Residents still up in arms over Green Point stadium - 04/12/2006
Residents of Green Point, the site of a new stadium for the World Cup in 2010, are to press ahead with their objections to rezoning the area, in spite of a threat by government to take the semifinal match away from the city if the issue goes to court. Business Day reports that David Polovin, chairman of the Green Point Common Association, said that his organisation had lodged a ’substantive’ appeal against the development and if a decision went against them and they did not agree with the reasons, they would take it on review to the high court.
The application could mean that Cape Town and Western Cape would lose out on the R2.5bn development.
A slew of laws already in effect or pending in Parliament have the potential to scuttle SA’s aspirations to top this year’s German World Cup on the ICT front, said ICT lawyer Michael Silber. ITweb reports that participants at the Connect IT: Joburg 2010 conference, in Sandton this week, are making much of the potential of the soccer spectacular to act as catalyst to boost city economies, create jobs, bolster skills levels, revolutionise e-government and bring low-cost broadband connectivity into every home. However, laws such as the Regulation of Interception & Provision of Communication-related Information Act (Rica), and pending amendments to the Film and Publications Act, can sink these ambitions in a morass of paper, he said.
Touts selling football tickets on websites will be liable for a £5 000 fine under new legislation which has been passed. The Violent Crime Reduction Act outlaws the internet sale of the tickets. ’The transfer of touting from the street corner to the internet rendered the original legislation out of date, ’ said Lord Pendry, a peer who backed the new law. The law allows people to buy tickets for friends as long as the person to whom the tickets will be sold are known to them and that all transactions are at face value.
Brushing aside their allies in the trade unions, ANC MPs put the finishing touches to business-friendly amendments to new immigration legislation, including scrapping the two-year limit imposed on skilled foreign staff. Business Day reports that the changes to the Immigration Act, which have been opposed by organised labour, were approved by the National Assembly and now need only the sanction of the National Council of Provinces to become law. The amendments have been welcomed by a number of opposition parties in Parliament as significantly helping multinationals that will be involved in the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
There will be complete tax relief on imports by Fifa-related organisations in the run-up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, according to Finance Minister. This is in terms of the the Revenue Laws Amendment Bill introduced to the National Assembly recently. According to a report on the iafrica.com site, Manuel said these organisations could import inventory for sale at designated sites — such as stadiums — with capital goods, consumables and promotional materials ’directly related to the World Cup ... free from import taxes’. ’These temporary amendments to tax legislation should assist Fifa and their partners to host a successful Soccer World Cup,’ he said.
Licence fraud a concern for 2010 - 30/10/2006
A staggering 50% of recently issued driving licences are either fraudulent or issued without the correct administrative procedures being followed, the department of transport has revealed. The Herald reports that in its Action Plan for 2010, which proposes radical new enforcement methods to restore law and order on SA roads, the department estimated there were some 209 198 unroadworthy vehicles on SA roads and more than 402 000 that remain unlicensed. These figures do not include licences obtained fraudulently. The strategy for restoring law and order to the country’s roads includes employing an extra 6 500 traffic officers between now and the 2010 World Cup, having electronic vehicle identification on all vehicles by 2008, and introducing a demerit system.
New 2010 e-mail scam surfaces - 29/10/2006
Malaysians have been warned not to be duped by a Nigerian Internet scam that promises a $2.5m jackpot to promote the 2010 World Cup in SA. Michael Chong, who heads the Malaysian Chinese Association’s public service bureau, said this was the latest twist on old e-mail tricks. He said he had received calls from people seeking to verify the authenticity of an e-mail that congratulated them for winning an Oct. 24 Internet raffle draw aimed at raising global awareness that SA was hosting the event. The Age reports that the-mail carried the 2010 World Cup logos and claimed the lottery was jointly organised by Interactive Lottery Game Consulting and the LOC.
Liquor Act less stringent for shebeens - 27/10/2006
Gauteng shebeen owners would be subject to less stringent requirements than formal liquor industry operators under the revised Gauteng Liquor Act so they were not forced out of business, government said. Business Day reports that Gauteng finance MEC Paul Mashatile said it was in the interest of all stakeholders that the liquor industry was properly regulated. He encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the 2010 World Cup, comply with the regulations and take advantage of opportunities presented by the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller.
When Dutch football fans at the 2006 World Cup were ordered to remove their inappropriately branded lederhosen, the issue of ambush marketing was thrown into the media spotlight. Mike du Toit looks at how SA is preparing for hosting the 2010 event. Legal Week reports that the world is waiting with bated breath for the Fifa World Cup to be played on African soil for the first time when SA hosts the prestigious event in 2010.
Jamaica could miss out on 2010 - 20/10/2006
Jamaica’s hopes of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in SA could suffer a severe blow if Belgian league club Charleroi wins a landmark court case against Fifa, which would see national associations compensating clubs if players are injured while on national duty. The Jamaican Observer reports that the Belgian club filed the suit against Fifa after Abdelmajid Oulmers was injured playing for Morocco in 2004, claiming the loss of Oulmers damaged their hopes of winning the league title in 2004/5.
