About 1,000 police officers stood in for the stewards at the game, between Italy and Paraguay in Cape Town. Fans said there appeared to be no security problems at the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Earlier, riot police in Durban fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of stewards protesting over pay.

South Africa's World Cup chief, Danny Jordaan, said it was "unacceptable" for the stewards to be trying to disrupt the games.He said it was an "employer-employee wage dispute".

Protesting stewards in Durban told reporters they had received 190 rand (£17; $25) for their work, but they had been promised much more.The firm employing the stewards, Stallion Security, told AFP news agency that the workers had been "misled" by jealous commercial rivals who failed to get the World Cup tender.

Police and World Cup officials said they expected Tuesday's games to go ahead as planned, with security being handled by police and some non-striking stewards.