2010 World Cup stop the criticisms, says Blatter.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has once again urged the world to trust South Africa's ability to stage a successful World Cup tournament next year. As the tournament draws near, Blatter is getting increasingly irritated by the continued criticisms and doubts about South Africa's ability to host the tournament being expressed by especially European-based commentators. Ntandoyenkosi Ncube reports.

WHY THE HELL ARE THERE still question marks about South Africa," Blatter asked at a press briefing in Johannesburg on 18 June. "Why? Is it envy? Let us trust a little," he said, insisting that South Africa can stage a successful World Cup next year.

His comments came in the wake of renewed criticism and fears expressed by, in particular, European-based football commentators that South Africa might not be able to host a successful World Cup next year, "with the high crime rate" in the country. The criticisms resurfaced following reports that some robbers had attacked one of the stadiums used for the Fifa-sponspored Confederations Cup hosted by South Africa in June. The Confederations Cup was a trial run for next year's World Cup. On several occasions in the past two years, Blatter has felt compelled to assure the world that South Africa was a competent candidate to host the 2010 World Cup, when the renewed criticisms appeared to annoy him greatly. Speaking at the press briefing in Johannesburg, Blatter again defended the World Cup rotation policy that Fifa adopted in 2000 but later abolished in 2007, saying this enabled Africa to host both next year's World Cup and the Confederations Cup.

"Had it not been for this policy," he said, "we would not be talking about an African World Cup that South Africa will host in 2010. There was strong resistance from some leaders in Fifa with regards to a World Cup going to Africa. In addition, I tell you, Africa will never host the Olympic Games as long as a rotation policy is not adopted."

The Fifa president went on: "Each time an event is supposed to be held in Africa, one hears concerns about crime. I don't think there is any country in the world where crime is not a challenge, so why should it be mentioned when a major tournament comes to Africa?"

Blatter said much of the constant questioning about the security situation in South Africa and its ability to host a successful football World Cup tournament was tinged with "racism".

"As soon as we pulled out the piece of paper with the name 'South Africa' on it [at the bid announcement in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2004], they started asking why," said Blatter. "Now you are here [in South Africa]. You have been here every year. There are over 40 million people here and there are millions of visitors who come here for tourism. Why do they [the tourists] trust Africa?" he asked.

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The Confederations Cup tournament was held at four world-class stadiums in Johannesburg, Rusternburg, Pretoria, and Bloemfontein. Contrary to the fears about safety expressed ahead of the tournament, there were no reports of incidents against visiting fans or players during the two-week-long extravaganza.

The chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Dr Irvin Khoza, agreed with Blatter, saying the fears about safety were uncalled for. "Recently, we hosted the Indian Cricket Premier League and are hosting the British and Lions rugby teams. There has not been any report about lives of these players and visiting fans being at risk. They are safe in this country. Why then should such concerns be raised now that we are hosting a football tournament?" Khoza asked. "I have no doubt about our ability to host major events. We have hosted the Rugby World Cup (1995) as well as the Cricket World Cup (2003) with resounding success, and I have no doubt that the 2010 Football World Cup will be a major success," he added.

In 2000, South Africa came close to hosting the World Cup in 2006 but it went to Germany following controversial voting by Fifa's executive members. Blatter and the world's football leadership were in South Africa in June to inspect every phase of the preparations for 2010, and to guarantee that the country was geared up to host a triumphant World Cup next year And they were happy with what they saw, especially the atmosphere at the Confederations Cup games.

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"That is what African and South African football is all about--noise, excitement, dancing, shouting and enjoyment. This is a celebration," Blatter told journalists.

"All we want is a successful Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup," added Sifiso Sithole, a 27-year-old locksmith in Johannesburg. Anesu Kumundati, another football fan, agreed: "I am here to support my country and the vibe around the city is great. We are a nation that likes to sing and we are a happy nation. I hope our visitors see this on television, and I hope they come back for the 2010 World Cup."

More than 350,000 visitors are expected in the country for the tournament next year and are predicted to spend up to R1obn during the extravaganza, which is projected to generate about 130,000 local jobs and contribute about R21bn to South Africa's GDP.

But for South Africans, the World Cup is not only about creating employment and generating revenue, but also about "national pride" and getting involved to ensure a victory for the entire continent. "National pride first, then work later," said a Pretoria-based tobacco farmer. "This comes once in a lifetime and I must allow all my workers to go and enjoy the matches."

Another fan, Khumbulani Ndebele, told New African: "Africa is happy that South Africa is hosting the World Cup, but it must not end there. This is the best time for all Africans in South Africa to contribute to the success of the event--let's stand up and be counted in this historical moment on our continent. The World Cup is a chance for all of us Africans to unite and stand against the constant criticisms from the rest of the world."

Meanwhile, information about ticketing arrangements for the 2010 World Cup has been released nationwide. According to the City of Cape Town (council) website, the tickets in fact went on sale in February 2009. They are in four categories: "Category one, two and three tickets will be sold locally and internationally, in US dollars, while category four tickets will only be sold locally to South African residents, in rands. For those who cannot afford or obtain tickets, especially to the matches involving the top teams, there will be specially created 'fan parks'--public places where people can gather to watch matches on large screens, and enjoy the large crowd atmosphere."

According to Fifa's guide to the tickets, the average cost is $139 (or R973), which compares favourably with the 2006 average price of $136 in Germany in 2006. The cheapest tickets--category four--will be $20 (or R140), while the most expensive "category one" tickets, for the final, will cost $900 (R6,300). Fifa has used an exchange rate of R7 to $1 to calculate the prices.

"Category four tickets will make up some 15% of the total of the three million purchasable tickets (nationwide), and are priced so that South African residents on low incomes can afford them," says the City of Cape Town website. "The 32 participating Fifa-member nations are offered 12% of the event's purchasable tickets for each of their matches in the group phase, and an average of 8% in the knockout phases. Tickets that are not bought by these member associations will be put on sale to the general public." In addition, 120,000 complimentary tickets have been set aside, to go to sponsors and commercial partners, as well as construction workers who built the stadiums and roads for the World Cup.

According to the authorities, as part of Fifa's and the LOC's commitment to giving South Africans as much access to the games as possible, they have set up a "Ticket Fund" through which 120,000 tickets will be given out free over 64 matches to South Africans who cannot afford to buy tickets.

It promises to be a real extravaganza, come 2010.