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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
FIFA's Director of Communications and Public Affairs has been in the hot seat for one year. He was previously the Director of Global Corporate Communications at Japan Tobacco and he also served as a media spokesperson for Swissair for eight years. Project 2010 interviewed him during a brief visit to South Africa...  There is less than a month before the Confederations Cup - a key curtain-raiser for 2010. Is FIFA happy with the preparations? Back in Zurich, there is a tension and an excitement. Everybody wants to see this tournament and to see how certain cities are doing with their preparations for the World Cup. We are confident that things are ok. Do you think South Africans recognise the significance of this tournament? The reality is this tournament sees the champions of each continent playing - that makes it unique and significant. It is much bigger that the Rugby World Cup in terms of international television coverage, so, yes, it is significant. No doubt you are aware of the stand-off between the government and the taxi industry over the Bus Rapid Transit system. There have been threats to make the cities ungovernable ahead of the World Cup and we have already seen violence in three 2010 host cities. Is FIFA concerned? We are aware of the problem with this new transport system and have made it very clear to the government that the issue should be resolved before the World Cup. We will monitor the situation and we will take measures on our side to ensure that spectators are transported safely. Overall, is FIFA satisfied with the preparations for 2010? Yes, it is going as it should be there. There are some issues and concerns but, of course, this is normal. more interviews...
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