2010 FIFA World Cup -Why In South Africa?
Friday, June 11, 2010 is sure to be an unforgettable date in the minds of all Africans and soccer fans worldwide as the day Africa comes to be the venue for the FIFA World Cup. It’s been 80 years that FIFA World Cup host countries have revolved around Europe and the Americas. How is the country to hold the Cup selected?According to the revised selection policy, as long as the country’s continental confederaton hasn’t hosted the Cup in the past two years, the country would become eligable, this would make any African country a strong candidate. South Africa had a narrow loss against Germany in the 2006 bidding with 12 votes to 11 as the final tally. For the 2010 World Cup however, all countries that bid were African the top three being South Africa, Morocco and Egypt. Morocco lost to South Africa by four events making this a momentous event. Technically, this is why South Africa is hosting this years World Cup but is the counntry able to hold such a big event? Personally, I’d say “definitely”, these are my reasons:
* They’ve got a great team- that simple fact makes them deserving to have the great privilege of hosting the cup.If you’d ask me, having a World Cup in a country whose team isn’t even above average would be a disgrace. Even if you look back, the soccer teams of countries hosting the cup are usually first class like Brazil (1950), Argentina(1978) and Italy(1990). It would make sense to have South Africa join the list.
* Perfect stadiums- South Africa’s preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup included the construction of four new stadiums. Their designs include : a detractable glass roof, beautiful lighting, zebra like seats, and the South African flag. What more could you ask for?
* The perfect weather- if there’s one thing South Africa is known for-aside from its wildlife, it would be the weather. The World Football Tournament will be held during South Africa’s winter season. South Africa’s winter temperature at midday is warmer than most countries daily summer temperature so no need to worry that your favorite players will get frozen. The average temperature will be around 20 degrees Celsius at 12pm noon.Lower temperatures are known to be better for athlete’s bodies.Good weather equals higher tempo.
* Africa- civilization as we know it has been thought to have begun in Africa and many African coutries hold soccer dear to their hearts. Could you think of a better venu for the world to unite? Also, during the Mandela era, football was a cause of unification and a force for the apartheid resistance. Holding the finals in Soweto, the center of South African soccer will make this even more than a sporting one but more importantly a very historical one.
Despite any controversies in the past four years regarding safety, in my opinion,South Africa is the perfect place for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the whole world should be very proud that this is the first time that a sporting event of this magnitude is being held in the continent.