PROJECT 2010 - Preparing South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™

Project 2010 - A Twenty Ten Media and Marketing Initiative

PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD

Opinion

Can Africa win in 2010? - 03/08/2009

Dr. Kwame Osei, Public Agenda: Pele, a Brazilian of Afrikan descent and the greatest footballer there has ever been once stated Although that has not materialized Afrikan teams have come close on three occasions. The first was in 1990 when Cameroun, the indomitable Lions came to Italia 90 as nobody’s but left that tournament raising the profile of Afrikan soccer tremendously beating then World Champions Argentina along the way. Afrika’s next chance was the Nigerian team that went to the 1994 World Cup staged in the United States. Again a dodgy refereeing decision cost Nigeria dearly as they lost to Italy in the 2nd round. Then there was Senegal in 2002 who stunned the football world by beating then World Champions France on their way to reaching the World Cup Quarter-Final.In 2006 Afrikan countries did not do that well with only Ghana reaching the knock out stages. So the question begs itself, can an Afrikan team fulfill Pele’s dream and win the World Cup especially on Afrikan soil come July 2010?

Full Public Agenda column

2010 slogan under the spotlight - 03/08/2009

Nikolaus Eberl, Business Day: When the 2010 World Cup local organising committee revealed the event’s slogan, ’Ke nako (it is time) - Celebrate Africa’s Humanity’, at the preliminary Fifa draw in Durban in 2007, pundits were quick to write it off as devoid of substance. In an article under the heading ’Ke Nako? Or k-nackered?’, one journalist wrote: ’Cry Ke Nako! Let’s rejoice in the humanity of a continent where millions are starving and without shelter, where despots are still able to escape the wrath of the just.’ At the preliminary Fifa draw in Durban, former president Thabo Mbeki called upon the continental branding effect of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event: ’We want, on behalf of our continent, to stage an event that will send ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo - an event that will create social and economic opportunities throughout Africa. We want to ensure that one day, historians will reflect upon the 2010 World Cup as a moment when Africa stood tall and resolutely turned the tide on centuries of poverty and conflict. We want to show that Africa’s time has come.-

Full Business Day column

Legalising Prostitution - 03/08/2009

Thelma Tafadzwa Madondo, allAfrica.com: Following proclamations by the Gauteng premier on national television in support of legalising prostitution, Thelma Tafadzwa Madondo talks to Pambazuka News about the negative impacts such a move might have on child prostitutes. Earlier this year the Gauteng premier proclaimed on national television that prostitution should be legalised. The idea was first proposed in 2007 by the police commissioner, who argued that legalising prostitution before 2010 would free up the police to deal with more pressing issues. His rationale was to legalise prostitution and public drinking before the 2010 World Cup for the enjoyment of foreign fans coming to South Africa, so that they are not arrested for these crimes.

Full allAfrica.com column

Race issues under the spotlight - 01/08/2009

Andrew Guest, Pitch Invasion: You don’t run into a lot of Irish folks in Africa. Lots of Canadians, Norwegians, Japanese, and Australians but very few Irish. Maybe that helps to explain why Sport Against Racism Ireland was among the groups who, during June’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, were quick to assume that predominantly black crowds were booing the lone white player on the South African national team Matthew Booth. In fact, the crowd was celebrating Booth by enunciating and elongating his name: ’BOOOOTH.’ The sounds are certainly easy to confuse. But the meanings could only be confused by anyone who hasn’t spent much time in Africa. As the first African World Cup approaches, it seems as though the rightful focus is more on poverty and economic justice - the challenges and expenses of creating a massive sport spectacle when there are so many other needs raises complex questions about global inequality. But issues of race bring their own complexities, often wrapped up with issues of economic inequality, and the relationship between race and soccer is one of many interesting issues I suspect will get much attention in the run-up to World Cup 2010.

