World Cup 2010: South African President Jacob Zuma Invites The World To Africa

From Goal.com

The president can't wait for South Africa to experience the benefits of hosting the World Cup.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is an opportunity for the world to see and experience Africa in a different way, president Jacob Zuma told delegates attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday.

“It is an opportunity to tackle stereotypes and preconceptions about the continent, and explore new frontiers of interaction and cooperation. It is an important milestone in the regeneration of the continent," the president said, according to Kickoff.com.

Zuma said the South African Government and its partners have been working hard to ensure that the event is a success.

“South Africa is ready for business and for football fans from around the globe,” he said.

“Other than the football games that South Africans will be privileged to be part of, the country's potential as a destination for business, trade and tourism will be on display during the World Cup tournament.”

Zuma also informed the gathering that this year was an important year for the country, because it will be marking the 20th anniversary of the release of former president Nelson Mandela from prison.

He said the decades of struggle against apartheid by South Africans, supported by Africa and the world, had yielded results.

Among others he mentioned the country's sound macroeconomic policies, effective regulatory environment, and sustained political and social stability, saying they continued to make South Africa a candidate for even greater and faster economic growth.

“These are strengths on which we continue to build, identifying opportunities and confronting challenges.

“We cannot think of any logistical hurdles that cannot be overcome. South Africa is truly ready for business and for football fans from around the globe.”

South Africa Probes Airline Collusion Ahead Of World Cup

By Gus Lubin in BusinessInsider.com

South Africa has been quickly besieged with corruption charges leading up to Africa's first World Cup.

The government's competition commission is investigating collusion and price-fixing among local and international airlines, including Comair's British Airways, according to the Mail & Guardian.

Email correspondence between airlines, which was obtained by the commission, suggests a plan to raise prices during the World Cup in June and July.

Only weeks ago, the South African government was reassuring the world that a lethal machine-gun attack on members of the Togo soccer team during the Africa Cup of Nations was not typical of sports competitions in Africa.

But at least the MAVINS nation is being active in routing out risk and corruption. The FIFA World Cup provides their best chance to rise to world prominence since they hosted the Rugby World Cup in 1995.

World Cup hosts South Africa beat Zimbabwe in friendly

Reuters Africa

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - World Cup hosts South Africa won only their second game in 12 internationals over the last six months with a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe in a friendly in Durban on Wednesday.

Using a squad of local-based players who have been on a two week training camp under coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, South Africa overcame a dull first-half performance to score three times in the last 40 minutes.

A 25-metre free kick from Siphiwe Tshabalala opened the scoring, followed by goals from Thulasizwe Mbuyane and defender Lucas Thwala in stoppage time.

The match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium was the first South Africa have played in one of the newly completed stadiums for the World Cup finals.

Egypt rob themselves (and us) of World Cup glory

The cradle of ancient civilisation versus the greatest plunderer of ancient civilisations in history. Colony versus colonial master. Centuries of mutual enmity, played out on African soil.

A third chance for Egypt to right some historical wrongs through football, after losing 4-0 in a friendly in Cairo in 1986 and 1-0 at Italia 90 in Cagliari.

Instead it’s Algeria that is playing England in Cape Town on June 18 and after the way they played against Egypt overnight in the African Nations Cup (CAN) it’s abundantly clear the best team is not going to South Africa.



The match finished 4-0 to the Pharoahs, the second and third goals from Mohamed Zidan and Mohamed Abdelshafi respectively ones to savour for their class and technical excellence. A woeful and ill-disciplined Fennecs finished the game with eight men.

So what, exactly, is Egypt’s problem with qualifying for the World Cup?

If Egypt defeat Ghana in the CAN final on 31 January in Luanda, they will have won three African cups in a row to add to the four they already have from 1957, 1959, 1986 and 1998.

Egypt was, in my opinion, the most exciting team at last year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, and defeated world champions Italy and very nearly claimed the scalp of Brazil.

