World Cup 2010 News

All the News From South Africa in the Build Up to the 2010 World Cup

Stadium Worries

March 7, 2007

South African Treasury officials warned that although building South Africa's World Cup stadiums would create over 100,000 much-needed jobs, a skill deficit, procurement problems and a lack of raw materials may delay construction work.
Questions have already been raised that South Africa would struggle to have the stadiums ready on time. Malcolm Simpson, a Treasury's official on the World Cup unit described the risks to the project as "high", with a likely possibility of legal litigation over poorly prepared tenders.
"This is significant work and it is believed that construction contractors will have to have two teams working 24 hours a day on these sites to ensure that the stadiums are constructed on time," Simpson told the South African Parliament.
The South African government has promised (US$2.34 billion) for the World Cup and work on the stadiums in the nine host cities.

VISA v MasterCard

December 22, 2006

A U.S. District Court has ruled that FIFA improperly awarded sponsorship of the World Cup to credit card company Visa for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups after switching from Visa's main rival MasterCard, who had sponsored previous tournaments for the previous sixteen years.
As the case is still under appeal, FIFA is not obligated to comply immediately with a U.S. court order requiring it to grant MasterCard Inc. an eight-year sponsorship deal of the World Cup, nor can it switch to a sponsorship deal with Visa.

Policing

November 10, 2006

South Africa will beef up its police forces by an extra 35,000 officers in time for the 2010 World Cup. An additional 5,000 railway police will also be recruited. A total of 187,000 police will be on duty come the tournament up from the present figure of 152,000. South African authorities are worried the country's high levels of crime may deter fans from visiting or spoil the event for overseas visitors. Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyck was quoted: "The concern about the public railway system is a very valid one. Crime has historically been a problem." South Africa had 18,528 recorded homicides, 54,926 recorded rapes and 119,726 recorded robberies with aggravating circumstances in 2005/2006. (Figures: South African Police Service)

Spending & Stadiums

October 25, 2006

South African authorities are budgeting to spend 15.1 billion rand (US$1.98 billion) on the 2010 World Cup according to the National Treasury as the projected overall budget for the tournament continues to rise.
Trevor Manuel, South Africa's Finance Minister, said extra funds will be allocated to the construction and renovation of the stadiums to be used in the tournament and the development of the surrounding areas.
More money will spent on upgrading public transport, which at present relies on a hazardous minibus taxis and trains.
Planned new 70,000-seater stadiums in Cape Town and Durban, purpose built for the tournament run the risk of becoming white elephants after the event.
Tax laws will also be eased to allow certain goods such as media broadcasting equipment and medicines to be imported specifically for the World Cup.

Roads

October 23, 2006

The South Africa government plans to cut traffic snarls and road fatalities ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
There are an estimated 14,000 deaths each year on South Africa's roads, with around half of those involving a vehicle striking a pedestrian.
The new measures include road widening and expansion schemes, bicycle and pedestrian paths and improved bus services.

World Cup 2010

"The Onside In-Site" Copyright © From 2000. All rights reserved. Soccerphile Ltd.