Full Pitch Invasion column

The world could do with more Sepp Blatters - 27/07/2009

Siyabonga Ntshingila, Mail & Guardian: I figure SA could do with more Sepp Blatters around. Why, I hear you ask? Look at how consistently and firmly the man bats for SA. Every time someone mouths off some incoherent unjustified babble about our suitability for hosting the World Cup, Sepp is there defending us to the hilt. Every time. And it’s not because he is some sycophantic see-no-evil type either - he himself has laid into Safa and the LOC when he felt something wasn’t up to standard. Except, and here’s the thing, it’s never “these Africans don’t know what they are doing, the World Cup will be a disaster” but more along the lines of constructive criticism and behind-the-scenes interventions to help make things work. Now imagine if more South Africans had that attitude? Not just seeing only what’s wrong and mouthing off bitterly about it, but getting involved and sorting it out.

Full Mail & Guardian column

So much for 2010 job creation - 23/07/2009

David Bullard, Moneyweb: So much for the FIFA World Cup creating jobs. I read a newspaper report earlier this week saying that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) were looking for fifteen thousand volunteers to help with such tasks as ushering people to their seats, welcoming people at the airport, driving guests around and assisting the media and foreign language speakers. Volunteers are also needed in such areas as accreditation, computer, logistics, hospitality and management; all jobs requiring specialized skills. While I have no problem with patriotic South Africans volunteering their services to make the 2010 World Cup a resounding success I can’t help thinking that it’s rather strange that the head honchos organizing this event will be making enough money out of it to last them for several lifetimes. Indeed, if memory serves, enormous amounts of money have already been paid out to the lucky few. So what’s all this about your country needing you to work for free?

Full Moneyweb column

SA must fight the seedier side of 2010 – 20/07/2009

The Herald: It is not unreasonable to recognise a link between South Africa’s high crime rate and the country’s growing number of drug users. According to the Central Drugs Authority in Pretoria, drug consumption in South Africa is twice the world norm and a ’very serious problem’. Among the many thousands of people who will flock into South Africa for the 2010 Soccer World Cup next year will be tourists looking for drugs and prostitutes to complete the seedier side of their holiday experience.

Full editorial in The Herald

Brand Brazil beats SA - 14/07/2009

Traci Mackie, The Herald: Think Brazil ... samba, Kaka, Ronaldo, beautiful women and SeleÃ§Ã£o (the name given to their national soccer team). Crime and violence? Mmm, doesnâ€˜t quite come into the scenario, does it? Now, why does South Africa have such a bad reputation when it comes to crime and violence while a country like Brazil, with similar socio-economic challenges and high crime rates, is perceived so differently? The question was asked by a South American journalist attending a 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa-organised media communication workshop in Johannesburg about a year or so ago. I was there. Somehow Brazil seems to have contextualised violence and crime better than we do here in SA. So why is it then that Brazil walks in the worldâ€˜s limelight as a country of soccer and samba, and South Africa often limps behind as a one of poverty and crime?

Full report in The Herald

A word of warning - 12/07/2009

Ian Franks, The Weekender: Everyone needs a little support, some of us more than others. Manchester United, for instance, are extremely proud that their fan base straddles the known world. While I’m mentioning fanatical behaviour I’d like to say ’2010’ and ’Fifa’, and dare I go as far as ’World Cup’? I just thought I’d get them in now because fairly soon the worldwide merchandising legal beavers will be descending on us and I won’t be able to use such provocative language again without shelling out a not-so-small fortune, until the final whistle has blown on the Fifa 2010 Football World Cup, there, I’ve said it again.

Full column in The Weekender

Catch-22 over labour disputes - 10/07/2009

Business Day: The construction workers’ strike is targeted specifically at 2010 World Cup projects, from soccer stadiums to airports to roads to the Gautrain. As often in strikes like this, the motives are probably a blend of the political and the economic. Politically, trade union federation Cosatu needs to show right now that it has clout. Bringing members out on strike is the best way to do that. And by targeting World Cup construction sites it achieves maximum impact with minimum risk. With less than a year to go to the tournament, these projects have to be completed.

