Soccer Fan Blog

2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa Board Member (OC) and owner of the Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, Kaizer Motaung, was very pleased with the outcome of the draw.
“Well first of all it was great to be part of this auspicious occasion and obviously it is quite exciting to be part of an event of this magnitude. It is also gratifying to see that this dream is becoming a reality and that we are getting closer and ready to hosting this huge world event. And it bodes well for Africa because it is the first of its kind and I am sure its going to leave a long lasting legacy for us. I think the real work starts now and for the next two years there is obviously a lot of work to be done to make sure we are able to deliver a very good final product,” said Motaung, who was one of the Preliminary Draw assistants.
The General-Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Zwelinzima Vavi, who is also an OC Board Member, expressed his views about the significance of the preliminary draw event and said that despite their right to strike, construction workers at World Cup stadiums are 100% behind the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
“Remember there has been a lot of doubt over our ability. This (the draw) was an important opportunity for us to say that the executive of FIFA in 2004 was right (to award South Africa the tournament), that this is Africa’s time and we are ready. And I think it was very important that we make that statement and I think we made it very well”.
As the labour representative of the OC Board, Vavi confidently spoke about the importance of the workforce in the context of football.
“Workers are basically the number one supporters of football. Football is a working class sport and despite the fact that workers may go on strike to demand a better cut of the cake, they can never ever have any intention to sabotage our ability to host a successful World Cup in 2010. Because soccer is workers and workers are soccer. And this is their life, this is their sport and this is their emotions. I am very happy that those workers who now have their issues resolved welcomed the president of FIFA (during a stadium inspection of Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban) in such an enthusiastic fashion. It was a great statement by those workers indeed, just like it is a great statement by all the workers who work overtime, work long hours and work very hard to make sure that all the stadiums are ready in time. They know that the that whole African continent have their hopes and aspirations on the shoulders of those who have been given that responsibility to build that infrastructure that will put us up on the map of the world”.
“So congratulations to those workers and we know that they will do the country very proud. Their commitment to a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa cannot be doubted. They are only workers and they will always raise issues about their wages and working conditions but that can’t be understood to be a deliberate attempt to undermine our effort to hold a successful World Cup in 2010. And I am happy that they demonstrated that to the president of FIFA and they are demonstrating that every day too by working extra hours to make sure that we are ready on time,” said Vavi.
Moeketsi Mosola, the Chief Eexecutive Officer of South African Tourism, was extremely excited about significance of the success of the Preliminary Draw and the confidence it gave the international community.
“I think if there was any doubt the world saw tonight what South Africa is capable of. This is the first of the four big events that will take place over the next two and a half years and there is definitely no doubt that at the heart of what we are doing is our people. And really we are very proud of what the South African Local Organising Committee has put together and as a South African I can tell you definitely that I feel very proud of what happened here tonight.”
“We have always known that we can actually do this in 2010. People will leave this country knowing exactly that World Cup 2010 is in safe hands, is in good hands and basically people need to start booking their holidays come 2010,” said Mosola.
“People have felt the humanity of our people in the last few days and I know some people will be staying for a few more days. That’s why I keep saying that people must start booking their next big holiday in 2010, because you are going to be having a great time on this beautiful continent. We were hosting at least 20 very key journalists and editors from around the world, half of which don’t want to go home tomorrow, they want to stay. Suffice to say their perceptions have been changed by what we have here. They been very surprised by the level of commitment from our government and our people. I am very excited and I am really glad to be living in these interesting times,” said Mosola in closing.
Ghanaian football legend, Abédi Pelé, was equally delighted by the success of the Preliminary Draw.
“Well I think its unbelievable that today all those who didn’t have the confidence in us are all very happy. That’s why the say this is the power of football, football brings people together. We have proved to the world that we cannot only play the game, but we can host it as well,” said Pele.

