2010 soccer gala an African litmus test

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-10 09:40

LONDON: Its economy in recession for the first time in 17 years and led by a controversial new president, South Africa hosts a World Cup next year crucial not just for its own future but for the image of a whole continent.

Any World Cup or Olympics has huge importance for the image and economy of the host nation, with effects that can last for decades, but even more will be at stake a year from now.

A general view of Soccer City, also known as the FNB Stadium, in Johannesburg May 15, 2009. The stadium is earmarked to host both the opening and final soccer matches of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. [Agencies]

The World Cup will be the biggest sporting event ever held in Africa. The continent's future reputation and chances of holding more mega-events - with the huge investment that they bring - will hang on its success.

Organisers hope it will be made unforgettable by a unique and joyful atmosphere that will reverse persistent stereotypes of a continent in permanent crisis and conflict where bad news in one country tends to tar many others - to the great frustration of Africans.

"South Africa will deliver a world-class event that will forever change the perceptions of the international community, and also ensure a lasting legacy for the people of Africa," President Jacob Zuma said when he was inaugurated last month.

Zuma, who saw off graft and rape charges in a remarkable political comeback, is looking to the tournament to help pull Africa's biggest economy out of recession.

But failure in the month-long tournament, which begins on June 11 next year - especially if there are major incidents of violence from South Africa's notorious criminals - will have the opposite effect, proving the dire predictions of naysayers who include South African whites still sceptical of black rule.

So will South Africa be ready and will the tournament be the best World Cup ever as Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the local organising committee repeatedly promises? The signs are getting better even though concerns persist, especially over crime, accommodation and transport.

The South African bid was once dogged by stadium delays, labor unrest, bureaucratic and political disputes and an obsession in the local media that the sport's governing body FIFA had a "plan B" to move it elsewhere.

Both FIFA boss Sepp Blatter and Franz Beckenbauer, chairman of the 2006 Germany World Cup organising committee, publicly criticized the effort.

But more recently, officials have been queuing up to praise the preparations. "I am sure the World Cup in South Africa is going to be a big, big success," Blatter said last week.

On schedule

FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke says nine of the 10 stadiums , half of them new, will be ready by December and the last, in Cape Town, will be delivered in February.

He said FIFA believed at least 450,000 foreign fans would come for the tournament and ticket sales, which are released on a staggered basis, were already heavily oversubscribed with at least 28 of the 64 matches sold out. Demand is expected to increase when fans know which teams have qualified, by November.

But while optimism is increasing, doubts exists about several potential problems that could spoil the party, with South Africa's plague of crime front and center.

About 50 people are murdered every day, more than the United States with six times the population, and crime makes South Africa one of the most dangerous countries outside a war zone.

Jordaan has dismissed alarmist warnings, pointing to South Africa's highly successful organization of many international events, including a cricket and rugby World Cup.

The Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket was recently moved to South Africa at short notice because of security fears during the home country's prolonged general election.

The successful IPL, which coincided with a smooth, peaceful election in South Africa, greatly boosted its credentials although the number of visiting fans was small.

Reuters