Full Business Day editorial

Is Parreira the answer? - 07/07/09

Khaya Ndubane, iafrica.com: The SA Football Association (Safa) have once again denied reports that they have approached former Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to return to South Africa to work with current coach Joel Santana. Where there is smoke, there is fire. The reason for this suspicion is that not so long ago Safa denied reports that they were going to appoint Parreira as Bafana coach — they hired him then... And when Parreira left, Safa once again dismissed reports that they were going to appoint Parreira’s countryman, Santana, as his replacement and once again the association made a U-turn on the decision. So, one cannot rule out the possibility of Parreira’s return.

Full iafrica.com column

Will hotel greed kill SA’s tourism brand beyond 2010? - 07/07/09

Dr Nikolaus Eberl, BizCommunity: At last week’s final LOC press conference for the Confederations Cup, LOC board member and SA minister of human settlement, Tokyo Sexwale, called upon the ‘Barcelona Effect’ for maximising the tourism legacy beyond 2010, saying that “Brand South Africa aims to create a legacy that is similar to what Barcelona did in 1992, when the Olympics were organised in Barcelona. We want tourists to remember Brand South Africa long after the tournament.’ Who is behind the 2010 hotel greed? A report in the Saturday Star quoted property agents claiming that ’luxury seafront villas on offer for the 2010 World Cup will cost up to R75 000 a night’.

Full BizCommunity column

No resting on their laurels – 04/07/2009

Tumo Mokone, Sports24: The next challenge for Bafana Bafana after the Confederations Cup is to take the team’s improved performance to the next level. Bafana improved in many crucial aspects of the game, which was exciting to see after years of mediocre performances. Even coach Joel Santana showed improvement in his weakest position – substitution. Though he had to wait for Bafana’s last match to make replacements on time, at least he saw the benefit of making early changes, rather than waiting until the game approached the 90th minute mark. So, quo vadis Bafana? The first thing is to retain the Confed Cup squad. Even though some players may have to make way for other deserving players at a later stage, the core of the team must be kept intact.

Full Sports24 column

A rare and special moment in our sporting history - 04/07/2009

Mondli Makhanya, Sunday Times: Ever since we secured the right to host the 2010 World Cup, many in this country have been wondering loudly whether we have the capacity to pull it off. And any little incident would be greeted with the cynical remark: how are we going to host 2010 if we cannot even get this or that right? This cynicism would sometimes be taken to ridiculous levels, with even weather-induced disruptions at airports being met with that cynical refrain. Now that we have proved how sound we are as a global host, our minds should be focused on what we need to do to ensure perfection in 2010 and that the tournament is not just an ordinary event.

Full Sunday Times column

Putting 2010 into perspective - 02/07/2009

Chris Moerdyk, Bizcommunity.com: Of every 100 football fans considering coming to South Africa for next year’s 2010 World Cup, I estimate that 90 will already have decided to come, while a further eight will be wondering whether they can afford it given the global economic meltdown and only two might still be vacillating as a result of crime levels in this country. These figures are estimates based partly on the success of the Confederations Cup but largely on consumer behaviour patterns in various countries. A common denominator in these patterns, regardless of the country, is the current capacity of consumers to blank out negative elements in favour of self-fulfilment. An additional factor is the perception of issues such as crime, rather than the reality.

Full Bizcommunity.com column

SA passes Confed test - 29/06/2009

Mninawa Ntloko, Business Day: A glitzy display of sound and light at Ellis Park last night brought down the curtain on what is being hailed as one of the most successful Confederations Cup tournaments since the eventâ€™s humble beginnings in Saudi Arabia in 1992. Many of the doubters who questioned FIFA’s decision to award the 2010 World Cup to SA arrived in Johannesburg hoping to be present when the country made a mess of the global showpiece dress rehearsal. But even the most cynical among the foreign visitors have slowly come to accept that SA will host a world-class Soccer World Cup next year after successfully staging the Confederations Cup.

