, and says he is very impressed with Cape Town’s preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Beckenbauer was in Cape Town for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and used the opportunity to inspect the stadium site, along with CAF president Issa Hayatou and Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan.

He said the stadium is in a “stunning location” and that he was “very impressed with the construction going on”. "Cape Town is one of the most exciting and beautiful cities in the world. The place could not be better.”Beckenbauer also said he was confident that South Africa would be ready in time, and that the 2010 FIFA World Cup would be a great success.

The FIFA executive member is also a legend in football circles, being the only man to have ever won the World Cup as a player and as a manager. He was part of Germany’s FIFA World Cup champion team in 1974, and coached the German team to victory in 1990.

In addition, he served as chairperson of Germany’s 2006 FIFA World Cup organising committee, and was able to offer valuable advice and input to local officials. Beckenbauer advised the country to put an African stamp on the event and make sure it’s “an African World Cup, with all the continent’s culture and flair”.

Beckenbauer said Germany is still basking in the success of last year’s FIFA World Cup, and that it had both united the country and changed opinions of Germany, and 2010 can do the same for South Africa.