Craig Urquhart

It’s no secret that FIFA, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and other key 2010 World Cup role-players are observing the political developments in South Africa closely. Following the dramatic axing of president Thabo Mbeki, Deputy Minister of Finance Jabu Moleketi, who also heads the LOC’s finance and procurement committee, was one of 14 ministers who […]

FIFA is fond of reminding the world that it has more member states than the United Nations and that it wields far greater influence. So when its bosses drop in for a visit, everyone takes notice. And so it was this week when the governing body’s President Sepp Blatter, Secretary General Jerome Valcke and other […]

With the latest round of 2010 qualifying matches underway around the planet, South Africa is firmly in the international spotlight as the hosts of the next World Cup. Our early exit from the 2010 African Cup of Nations tournament is a major blow for the country’s World Cup campaign, but bruised Bafana fans should take […]

After years of bitter controversy, Beijing rose to the occasion and produced an Olympic Games which will be remembered for its sleek organisation, spectacular ceremonies and a feast of sensational sport. London may have received the baton for the next Olympiad, but the reality is the spotlight has now shifted to South Africa as the […]

When an interviewer recently asked Springbok ace Francois Steyn what the most frightening experience of his life was, he said it was the moment he was signed by the Sharks, knowing he would have to move to Durban and learn to speak English. Bafana coach Joel Santana could be forgiven for feeling the same way, […]

In 2000 when everybody started taking South Africa’s World Cup bidding process seriously, a high-level delegation of FIFA officials toured the country on a fact-finding mission. They left with images of thousands of wide-eyed children calling in unison for the right to host the showpiece of the beautiful game and Vicky Sampson’s My African Dream […]

Throughout this land and much of the sub-continent, ordinary people are hoping to cash in on the world’s biggest single-code sporting event. But four years after South Africa was granted the rights to host the 2010 World Cup, it is still unclear how a tournament that promises to generate billions of rands will help the […]

Not for the first time government, the 2010 Local Organising Committee and other key 2010 role players have undertaken a damage-control exercise following FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s recent admission that there is a “Plan B” if South Africa is unable to host the 2010 World Cup. But it has taken the comments of two prominent […]

For reigning Premier League and Champions League winners Manchester United, the Vodacom Challenge is little more than a walk in the park. It provides Sir Alex Ferguson and his coaching staff an opportunity to try out new talent and start gearing the side for next season. But for South Africa, hosting the most popular club […]

There are so many extraordinary photographs of South Africa’s favourite son, but the one image that captures the mood of this country’s greatest sporting achievement – securing the rights to host the 2010 World Cup – is of Nelson Mandela clutching that priceless 6kg, solid gold trophy in Zurich. It was May 15, 2004 and […]

Barring an act of God, exactly two years from now, Soccer City will be the centre of the universe with billions of people tuning in to experience the grand finale of the world’s biggest single-code sporting event. On July 11, 2010 when the World Cup final is played, South Africans will hopefully look back at […]

It may be the beautiful game, but the world’s most popular sport is also synonymous with death and destruction. Take the qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup, for example. Earlier this month, 10 fans died before a 2010 World Cup qualifier between Gambia and Liberia at the overcrowded Samuel L. Doe stadium in Monrovia. […]