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One day after the preliminary draw in Durban, South Africa’s Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, today (26 November) officially presented the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tour operator programme to more than 200 interested travel experts from across the globe at Soccerex 2007 in Johannesburg. The tour operator programme, the first to be implemented by FIFA since 1998, will allow qualified and experienced travel companies to offer customised travel packages of their own creation in combination with 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tickets.
“Today marks a further step towards ensuring that the benefits of the FIFA World Cup are felt by all sectors from multinational to family businesses. It is an excellent example of government working hand in hand with the tourism industry and broader stakeholders towards a common goal – an African World Cup that we all can be proud of. The initiative provides tremendous global marketing potential for SMMEs (small, medium and micro-enterprises),” stated van Schalkwyk.
To make it easier for football fans to identify the tour operators who are entitled to sell travel arrangements with valid 2010 tickets, a special quality mark featuring the 2010 official emblem with the word mark “Authorised Travel Packages” has been developed. The registration period for tour operators will start on 15 February 2008. A total of 350,000 tickets have been allocated to cater for these packages.
“It is extremely important for us to ensure that the first FIFA World Cup in Africa touches as broad an audience as possible in the most meaningful way,” said FIFA General Secretary Jérôme Valcke. “FIFA’s aim is to facilitate travel to the matches for more than 400,000 international visitors by making use of a strong alliance of available local accommodation in various forms, ranging from small bed-and-breakfast establishments to top world-class hotels, ground and air transportation facilities. At the same time, we want to ensure that the spectators will be in for a real African treat, experiencing the great culture that the continent and South Africa have to offer.” Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 SALOC, explained that: “The tour operator programme will help FIFA, the LOC, MATCH and all tourism stakeholders in South Africa to present the 2010 hosts in the best possible light. What is more, the tour operator programme will also enable South African SMME tourism entities to be involved in this once-in-a-lifetime event and benefit from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is a chance to enhance international awareness of a world-class tourism destination.”
The programme will be implemented on a non-exclusive basis, allowing for the appointment of multiple tour operators per country and/or region in order to foster competition among the participating companies, thereby resulting in competitive prices for fans and facilitating a broad distribution of tickets within all countries/regions as well as among broad economic markets for potential customers.
FIFA has appointed its servicing partner, MATCH Event Services Pty, to administer the programme on its behalf. FIFA Ticketing Sub-Committee chairman and Honorary FIFA Vice-President David Will, FIFA Ticketing Sub-Committee member and consultant for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Horst Schmidt and co-chairman of MATCH Jaime Byrom introduced the workshop participants to further aspects of the programme, ranging from the host country to ticketing.
Interested tour operators are requested to register online at http://touroperator.match-ag.com. The applications of tour operators who meet the mandatory requirements such as insurance and experience will then be rated on additional factors. FIFA requires tour operators offering international packages to confirm international transportation to ensure that ticket-holders can get to the country in time for matches.

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Known across the world for its excellent wines and stunning Pacific coastline, to name but two of its many attractions, Chile has also produced a host of fine footballers in recent decades – with Marcelo Salas arguably the pick of the bunch. After a lengthy spell away, El Matador is back and aiming to fire La Roja to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
For many observers, Salas is the last of a golden generation of South American goalscorers left at the very highest level, with Ecuador’s Agustin Delgado, Argentinian poacher extraordinaire Gabriel Batistuta, Paraguay’s Jose Cardozo and Brazilian phenomenon Ronaldo all either retired or out of the international picture. Salas himself had called time on his Chile career, only changing his mind a few short months ago. La Roja fans are grateful that he did, as the veteran marksman grabbed a brace in the recent 2-2 draw against Uruguay, the Chileans’ first ever point in Montevideo.
Golden touch still intactHaving been plagued by injury ever since his return from European football, the former River Plate and current Universidad de Chile striker has endured more lows than highs in recent years. One of these low points even led to him abandoning the game for six long months, after a fall-out with the previous management at Universidad. However, the appointment of Argentinian coach Marcelo Bielsa as Chile supremo appears to have turned the situation on its head. After more than two years away from the national team, the Temuco-born front-runner has returned to lend much-needed experience to a youthful squad.
“I’m not the one who’s going to unearth the footballing ability of a player like Marcelo. We’re hoping he’s able to bring all his quality to bear on the pitch as well as his leadership skills off it,” said El Loco Bielsa when announcing Salas’ original call-up.
The gamble has certainly paid off. Chilean fans had all but given up hope of seeing Salas’ trademark celebration again in their red jersey, yet five games into his comeback there he was, kneeling on the turf of Montevideo’s Estadio Centenario, his finger raised in triumph towards the heavens. His first goal against Uruguay ended an international drought that went all the way back to 4 June 2005 and a 3-1 win over Bolivia in Germany 2006 qualifying.
“You never know what the future will hold, what matters at the moment is that Chile have picked up a point where they’d never done so before. On a personal note I’m very pleased to have contributed and to have scored again in these colours,” said the 32-year-old shortly after finding the net with a full-length diving header and a coolly taken spot-kick. La Roja were unable to build on that performance in their next game, however, slumping to a comprehensive 3-0 home defeat by Paraguay in Santiago’s Estadio Nacional.
SupportSouth Africa 2010 may still be a long way off, but many Chilean fans remain hopeful that Salas can guide them safely through the pitfalls of South American qualifying. If proof were needed, a quick look at the messages of support received by FIFA.com from every corner of the Andean nation should dispel any doubts.
” El Matador, you’re the greatest, we never lost faith in you!” roared SEBACHILE after the Uruguay match, jmarquez adding that Salas is “sharper than ever. Keep it going Chile!”
The country’s media was also quick to heap praise on the highest goalscorer in the history of the national team. La Tercera led with the claim that Salas “rewrote the history books”, while El Mercurio dubbed him a “first-class veteran”. And what does the man himself make of all this? “I always felt very close to the public, even though that’s not why I did my job. I’m always grateful for the support and I hope to continue to give more reasons for celebration in order to help this team grow and make all us Chileans happy.” In the case of Marcelo Salas, it seems the old saying is true: form is temporary, class is permanent.

