Six years have now past since that magnificent moment in Zurich when Fifa President Sepp Blatter declared that SA had earned the rights to host the biggest party on the planet.
And with just over 100 days remaining before the kick-off to the 2010 World Cup, SA can rightfully stake its claim as being the centre of the universe. After all, it has cleared a number of significant hurdles since it was awarded the rights to host global soccer’s showpiece event.
These include the 2010 preliminary draw in Durban in 2007 which determined the fixtures for the qualifying campaign and, last December, the final draw which established which groups the 32 finalists would be placed in. In between, the 2010 host was required to meet a number of major deadlines, including the completion of new stadiums and major transport and telecommunications upgrades.
Without a single major hiccup, these projects have been completed and systems are, for the most part, now in place to ensure a smooth and successful tournament. Of all the challenges and obstacles that have so far been overcome, the biggest has certainly been changing international perceptions of SA and, indeed, the rest of the continent.
However, with the World Cup looming fast, the foreign media is showing no signs of letting up. We’ve read how some of the world’s top players will be wearing bullet-proof vests to protect themselves and how local PSL matches are played after midnight as a result of electricity shortages. And just this week, two influential UK newspapers called England’s 2010 base — the Royal Bafokeng sports complex in Rustenburg — a “dump”.
But team coach Fabio Capello who visited the site this week described the pitches as “good” and the accommodation as “very nice”. “I’m really, really happy because it’s the third time I’ve stayed here and the facilities are fantastic,” he said.
In 2000, England’s bid to host the 2006 World Cup was derailed (largely because of the behaviour of English hooligans in Europe) and South Africa emerged as a formidable contender to host the tournament. Since then, it seems, the UK media has set its sights on this country and is showing no signs of letting up.
There is only one way to prove these critics wrong and that’s to finish off what we’ve started. After all, the reality is that SA could be on the brink of a 2010-induced revolution that could silence our media critics for years to come.
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