By 2010 Writer
An old guesthouse on Robben Island will be the venue for Fifa's end-of-year executive committee meeting on Thursday.
The committee will be briefed on reports of the Fifa competitions held this year (Confederations Cup, the U20 World Cup Egypt 2009, U17 World Cup Nigeria 2009, Beach Soccer World Cup Dubai 2009) and updates on forthcoming events, including next year's World Cup, the Club World Cup UAE 2009, and the World Player of the Year gala.
Winston Tsematse, Robben Island's senior tourism manager, said island staff were prepared to meet the Fifa executives' "every need".
He said that before the meeting, which will be closed to the media, Fifa delegates would be taken on a tour of the prison and would see former president Nelson Mandela's cell.
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"All the preparations are going well. We are in constant communication with Fifa about exactly what they want," said Tsematse.
"Fifa board members will gather for their meeting in one of the island's guesthouses, which will be followed by a press conference at the old prison."
Tsematse said security on the island would be stepped up for the event.
"There are many special Fifa requirements, which I cannot disclose, but none of them is difficult to meet. We will meet their standards and do our best to make them feel comfortable."
The executive meeting will be held the day after Fifa president Sepp Blatter's "extraordinary" meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday, at which, among other things, France captain Thierry Henry's handball incident and match fixing in Europe will be discussed.
"Of course, particular emphasis will be placed on the next day's final draw, which will kick off in Cape Town at 7pm," Fifa said in a statement.
"Moreover, a number of reports will be received about the Fifa standing committees which had plenary meetings recently, as well as about the recent Olympic football working group meeting."
Members of the Fifa executive committee last visited the island prison in 2007 to support the soccer movie More Than Just a Game.
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