The club, which eventually finished fifth in the league that year, wants compensation for having to pay the player’s wages while he was out of action.
A Chinese entrepreneur is suing a Beijing trade bureau for denying him a permit to sell bags of ’World Cup air’ and for scotching his plans to bottle and sell ’2008 Olympic air’. According to a Mail & Guardian Online report, Li Jie, who describes himself as CE of the Lunar Embassy to China and once tried to sell land on the moon, sought a permit to sell ’World Cup air’ for 50 yuan ($6.30) a bag to soccer enthusiasts unable to make the trip to Germany this year.
While South Africans are preoccupied with stadium construction as well as infrastructure development to ensure a smooth World Cup in 2010, criminals are cashing in on the event’s new logo. Sunday World reports that some unscrupulous elements took advantage of the new logo and produced counterfeit items, including sunglasses, caps, socks and stickers. However, the police and customs officials, pounced on the illicit trade before most of the goods, worth over R20m, hit the streets. The LOC has warned that anyone found producing or trading in fake products bearing the 2010 logo will face the full might of the law.
SA businessman ordered to deregister 2010 sites - 05/10/2006
Fifa has ordered a local entrepreneur to deregister some 2010 World Cup Web sites and refrain from using any terms relating to the tournament. ITWEb reports that independent SA businessman Greg Sloan registered five ’.co.za’ domain names relating to the World Cup, for an online travel and accommodation reservation, booking and information service. Sloan received a letter late last month from the head of legal affairs at Fifa’s marketing division, Zurich-based Tom Houseman, saying: ’It has been brought to our attention that you are using a Web site located at www.footballworldcup.co.za. Companies such as yours… cannot use such words and signs, including the domain names. For this reason we are writing to explain this to you and politely request that you immediately refrain from using the logo and words.’
Special Courts to deal with WC offence - 27/09/2006
Special courts are planned for the 2010 Fifa World Cup to deal with offences related to the event, national police said on Wednesday. ’In the case of offences committed by visitors, these special courts will speedily resolve cases before their departure,’ police Assistant Commissioner Peter Mathogwame told a media briefing in Pretoria. He stressed that locals who found themselves on the wrong side of the law for World Cup Soccer-related misdemeanours would also find themselves in the docks of these special courts. ’Our courts are normally very busy,’ he said. ’We cannot expect them to accommodate this overload.’ According to a Mail & Guardian Online report, Mathogwame, who is on the national priority committee of the Soccer World Cup, said foreign police from countries participating in the event would help the estimated 160 000 local police to be trained for and deployed at venues.
Retired farmworkers’ homes bulldozed for 2010 - 22/08/2006
Mpumalanga’s 2010 World Cup dreams may be in danger after outraged pensioners turned to the courts and international human rights activists to prevent authorities from bulldozing their homes. According to a report on the News24 site, the 16 families of retired farmworkers have already had their informal homes bulldozed once, and were threatened with new demolition orders by Mbombela municipal officials unless they agreed to move - even though they legally own the land.
Parliament approved legislation for the 2010 World Cup, with lawmakers agreeing that SA will be ready to host the event. Project 2010 reports that the legislation will have a bearing on numerous issues, including marketing and security. Sponsored by the Department of Sport, it aims to regulate all sponsorship and branding issues for the World Cup in 2010 as well as the Confederations Cup in 2009, meaning sponsors with existing contracts with various sports associations will forfeit their stadium naming rights during the period of the tournament.
Fifa takes a firm stand against LG Electronics SA - 26/06/2006
Fifa has taken a firm stand against LG Electronics SAs attempt to ride on the massive marketing and publicity for the Fifa WC 2006, currently being held in Germany. Bizcommunity.com reports that "in response to complaints made to the Advertising Standards Authority, LG has agreed to amend its advertisements by deleting all references to the Fifa WC. During April and May 2006, LG advertised a competition in which the prizes offered were three trips for two to the final in Germany."
The SA organisers of WC 2010 are prohibited by Fifa from publicising preparations for the world’s largest sporting event - until the current tournament ends in Germany on July 9. That, says International Marketing Council CE Yvonne Johnston, is why no-one has been shouting about the event from the rooftops. Moneyweb reports that "it is also the reason for a lack of report-back on progress. The minute the curtain goes down on the German WC, SA will proclaim its case globally."
Netherlands soccer fans run into trouble with Fifa - 19/06/2006
For Netherlands football fans it has become the summers cult outfit. According to a Mail & Guardian Online report, "over the past few months, a quarter of a million Netherlands supporters have bought themselves a pair of patriotic orange lederhosen - wearing them whenever Holland take to the pitch in the WC. But when Netherlands fans turned to watch their team play the Côte dIvoire, wearing the garish trousers, Fifa officials were not amused. The lederhosen carry the name of a Dutch beer, Bavaria, and the Dutch brewery which makes Bavaria is not an official WC sponsor."
