2010 WorldCup Crisis

**donsaeid** · 05-28-2007, 04:25 AM

President Sepp Blatter and the FIFA Executive Committee meeting on Sunday reiterated their confidence over South Africa's ability to deliver a successful World Cup in 2010.

"With regard to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, the executive committee and the president in particular underlined, once again, that FIFA has the utmost confidence in the local organisers," the committee said.

The FIFA Executive Committee meeting convened in Zurich for the 23rd and final time in the current cycle.

This declaration of support is expected to be further reiterated during a personal visit to South Africa by Mr Blatter in June.

Mr Blatter was recently re-elected as the president of the world football governing body after he stood for the presidency uncontested.

On Friday, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Dr Jacques Rogge also expressed confidence that South Africa would host the best FIFA World Cup.

He told the media that he was convinced that South Africa in particular, and Africa generally was capable of hosting this major sporting event.

Dr Rogge was visiting the SAFA House in Nasrec, the headquarters of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee South Africa (LOC).

The committee also announced that there would be an open invitation to tender for the 2010 FIFA World Cup hospitality rights.

These rights are due to be assigned at the end of 2007.

With regard to the television rights 2007-2010 for the sub-Sahara region in Africa which comprises 42 territories, they decided to push ahead with negotiations with the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) with a view to securing an agreement.

Contracts that have already been signed include the Arab Radio and Television ART for northern Africa and South African state broadcaster, the SABC, for South Africa.

While FIFA will host the preliminary draw in November 2007 in Durban, the executive committee said it would also designate the host country of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011.

The bidding candidates are Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Peru.

The executive committee also approved the staging of a benefit match between an African XI and a team from around the world in honour of former President Nelson Mandela.

This match will be played in Cape Town on 18 July 2007, to coincide with the 89th birthday of the great icon.

The African XI will see retired football legends and dribble wizards from Africa locking horns with their counterparts from all over the world.

For medical reasons and in the interests of players' health, the executive also ruled that in future, no international matches may be played at an altitude higher than 2,500 metres above sea level.

In relation to the "Football for a Better World" programme, the committee also approved various projects for the "Win in Africa with Africa" initiative and the "Football for Hope" movement.

"Win in Africa with Africa" is one of the main programmes of the "Football for a Better World" alliance, which are FIFA's social responsibility activities.

It was approved at the 56th FIFA Congress in Munich in 2006.

With this in mind, the committee also stressed that similar projects would be developed for other continents.

**donsaeid** · 05-28-2007, 04:26 AM

1 086 days to 2010 World Cup

Democratic Alliance MP Donald Lee on Tuesday urged increased efforts to make the Fifa 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa the best ever, saying there are only 1 086 days left.

Speaking in the National Assembly during debate on the sport and recreation budget vote, Lee said since the previous debate there had been a promising turnabout when it came to building the required stadiums.

"And possibly the best example of problem-solving and issue handling has got to be the Green Point Stadium [in Cape Town]," he said.

Through intense and involved debate with civil society the stadium was going ahead.

This proud monument to the city's abilities would soon become a landmark for pilots and sea farers for years to come, and would not be a financial burden on the ratepayers of Cape Town.

The other nine stadiums were also on their way and deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi had promised they would be finished in good time.

"However, there is still a good reason to believe that much of the infrastructure needs for the games have not started in time," Lee said.

Two sides to the event

Roads had to be refurbished and new ones built. The transport infrastructure was in distress with the threat of bus driver strikes and taxi violence.

"This is not the kind of situation that I would be proud to show to the millions of tourists that we will receive as a result of the games."

In addition, it was of the utmost importance to ensure that the 2010 World Cup "is about the vulnerable, the poverty stricken and the marginalized people of South Africa".

"It is important to remember that the jobs created here will help to feed small children and the elderly in families that we in this House will never see, but through our efforts at bringing the benefits of the games home to the people, we hope to touch those families, nevertheless."

It was important to remember that there were two sides to this event - that of the athletes and that of the socio-economic benefits that had to accrue to the South African public.

"Last year I told you that there were 1460 days to go. Today I tell you there are 1086 days left in which to make this even the biggest and the best Soccer World Cup that the world has ever seen.

"For the pride of South African sports viewers, and for the honour of South African sportspeople," Lee said.

**donsaeid** · 05-28-2007, 04:28 AM

Is South Africa's 2010 World Cup in danger?

The latest news from the European front is that the 2007 Champions League final will be a rematch between AC Milan and Liverpool -- the same teams that disputed the title in Istanbul in 2005. These squads played an exciting game that was decided from the penalty spot in favor of the English team.

