It is less than 90 days until South Africa welcomes the world to its stadiums.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- A South African politician hit out at the criticism of South Africa's readiness to host the football World Cup on Wednesday, saying it's only because it's an African country.

With three months to go until the tournament kicks off, chairman of the parliament committee on sport and recreation Butana Komphela said the country's preparations have come under unfair scrutiny.

"In the last World Cup in Germany, three weeks before the tournament started a (rail) station was still being completed yet there was no noise about that," Komphela said at a local organizers' media briefing in Cape Town.

"But when an African country is putting final touches to its preparations more than 90 days before a tournament then we are declared not ready."

Komphela said it is "shocking" what South Africa had to endure and that every World Cup host should now have to endure a similar process.

"This must not only happen to South Africa," he said. "The media can't just subject (us) to such pain, as if we are incompetent."

Komphela also said the fact that there was no longer a plan B was proof that South Africa was ready to host the best World Cup ever.

Komphela's comments came ahead of a planned ticket update from the local organizing committee. Chief executive Danny Jordaan said he was happy with the progress made with ticket sales.

"We are now just over 90 days before kick off and I have to thank the committee for its wonderful work," Jordaan said. "So far 3,030,077 tickets have been sold to locals and foreigners."

Jordaan also said that even if ticket sales to locals reached one million, fan parks and public viewing areas were crucial to "make people feel part of this World Cup."

Executive chairman of ticket agent Match, Jaime Byrom, defended the host's use of the online ticket system. Byrom said it was the best way to avoid fake tickets, despite concerns that low income local football fans in South Africa are unlikely to use the system.

Byrom also said 311,000 tickets were still available and would go on sale from April 15.

Organizers would not comment on a report by a United Nations human rights investigator that criticized FIFA for failing to protect housing rights in World Cup host cities.

Raquel Rolnik, an independent investigator appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, said on Monday people have complained to her of being forced from their homes or priced out of the housing market as a result of large events such as the World Cup.

She said FIFA still hasn't responded to demands to make housing rights part of the World Cup bidding process.

"It's a much less transparent and clear process of bidding and selecting as compared to the Olympic Committee," she said.

Rolnik cited reports that more than 20,000 residents were being moved from a makeshift settlement near Cape Town to impoverished areas at the edge of the city before the June 11-July 11 World Cup.