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Toward 2010
FIFA Confederations Cup 2009
3 years ago
by manfred
in Toward 2010
The match schedule for the FIFA Confederations Cup has been made available and, even better for local football fans, ticket sales opened yesterday. The tournament will take place in June 2009, starting on the 14th and ending with the final on June 28th.
The teams taking place include the host nation (South Africa) and the current World Cup champion (Italy). The other places are allocated to teams that won each of the six confederation championships. These championships, and the relevant qualifying nations, comprise:
- CAF (Confederation of African Football) – Egypt
- CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) – Brazil
- UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) – Spain
- AFC (Asian Football Confederation) – Iraq
- OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) – New Zealand
- CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) – USA
Matches will be played in various centres, particularly Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg and Pretoria.
The Confederations Cup is a very small warm-up for the main event planned for 2010 and should provide an indication as to how well planning and construction activities have progressed. South African residents are eligible for lower cost tickets. Overall, ticket prices range from R560 for category 4 tickets to about R5500 for category 1 tickets. Tickets are available online at the FIFA website and First National Bank branches.
The beautiful game is coming to town…soon 
Zakumi – our 2010 mascot
3 years ago
by manfred
in Toward 2010
Not only are we privileged enough to suddenly have a new president ready to take office, but we have also been introduced to the official FIFA 2010 World Cup mascot. Zakumi‘s his name, football is his game.
The green hair is a means of camouflaging himself on the pitch. The usual PR drivel: he loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.
I can tell he’s a real South African: he does have one striking weakness. With all his energy, he needs frequent rests. Occasionally, in-between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times! But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.
Reminds me of Parliament television. Except those performers rarely wake up!
Zakumi‘s name is derived from ZA for South Africa and kumi meaning 10 in a variety of languages.
2010 preliminary draw
4 years ago
by manfred
in Toward 2010
Durban acted as host to the world during the preliminary draw of 170 teams who will fight it out to qualify for a place in the 2010 tournament. The event was well coordinated and overall, I think we can be confident that we match other host nations when it comes down to the flash and glamour needed.
Out on the street, it’s a different matter entirely. First off, an Austrian visitor to the event was killed on a golf course in Durban, mobile phone and wallet stolen. He’d been invited to attend by none other than Franz Beckenbauer. Two delegates from the German football association had their personal belongings stolen while breakfasting in a hotel. So, we can argue that crime occurs everywhere, at any time. You’re not safe anywhere in the world. Maybe. Adding 1000 extra police officers during the staging of the preliminary draw in Durban is one way of trying to minimize crime. But that didn’t help – there is little any number of extra police officers can do if the public at large is incapable of behaving in accordance with any law. There is no such thing as crime prevention, only a reaction to what has happened.
Let’s hope these incidents were anomalies. Sadly, I don’t believe they were. Already, foreign newspapers will carry a story of murder advertising an event that is more than two years away. Glitz and glamour cannot hide the fact that crime will undermine everything that is done to make this event a success.
High-speed Johannesburg – Durban rail link coming
5 years ago
by manfred
in Toward 2010
Having scarcely broken ground with the actual construction of the Gautrain tracks, plans are underway to add a high-speed railroad link between Johannesburg and Durban.
It’s not clear how much new construction will be required, as railroads already link major cities in ZA. All in all, this is a very positive development. Considering the ease with which one can travel by train between major cities in Europe, this would be an excellent, and hopefully cheaper, alternative to air travel.
Facilities to be upgraded and built for World Cup 2010
5 years ago
by manfred
in Toward 2010
Five new stadia are to be built for the 2010 World Cup, with a host of refurbishments planned for existing facilities. New stadia will be built in Polokwane in Limpopo, Mbombela in Mpumalanga, in the Nelson Mandela Metro in the Eastern Cape, in KwaZulu-Natal’s Ethekweni Metro, and in Cape Town.
The Green Point stadium in Cape Town is to be completely refurbished and fitted with a retractable roof. The seating capacity of Soccer City in Johannesburg is to be increased from 75,000 seats to over 105,000 seats and a complete overhaul is planned for SAFA’s headquarters in central Johannesburg, which will double as the FIFA headquarters during the tournament.
With the first planned electricity disruptions happening due to the moving of substations to make way for the Gautrain track, it seems that ZA is getting a move on with the necessary infrastructure development!
German architects to design South African venues
5 years ago
by manfred
in Toward 2010
gmp, a German firm of architects, has been awarded the contract to design 3 stadia for the 2010 World Cup.
There is a lot of work to do to ensure all venues are ready for the event. Considering my experiences with building a mere house, I’m glad I’m not in charge of the construction work. There is a World Cup in 2010, after all
2010 emblem unveiled
5 years ago
by manfred
in Toward 2010
The emblem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament to be held in South Africa has been unveiled in Berlin. The official slogan for that competition is Win in Africa with Africa, which I hope will become a reality!
The press and media organizations have so far been barred from providing any information regarding the 2010 tournament preparations. That is primarily to ensure that the current tournament receives all the attention. In the coming months, we should be seeing more information on what is happening and what is planned.
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