TV Licensing Authority extends WC clampdown - 09/06/2006
Employees watching WC matches on the Internet without a TV licence could for the first time land company directors in court as the TV Licensing Authority extends its WC clampdown to broadband and Internet usage. Out-Law.com reports that "the TV Licensing Authority, however, could find it hard to police the extension to broadband use since it has no record of who has and who has not bought a PC, nor how they use it. Businesses caught watching TV without a valid licence risk a fine of up to £1 000."
Multibillion-euro business of 2006 soccer WC - 31/05/2006
Less than two weeks before the 18th soccer world championship kicks off, public life in Germany has been overcome by an unparalleled World Cup mania. According to a wsws.org report, "no city centre, station forecourt or public square, no shop window, no newspaper, no television station and hardly a single programme, let alone any adverts, are without the obligatory reference to the forthcoming games, with their footballs and goals, waving flags and jubilant fans. World Cup 2006 is a business worth billions, with the sale of television transmission rights alone bringing in more than €1bn."
Budweiser and Bitberger resolve dispute - 19/5/2006
In a last-minute climb-down, Budweiser has been told it will now be able to use its abbreviated Bud moniker during the 2006 tournament. Brand Republic reports that "Bitberger had objected to the use of the name Bud in advertising in Germany around the World Cup because it sounds too similar to its brand, Bit."
An explosive new book exposing corruption within Fifa has again put the heat on New Zealands Charlie Dempsey, claiming he was manipulated by Fifa boss Sepp Blatter when he cost SA the 2006 World Cup by abstaining from final venue voting in 2000. Foul! According to a report on the stuff.co.nz site, "The Secret World Of Fifa, is written by leading British investigative sports reporter Andrew Jennings, who spent four years delving into the dark side of football. Fifa unsuccessfully tried to prevent the book being published, claiming it contained a number of false and libellous claims."
Trojan horse tricking football fans in Germany - 05/05/2006
A Trojan horse, masquerading in a downloadable tournament fixture list, on the loose in Germany isnt the first attempt to trick football fans, nor is it expected to be the last to take advantage of an event of global interest. PC Advisor reports that "the lotteries claimed to be organised on behalf of, or in association with, Fifa as well as the German organisers of the World Cup and their SA counterparts for the 2010 tournament."
Drug showdown on the cards in international sport - 02/05/2006
A showdown is looming in international sport between the World Anti-Doping Agency, Wada, and Fifa. According to a report on the News24 site, "Sports Court of Arbitration ruled in Switzerland that Fifa had not fully complied with the world anti-doping code, but there were no legal grounds to prevent Fifa from doing so. The chairperson of the SA Institute against Stimulants, Shuaib Manjra, said: This can also affect soccers involvement in the Olympic Games as well as SA as host country of the 2010 World Cup tournament."
Fifa fails to protect World Cup sponsors - 27/04/2006
Fifa suffered a serious setback in its bid to protect its World Cup sponsors when Germanys Federal Court lifted the copyright for three German-language slogans on 860 products. Safagoal.net reports that "Fifa failed to prove that it held the copyright to the slogans for this years World Cup finals, which kick off in Germany in just over six weeks time."
World Cup buzz sets off trademark rush - 28/04/2006
Trademark registration in SA has soared as foreign and local companies rush to secure the rights to names and ideas that could be associated with the 2010 WC, the trade and industry department says. Business Day reports that "about 27000 trademarks were registered in the department’s financial year ended March, compared with an average of about 24000 a year."
Matercard sues Fifa over WC sponsor deal - 20/04/2006
MasterCard International filed a complaint against Fifa seeking an injunction to prevent them from moving forward on an agreement with Visa International to sponsor the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Marketwatch.com reports that "MasterCard contends its contractual agreement with Fifa precludes the governing body of the World Cup from entering such an agreement with Visa."
Fraudsters use WC branding without licence - 13/03/2006
The lucrative nature of the Fifa 2010 WC has already resulted in more than 700 infringe-ments of copyright, with fraudsters using the branding without licence. This information was brought to The Mercurys attention by eThekwini Municipal Manager Michael Sutcliffe, who attended a 2010 workshop where he was informed of infringements of the 2010 brand. "I was at a workshop where we were informed of 700 cases of brand infringement, where the 2010 name is being used for financial gain, he said."
It became clear at a 2010 WC seminar that SA is merely a contractor and Fifa the owner of the event. Moneyweb reports that "Jerome Valcke, Fifa marketing and television head, told delegates that the event would not be a free-for-all. He warned that no brand will be able to piggyback on the major sponsors and partners of the event. The rights have almost all been sold to multinationals, Coca Cola, Adidas, Hyundai, Emirates and Sony."