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FIFA Early Warning System GmbH has confirmed that were no irregular betting activities during the first phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ preliminary competition. It can therefore be concluded that there have been no attempts from betting circles to influence or manipulate approximately 90 matches that have been played since August 2007. In recent months, leading bookmakers, betting operators and betting organisations have signed up to the early warning system and pledged to report any incidences of irregular betting patterns.
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, speaking in the light of recent suspicious activity in other competitions, is pleased by these initial results: “The FIFA early warning system passed its first test in 2006 and has since been introduced across the board, and that means that we now have an efficient means of supervising and controlling betting activities.”
He is, however, worried by recent developments. “This is a serious threat to football. FIFA expressed concern at recent developments in UEFA’s competitions. We have no doubt, however, that UEFA will do everything in its power to resolve the problem. FIFA is of course offering a helping hand by making the early warning system available to all confederations and associations.”
This system will be developed further in the months ahead. The objective is to conclude cooperation agreements with the entire bookmaking and betting industry for the early warning system so that those individuals who attempt to manipulate matches for betting purposes will no longer be able to do so. By signing up to the early warning system, bookmakers and betting providers pledge to help FIFA pursue its objective of safeguarding football’s integrity by protecting it from negative influences from betting circles.
Early Warning System GmbH, a company based in Zurich, has been operational for the past six months. Its objective is to detect irregular activities in football betting circles and inform FIFA in advance of any possible attempts to influence matches. The early warning system was first tested at all 64 matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany. The positive experiences gained prompted the FIFA Congress to formalise the early warning system in late May 2007 and to employ it once again to supervise the preliminary and final competitions of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa.

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By Lucy Fleming BBC News
As South Africa rolls out new buses in Johannesburg ahead of the 2010 football World Cup, thousands of minibus taxi-drivers in Cape Town want to put the brakes on a similar plan to revamp the coastal city’s transport system.
They fear the government’s intentions to improve transport for football fans and leave what has been termed a “legacy project” in the cities hosting the tournament will cost them their jobs.

They only care about their pockets
Minibus taxi passenger
“This soccer World Cup seems like it is coming to just chop our necks off, because it’s taking our bread from the table. They’ll push us out of a business,” says Mandla Mata, chair of the Western Cape National Taxi Alliance (WCNTA).
But the City of Cape Town says such worries are unfounded and the World Cup is an opportunity to introduce a bus-based public transport system that is reliable, scheduled and safe, while improving services to some areas.
This would be a relief to many commuters who feel their needs and safety are not always central to the taxis.
“They only care about their pockets,” one passenger travelling between Khayletsha and Bellville said, pointing out that the window next to him could not open.
“You mustn’t trust these guys if they lose their temper,” he added – and related a story about how a female passenger lost her eye after she was attacked by a driver for not having the fare.
Improved public transport may also encourage drivers to leave their cars at home, which would help ease the city’s terrible rush-hour traffic jams.

