8 Jun 2010

All Whites first training in south africa cut short

9:15 am on 8 June 2010

The All Whites' first training run in South Africa has been cut short after coaches and medical staff decided smoke haze from a township near their upmarket base east of Johannesburg was unhealthy for players.

Impoverished households use wood fires and paraffin to keep warm and to cook and the smoke left a low white blanket wafting over Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton, a black settlement about 40 kilometres east of Johannesburg.

New Zealand Football's Jamie Scott says conditions weren't the best but it was important for players to get on the pitch after a long flight.

The All Whites play Chile tomorrow night in their final warmup match before their first match against Slovakia on June the 15th.