After I proclaimed them football’s new kings of cool, they then went out and they got whipped by the Yanks, of all the useless football teams in the world, 3-0, in so doing bowing out of the tournament when they had a free pass to play in the semi-finals.

USA had the onerous task of beating Egypt by three goals and relying on Brazil to defeat Italy by three. Both eventuated.

Egypt has smashed Nigeria, Cameroon and now Algeria, all 2010 World Cup nations, in the CAN and done so almost exclusively with no-name players getting around in the Egyptian league.

Yet since World Cups began in 1930 they have only appeared in the World Cup twice and have failed to win a single match.

In a relatively easy qualifying group (Zambia, Rwanda and Algeria), all they had to do to book their passage for South Africa was defeat sworn enemies Algeria away in a playoff in Khartoum, yet this free scoring XI of football artists couldn’t put a score on the board and got the wind knocked out of their sails by an Antar Yahia pile-driver. Like at the Confederations Cup, they saved their most insipid performance for when it really mattered.

No, the Pharaohs won’t be playing in South Africa, which is a loss for the World Cup, the cause of African football and football fans everywhere but one for which only they can accept full responsibility.

It is their brittle mental strength and not any shortcomings in their football that has brought them undone.

Fortunately for the world, however, Fabio Capello’s England had the good sense to book a friendly against them in London on March 3.

It won’t be South Africa 2010, just another meaningless hit out, but Egypt has shown it turns on the magic when there’s no pressure at all.

And, because of that, if I were Capello I’d be a very, very nervous man. Tutankhamun might finally get his revenge on Howard Carter after all.


:: For more Fink musings on the big issues in football, check out Half-time Orange on The World Game.

Zuma: World Cup good for business

by Fifa.com

South African President Jacob Zuma has used the gathering of the 2010 World Economic Forum in Switzerland to highlight South Africa’s 2010 FIFA World Cup readiness.

President Zuma told delegates that the tournament offered an opportunity for the world to see and experience Africa in a different way.

“We are also here at Davos during an exciting year for South Africa. We will in a few months host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the biggest event of its kind to have ever taken place in South Africa and in Africa.

“It is an opportunity to tackle stereotypes and preconceptions about the continent, and explore new frontiers of interaction and cooperation. It is an important milestone in the regeneration of the continent,” he said.

Zuma said the year 2010 also marked a significant celebration in South Africa’s political history.

“2010 is also an important year for us, because we will be marking the 20th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, which kick-started dramatic political changes. The decades of the struggle against apartheid by South Africans, supported by Africa and the world, had yielded results,” he said.

“We have achieved a lot since that dramatic day of the 11th of February 1990. South Africa has performed admirably in the economic, political and social spheres. This includes the political transition to a democratic state, the subsequent strengthening of South Africa’s democratic institutions, as well as economic growth,” The President said.

The President said South Africa was ready to host the World Cup.

“We say boldly that South Africa is ready to welcome the world to Africa, in June-July 2010. We have worked for many years for this exciting tournament.

Other than the football games that South Africans will be privileged to be part of, the country’s potential as a destination for business, trade and tourism will be on display during the World Cup tournament,” he said

President Zuma said hosting the World Cup had prompted major infrastructure upgrades.

“The country’s transport, energy, telecommunications and social infrastructure are being upgraded and expanded. This is contributing to economic development in the midst of a global recession, while improving conditions for investment”.

Future stars scope out Soccer City

From Fifa.com

While the world’s best players are still preparing for their trip to South Africa, some young players, who someday hope to fill their shoes, have already gathered in Johannesburg to battle it out for the Gauteng Future Champions tournament.

Featuring the junior (under-17) teams from some of the world’s top clubs, including Paris St Germain, Brazil’s Botafogo and DC United from the USA, as well as local teams from Kaizer Chiefs, Supersport United and two SAFA teams from Gauteng, the tournament is a showcase of young talent the world over.