Taxi drivers worry about their future as they eat breakfast
City planners have said Cape Town’s Integrated Rapid Transport (IRT) system will be based on the existing minibus and bus industries.
“They will be the drivers of the system. In the first phase we want them to form two companies – so we have a competitive element – and they operate the IRT system for the city – the feeder buses and the trunk routes,” explains City of Cape Town spokeswoman Kylie Hatton.
Minibus owners would be given shares in a company based on their current market share.
And if anything, Ms Hatton says, the IRT would mean drivers who work long hours without holiday and sick leave will be better off.
“They’ll be moving into a system where they will have fixed working hours and it won’t be passenger-based system, it’ll be a kilometres-travelled system.”
The financial pressure to make as many trips as possible is seen as one factor in the minibus taxis’ poor safety record.
Apartheid legacy
At Bellville taxi rank, about 20km from Cape Town city centre, one driver admitted it would be good to work an eight-hour day instead of the 12 to 16 hours most work.

Lack of regulation has allowed the space for a certain lawlessness to creep in – that needs to be dealt with
Kylie HattonCity of Cape Town spokeswoman
But the general belief amongst the drivers chatting by their buses and eating breakfast after the morning rush hour was that they could not trust any dictum from on high.
“We’re not interested in IRT – they want to take over our transportation,” said one driver, who had been up since 3.00am.
“They’re taking away what has belonged to us for so many years,” another said.
This ownership of the industry seems to be at the crux of problem for the City of Cape Town.
The minibus taxi industry was one of the few areas of the economy that black business was allowed to run under apartheid.
And taxi operators guard their hard-fought independence and self-regulation with pride.
Mr Mata says each route, which can have up to 50 owner-operators each with between six and 10 vehicles, is run by an association.

Vendors fear their business will also be affected by the IRT
They ensure that drivers, who get about 25% of their bus’s takings, only ply one route to avoid the fierce battles over territory that have given the industry such a bad reputation.
Strict rules also apply in the ranks so that drivers cannot jump the queue.
Yet 15 years since the end of apartheid, the relationship between the minibus taxis and the government are still fraught.
Taxi-owners complain that a government initiative to scrap older vehicles for newer, safer models by subsiding loans did not materialise for many.
This so-called recapitalisation scheme and what taxi-drivers see as harassment from the police checking permits and safety has left them even more distrustful of the authorities.
“I understand the sensitivities,” says Ms Hatton.
“But unfortunately it is an industry that has been largely unregulated – that lack of regulation has also allowed the space for a certain lawlessness to creep in as well – and that needs to be dealt with.”
“Approximately 40% of taxi drivers in the city operate without a permit,” she says.

Buses are not timetabled and only leave when full
Negotiations are ongoing between the WCNTA and transport officials to tackle such problems, but Mr Mata says they should not see this as a nod from his members to the IRT.
He says their main opposition to it stems from the fact that they have not been included at the planning stages.
“They say it’s going to happen whatever, like it or not,” Mr Mata says.
“If they can’t listen to us then it is not a democracy – it’s despotism; it’s like the last generation when they decided everything for you.”
Ms Hatton urges patience and says the IRT will be phased in slowly.
After the introduction of rapid bus link between the airport and city centre this year, a pilot project will be rolled out along the poorly serviced west coast.

You can see that it is not promises that they can fulfil
WCTA’s Mandla Mata
Only after this – in 2011 or 2012 – will other Cape Town routes will be affected.
“There is no big bang approach – there’s no attempt to put people in financial stress,” she says, adding that most of the transport industry is on board and it is only a minority who oppose the scheme.
It is difficult to come by numbers, but Mr Mata says his alliance represents about 152 routes – with more than 45,000 drivers – and their support is growing.
It has held several strikes this year bringing misery to commuters, especially those living in townships around Cape Town who rely on taxis to get to work.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) recently called off a national strike in protest at the similar Johannesburg bus system following warnings from the government.
But Mr Mata says in the Western Cape more taxi stayaways are on the cards before the World Cup kicks off.
“They are promising a lot of promises but you can see that it is not promises that they can fulfil – they’re just blinding us.”

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