The semifinal return legs, Liverpool-Chelsea and AC Milan-Manchester United, were contrasting matches. A cautious and dull Chelsea could not find the way to Pepe Reina's net even after the match went to overtime.

From the penalty spot, Chelsea was pitiful whereas Liverpool was all confidence and converted every shot it took to book its place at Athens on May 23.

On the other hand, AC Milan provided a soccer clinic and an inspired performance in a sound beating Manchester United, which looked subdued from the beginning. The English team could not find its game throughout the match, and it was beaten comprehensively. The hunger for goals was there, but AC Milan's defense closed every avenue and MU was blanked.

The next FIFA World Cup has been awarded to South Africa for 2010. However, FIFA's president Sepp Blatter recently declared that several countries could host the 2010 tournament in the event South Africans were not ready or experienced a catastrophe.

There are problems in the construction and upgrading of stadiums, but for Blatter to come out so prematurely and insinuate that the World Cup could be held elsewhere is irresponsible.

Although he later retracted his comments, the damage and doubts are already out there, opening the door for speculation. Blatter spoke about the need for a Plan B. Perhaps, he's right, but why wasn't one developed for Germany last year? Why this change in thinking from FIFA's president?

Gavin Hamilton from World Soccer magazine (May 2007 issue) interviewed Michel Platini, one of France's greatest football players, who was recently elected president of the Union Des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA). He said the following in regard to the World Cup: "Of course, as president of UEFA, I will push to have the 2018 World Cup in Europe. It is not so democratic to have the competition in Europe every third time when there are six confederations (associated to FIFA,) but I will do my best."

Platini further stated that it is not for financial reasons. Instead he said: "We have to have the WC in Europe. I would like to have the WC in Europe every four years, but that will not be possible. We will try to convince people that rotation of the WC (so it comes to Europe) every third time is necessary."

This type of statement cannot be taken lightly and can be considered offensive to the other five soccer confederations, especially when the raw football talent those European spectators enjoy so frequently principally comes from Africa and South America.

European greed has already deprived Brazilians of watching their "seleçao" at home for friendly matches. How ridiculous it is that for the recent Brazil–Chile game, these two South American teams had to travel to Sweden for their match?

What we must understand from Blatter and Platini is:

# First, FIFA is a European organization that protects the European interests before the game itself.

# Second, UEFA is the most powerful association economically and stands up and dictates what the real European interests are. And FIFA must somehow listen and oblige.

Therefore it is not surprising that the first moves to "mind condition" the rest of the world to bring the World Cup back to Europe ahead of its time have already begun.

This is nothing new. FIFA has done it before (Italy 1934 followed by France 1938, then Switzerland 1954 and Sweden 195 without any consideration for South America, at the time the main candidate to hold the tournament. However, after 1958, FIFA decided that the World Cup would alternate between South America and Europe.

Last week Blatter, while visiting Kuala Lumpur, indicated that he has no doubts about South Africa, and the World Cup will "definitely" be held there. Danny Jordaan, South Africa Football Association's executive remains confident, and he said he did not blame Blatter for his remarks.

So I ask what drove Blatter to create this concern. I believe he wanted attention by creating controversy, giving false hopes to the possible candidates and staying loyal to his confusing style of leadership. But, above all, he gave me the impression of creating his own crisis. Then he himself would solve it to look good.

Delays and setbacks are common throughout the African continent. Add to these characteristics its economical situation.

Traditionally everything moves slow, efficiency and effectiveness are not an African trade mark. South Africa is not an exception, so tardiness on the stadium projects was predictable. But I do not believe that they are so far behind that an alternate venue needs to be considered.

If there was a need to change the venue for the 2010 tournament, Europe MUST be ruled out. On the heels of Germany's 2006 cup, the tournament must go to any other continent. Soccer is a universal sport. Therefore, to comply with Blatter's idea that the World Cup must be rotated within the football associations from the different continents that belong to FIFA, Australia and North America should be the obvious alternate candidates.

Such a decision would go along with FIFA's slogan: "For the good of the game." Otherwise, the World Cup would become "for the good of Europe."

But the Cup must be held in South Africa, at all cost. Africans deserve it for more reasons than one. Currently the influx of African players to Europe is second to South Americans. To deprive them of a World Cup tournament on their own continent will be commensurate to tell them that we enjoy your talent in our soil, but we will not go and play in your land.

This seems to be the egotistical objective set out by UEFA, which FIFA will happily oblige.

2010 WorldCup Crisis

2010 WorldCup Crisis

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