Taking a break from the grueling tournament schedule, which started on 25 January and ends on 30 January at Dobsonville stadium, the players today visited the headquarters of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa to grab a sneak peak at the venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final, Soccer City stadium.

As the current leading goal scorer at the tournament, already having beaten the defense on five occasions, 16-year-old Botafogo midfielder, Wellington Franca Junior, is enjoying his time on the pitch.

“It is such a great experience to come to this tournament and be overseas with all these people from around the world. I am also very happy to be the top scorer,” said the young Brazilian who was overwhelmed by being so close to World Cup Final stadium. “It is a great feeling. Never in my life have I had this opportunity. I am so grateful to be able to stand next to the stadium and I hope that one day I will be playing in here”.

Darren Harold (16), from the SAFA Johannesburg football team, is enjoying the learning experience the tournament has brought him. “It is so great to meet new people, to learn their language and to mix with them and be exposed to their style of football.

As a striker for Zambia’s K Stars under-17 team, Brian Mphande (16) is used to scoring goals, but after catching a glimpse of Soccer City stadium, the young player wants nothing more than a chance on Soccer City’s pitch.

“It is such a privilege to be able to see it, the stadium is just amazing and I will definitely play here one day.”

For Sundra Govinder, a coach and coordinator from SAFA’s Tshwane/Pretoria region, the Gauteng Future Champions tournament is a shining example of the benefits the focus of the World Cup has had on football development in the country.

“It was a learning curve for the local boys but it is good that they are exposed to the different cultures and playing styles. Both the World Cup and this tournament are a big boost for the development of the game. The World Cup is bringing the infrastructure and the excitement and every year you will see a big improvement from our side,” said Govinder.

FIFA may restrict World Cup 2018 bids to Europe

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that there is talk of restricting the World Cup 2018 bids to European countries. As of now, Russia and England have inidividually applied to host the 2018 and/or the 2022 World Cup. On the other hand, Spain and Portugal and Netherlands and Belgium have made joint bids for one or both of these tournaments. Japan, United States and Australia have also placed bids for the 2018 and/or 2022 World Cup and Qatar, South Korea and Indonesia would like to stage the matches in 2022.

Blatter said that he had discussed the idea with UEFA president Michel Platini. "There is a movement at the moment among the various candidates that in the end it would be a good solution ... if the candidates for 2018 would only be those from Europe. It's not been finally decided but it's the idea, also to make the work of FIFA easier and especially that of the executive committee. It would also possibly make the work of the different organisations applying for the World Cup easier." Blatterhad earlier met Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in Madrid.

FIFA needs the bid documentation to be submitted by the end of May and after examining them in June a team of experts will make the site visits to assess the infrastructure capabilities of the bidding countries. The decision of who will host the two World Cups will announced in December in Zurich.

Source: euFootball.BIZ

FIFA considering video replay technology

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has indicated that the organisation is open to the use of video technology for replays after the summer 2010 World Cup. Earlier Blatter has expressed serious reservations about such usage saying that it would interrupt the game's flow. The Guardian reports that Blatter said that, "I'm not absolutely against it. If the technology is ready to adopt, then I am in agreement. If the security of the system is guaranteed then we will introduce it. But it will not be ready for the 2010 World Cup. But in any case it will be studied in March, at the next meeting of the International Football Association Board, the international body which establishes football rules and is the only one that can change them." Blatter was talking to the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick.

Thierry Henry's controversial handball assist of the game-deciding goal in the World Cup qualifying match against Republic of Ireland prompted a wave of requests to consider the use of technology and additional referees. The additional referees will not be used during the World Cup although that experiment is being currently tried out in the Europa League.

Source: euFootball.BIZ

FIFA happy with World Cup ticket sales

The international football governing body FIFA has expressed satisfaction with the different phases of tickets sales for the World Cup scheduled for summer of 2010. FIFA is angry with media reports that have emphasized the crime in South Africa and made it seem like a possible deterrent to fans. FIFA feels the fact that the demand being less than what it was in Germany four years ago is affected by factors such as distance for many European fans.

