August 16, 2007
By Ndaba Dlamini
SOUTH AFRICA is "more than ready" for the world's premier sporting event – so says Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ Local Organising Committee.
He was speaking at the 2010 National Communications Partnership Conference in Sandton on Wednesday, 15 August.
"We have been given plenty of support by the government and the corporate world. All host cities have signed their Host City contracts, stadium contracts have been signed and construction has started, the emblem for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ has been unveiled, the mascot for event has been finalised - but is yet to be given a name - and the whole project remains well within budget."
Held to discuss how best to take full advantage of the World Cup, the theme of the gathering was "Africa's time has come"; it was the second such conference, with one planned annually until 2010. Marketers, communicators and other interested parties from across Africa attended.
"All new stadiums under construction are on schedule and if we complete all these five stadiums in time for the World Cup, we will be the first World Cup host country to do so. We also have to commend the country's construction industry for a job well done for managing to build and complete Safa House in a record period of nine months," Jordaan said.
In total, there would be 10 stadiums for the World Cup. Five would be new; Soccer City in Johannesburg would get a major refurbishment; four – Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, Free State and Royal Bafokeng - would have minor refurbishments.
"Four of the stadiums can be used to host the Fifa World Cup tomorrow."
However, he said the transport issue had to be looked into seriously. More luxury coaches would be needed to transport fans to match venues, although a transport plan was on course.
Fan parks were another aspect that needed serious consideration. Jordaan said more than 21 million people watched World Cup matches at fan parks in Germany when that country hosted the 2006 World Cup, compared to some three million who had tickets into match stadiums.
"The success of these fan parks have added a new element to the World Cup which has to be tapped," he said.
Pool resources
Also speaking at the gathering, Minister of Sport and Recreation Makenkesi Stofile said South African communicators and marketers - and Africa as a whole - should pool their resources to work together to project a positive image of the continent.
Urging South Africans and the entire continent to throw their weight behind the organising for and hosting of the World Cup, Stofile said it was time to change the way the world viewed Africa.
"The legacy of a 'heart of darkness, the dark continent, the continent ravaged by wars and diseases' has to be dealt with once and for all. Afro-pessimism must be banished."
On the 2010 Fifa World Cup™: South Africa is more than ready, says the chief executive of the Local Organising Committee, Danny Jordan
He said a good beginning had been made for a successful World Cup in 2010: support had been received from 37 other African nations; the African Union declared 2007 the International Year of African Football; and, on 29 January, the union's summit declared unwavering support for the event.
"The next four years will be a time to test our resolve in practical terms … informed by a common goal of building a better Africa, communicators from all sectors of Africa should strive to speak with one integrated and coherent voice."
In the past, Africa's story was told by people with little knowledge of the continent, he said, adding that the world must know that South Africa was ready to host the soccer tournament.
"They must hear about our vision and plans, of our progress and challenges from ourselves. For this reason, the forging of communication partnerships is critical."
Stofile called for the outcomes of the technical workshop of the African Union and the 2010 Fifa World™ Cup Legacy Committee held in March in Pretoria to be widely communicated. "The workshop developed implementation strategies for both the International Year of African Football as well as the kind of legacy the World Cup must deliver to South Africa and the continent."
His sentiments were echoed by the chief executive officer of the International Marketing Council, Yvonne Johnston, who said the international football body's insistent confidence that South Africa would successfully deliver Africa's first Fifa World Cup presented communicators with "an unparalleled opportunity to define the continent's image and reputation in the world".
There were many legacies that Africa could, and should inherit from the event but it was essential that African communicators commit themselves to ensuring that one such legacy would be a significant shift in the way the world perceived the continent.
Giving emphasis to her words, Johnston said that the African Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum in June 2006 noted that Africa lacked an international image to match the real growth of its economies and the vibrant aspirations of its people. News headlines focused only on war, famine, criminally mismanaged aid and epidemic disease.
With the staging of the World Cup in Africa, there was an opportunity "to reposition our continent and country in the minds of people all over the world".
In closing, Jordaan said South Africa and Africa would definitely host a memorable and better World Cup. "Africa's time has come to sing and dance and there is just no way that we cannot stage a successful World Cup."
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