Full Business Day column

An important learning curve for 2010 organsiers - 28/06/2009

The Citizen: The 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup has certainly been an important learning curve for the organisers of the 2010 World Cup. For Bafana Bafana, who have been carrying the nationâ€™s hopes, it has been a useful gauge for measuring themselves against the best in the world in preparation for the big one next year. SA fans from all races also showed how integrated the country has become since democracy.

Full column in The Citizen

An important learning curve for 2010 organsiers - 28/06/2009

Full column in The Citizen

It’s about Africa’s World Cup - 27/06/2009

Duma Pewa, The Witness: When some of the teams and commentators, most of whom are from Europe, complained about the vuvuzela and the monotonous noise it makes, it felt like the recolonisation of Africa. What had they not understood about the 2010 Soccer World Cup being ’Africaâ€™s World Cup’? We are going to blow hard on our vuvuzelas through 2010 and beyond. This time around, we are not going to stand by and take kindly to the recolonisation of Africa.

Full column in The Witness

SA’s readiness under the spotlight - 25/06/2009

JFG, The Botswana Gazette: If the blunders we made in the past two weeks are anything to go by, maybe the World Cup should be redirected to China . We all know that the historic world cup 2010 is around the corner, and naturally as Africans we are excited and rallying behind our great neighbour South Africa to ensure that it is a success. Allow me to pose some probing questions to test our readiness for this historic event. Firstly crime: it is official that South Africa has very high rates of violent crimes like murder, robbery and high jacking. One therefore wonders whether such a scenario is conducive for such an international and historic event. What visible steps are being taken to curb crime and protect the expected more than 300 000 international fans and tourists?

Full column in The Botswana Gazette

Santana here to stay – 23/06/2009

Khaya Ndubane, iafrica.com: Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana might have led South Africa to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, but the Brazilian mentor has not convinced many South Africans that he is the right man to lead the country to the 2010 World Cup. The fact that Bafana needed New Zealand to do them a favour in order to qualify for the semifinals did not go down well with the majority of Bafana supporters.The most vocal call for Santana’s axing came from none other than controversial SABC sports presenter, Walter Mokoena, who not only called for Santana’s axing, but also for that of Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena. Clearly unhappy about Bafana’s loss to Spain in the last round of Group A, Walter Mokoena said: ’You can still ask me the same question tomorrow and my answer will remain the same, Santana and Mokoena must go!’

Full iafrica.com column

Pharaohs’ took their eye off the ball - 22/06/2009

Bareng-Batho Kortjas, The Times: Hands up those who say there is no crime in this country. I see no show of hands. Good. It confirms that South Africans are not in denial of the fact that some of our citizens have chosen to make a career out of crime. We concede that this country faces numerous challenges, and chief among them is crime. This five-letter word is as topical today with the Confederations Cup in full swing as it was the moment South Africa stated its intention to stage the 2010 World Cup. Getting tongues wagging this past weekend was the robbery or burglary - depending on who you believe - of the Egypt national team participating in the Confed Cup. The ink had barely dried on the headlines screaming about the incident than came the noise that the sceptics, internal and external, had been drooling for.

Full column in The Times

Bafana on the right track - 21/06/2009

Yolanda Macozoma-Mangana, SuperSport: Let me start by saying that I am happy with the way Bafana played against Spain despite the loss, come on guys did we really expect to beat Spain? Realistically? Anyway, I think that something is slowly happening to Bafana under the leadership of Santana. Perhaps it is too late as his start has been rather frustrating. Santana’s conservative approach can be so infuriating as he makes imperative changes too late in the game. We saw it in the first game vs Iraq as he brought in Steven Pienaar too late, whom some say was still suffering from an injury at that stage. In that case, he should not have been playing. The Brazilian-born coach made better choices in the game against New Zealand but in the game vs Spain, he should have introduced Siphiwe Tshabalala much earlier on.