There are limited flights to South Africa and the air tickets are also relatively more expensive. These are big considerations according to FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke. Valcke was very critical of recent news reports in England and Germany. "It's sad that every morning when you wake up people are saying you should not go to South Africa ... it's insane and it is completely wrong." He feels that every country, including the United States and Britain, has security concerns. "Where can we organise the World Cup? On the moon? Where there is no-one? Don't kill the World Cup before the World Cup has taken place."

The organisers are sensitive to the issue of crime. South Africa does have one of the highest rates of violent crime with their being 50 murders a day. A police force of 40,000 is being mobilised specially for the tournament. Jordaan, however, feels that the reports are exaggerated and points out that South Africa does attract millions of tourists every year and that it has successfully hosted cricket and rugby fans in recent years. He feels that, "Some things that you read have no basis in reality anywhere. We are happy where we are. The teams are happy where they are, they are coming."

In the third phase of the ticket sales that ended last week 1.2 million applications were received from 192 countries and this bring the total applications to 2 million. There are 3 million seats for sale totally. South African fans account for 80 percent of the applications and most of the overseas demand is from fans in the US who have requested 50,000 tickets. Britain's applications stand at 41,529 and Germany, with lower than usual demand, is at 15,000. Recent reports that have spoken about low demand are factoring in only the ticket sales through national federations rather than providing a complete picture, say the officials. Danny Jordaan, the CEO of the South African organising committee said, "Since the draw (on Dec. 4), we have seen a flurry in terms of ticket sales ... the sales have gone very well, we are extremely delighted." Six matches including the two semi-finals and finals are oversubscribed.

There is also the feeling that the ticket sales among poor black South Africans will pick up once the counter cash sales points open in April and the bank and Internet sale points may not have been accessible to them.

In reporting low ticket sales earlier this month, the German soccer federation had said that security concerns and high travel costs may be affecting sales but also said that this pattern of sales is typical for how it happened with other distant locations such as South Korea and Japan.

Source: euFootball.BIZ

South Africa seek to reassure ahead of World Cup

With the kick-off of the World Cup a mere five months away, South African officials have attempted to allay fears concerning criminal activity in the country.

On Tuesday, South African Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said that there was nothing friendly between police forces in the country and criminals.

Speaking at a news conference, he added that two were no friends, and that they were out to get them, always tightening the screws around them.

He said that South African law enforcement officials were preparing themselves for any eventuality, from petty crime to large scale criminal operations.

Mthethwa police will have eyes everywhere, under the stones, in the air and on the sea.

Police National Commissioner Bheki Cele said the country is said to have recruited an additional 41 000 police officers for the World Cup, making it one of the largest police forces in the world in relation to its population.

Cele said that in the United Kingdom, there are 140 000 policemen for a population of some 60 million inhabitants. In France, the numbers are 147 000 officers for 60million inhabitants; meanwhile, in South Africa, it will be 186 000 police officers for 47million people.

According to Mthethwa, a strong police presence at World Cup venues will act as deterrents for criminals who would otherwise target the more than 450 000 spectators expected at the month-long event.

South Africa has experienced a notoriously high crime rate over the last decade. Every day, about fifty people are murdered – a number greater than figures seen in the United States, which has a population of 300 million people and is more than six times more populous than the African nation.

South African World Cup organisers have repeatedly offered assurances about safety concerns, claiming that the country had made a huge investment in security with a budget of more than R2,4-billion.

Meanwhile, travel industry specialist have still urged football enthususast to make their bookings as early as possible, explaining that prices would otherwise skyrocket. They’ve urged visitors to exercise common sense and to avoid obvious traps such as apparently distressed motorists on highways. Despite a relatively high crime rate, South Africa is still considered to be stunningly beautiful.

Written by Sarah Pool · Filed Under General, Sport, Travel