Full SuperSport column

Why we boo Matthew - 21/06/2009

Sunday Times: ’Sport Against Racism Ireland strongly condemns racist behaviour of South Africa fans after Bafana defender Matthew Booth was today subjected to racist booing by a section of the crowd because he is the only white player in the team,’ screamed a statement from this organisation. These clowns don’t even know the fans are cheering BOOOOOTH and that our towering white defender, who is married to a black woman, loves it to bits.

Full Sunday Times report

No one’s immune to football fever - 21/06/2009

Ben Trovato, Sunday Times: Africa’s hopes in the Confederations Cup rested heavily with Egypt, who played like men possessed when they faced wife-beaters Brazil a few days ago. I beg your pardon. World-beaters. Given all that spooky business with Siamese cats and the pyramids, the Egyptian team may well have been possessed.

Full Sunday Times column

Is South Africa Ready? - 17/06/2009

Chris Skudder, Sky.com: I’m here at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, no great shakes as a sporting event in its own right, but hugely significant as a dry run for the World Cup Finals a year from now. It’ll be Africa’s first and frankly about time the great continent got its chance to stage the most popular sporting event on earth. I was in Zurich nine years ago, July 2000, breaking the news that South Africa had been beaten to the staginof the 2006 World Cup by Germany. You may remember the huge row that broke out when one of the FIFA delegates an elderly gent from New Zealand called Charlie Dempsey refused to cast his vote amid allegations of improper canvassing by the bidding countries and it cost South Africa victory by that one single vote. Like many of the media and fans who’d hoped it would be Africa’s turn at last, it was a huge disappointment, and I spent much of that afternoon being interviewed by South African journalists on how unfair it all was.

Full Sky.com column

Is the Confed Cup unmarketable? - 16/06/2009

Chris Moerdyk, News24: While local football organisers have been singularly stupid and more than just a touch arrogant in handling the issue of marketing the Confederations Cup, when you look at it logically the event is probably unmarketable anyway. I mean, just what do the critics mean when they say it hasn’t been marketed? I get the impression that what most of them wanted to see was banners, flags and billboards all over the place - at airports, in main streets and shopping centres. The point I want to make is would that have helped sell more tickets? Would that have attracted more TV viewers? In a nutshell, is hype on its own enough to do a marketing job? And the answer is definitely no.

Full News24 column

Empty seats a bad omen for World Cup – 14/06/2009

Globe and Mail: Ever since South Africa was awarded the 2010 World Cup, people have fretted about the country’s reputation for crime and bloodshed. Security was seen as the big threat to soccer’s world championship. The reality is very different. Crime, I believe, is not the big danger. Fans who travel to South Africa from Europe or North America are not going to be assaulted outside the stadiums, where security will be tight and spirits will be high. The real danger is the kind of organisational snafu that was on display today at the opening of the Confederations Cup, the dress rehearsal for the World Cup.

Full Globe and Mail column

Lessons from Brazil – 13/06/2009

Mondli Makhanya, Sunday Times: It works like a dream, does the Brazilian football factory. Just when you think they cannot produce another galactic star, they do. Remember back in 1990, the year South Africans were allowed to join billions of other humans in watching the World Cup?

Full Sunday Times columns

Get your kit on! – 13/06/2009

It was May 14 2004 when Fifa president Sepp Blatter opened that envelope and read out the magic words: ’The 2010 Fifa World Cup will be hosted in South Africa’. They sent the entire country into a frenzy of blaring hooters and vuvuzelas. Those words also gave us the Confederations Cup – the tournament that now serves as a dry run for World Cup host countries. The time has come to show the world we are in the mood to host the World Cup. Let us be lovely: let us be soccer crazy.

Full City Press editorial