What Fifa had to say about SA2010

Whether or not you’re a football follower, the report on South Africa by Fifa’s globe-trotting inspection team makes for interesting reading.

The group, headed by Belgian football association president Jan Peeters and including Pertti Alaja (Finland), Jacques Bouillon (France), Michel Sablon (Belgium) and Harold Mayne-Nicholls (Chile), visited South Africa for a total of 155 hours and 25 minutes between 30 October and 5 November 2003.

In their report, published on Fifa’s website on 4 May, the group gave South Africa the highest grading of five countries bidding to host the 2010 Football World Cup.

They concluded that South Africa had the potential to organise an "excellent" World Cup – compared to Egypt and Morocco’s potential to organise "very good" World Cups, Tunisia’s potential to organise a "good" World Cup, and the probability that Libya would "face great difficulties in organising a World Cup to the standards required".

0.      Executive summaries on the five bidding countries

Here’s what the eminent members made of South Africa’s crime situation, medical services, transport, telecommunications, hotels – and, of course, our sports infrastructure and our passion for the Beautiful Game.

0.      Country overview

0.      Safety & security in SA

0.      Telecommunications

0.      Transport

0.      Hotels

0.      Medical services

0.      Stadiums

0.      Training facilities

0.      Congress & event venues

0.      Commitment to hosting the World Cup

0.      Budget for hosting the tournament

0.      Standard of football in SA

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

The Republic of South Africa is situated in southern Africa and has a population of approximately 44 million inhabitants.

Since 1994, the country has been a democratic republic. The President is head of state and, at the same time, head of the government. There is no prime minister. The current President is Thabo Mbeki, elected by the National Assembly on 16 June 1999 and, at the time of this report, seeking a second period of office of five years.

The population is made up of four distinct ethnic groups. Firstly, the black section comprises 75.2%, then whites 13.6%, followed by 8.6% of half-castes and 2.6% of Indian origin. The majority religion is Christian.

Altogether, there are 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.

As regards the economy, South Africa is a middle-income country. It should be pointed out that it is based on a free market that is emerging rapidly with plentiful natural resources, mainly mineral, but also widespread fishing and agriculture.

Its tax policy, we were told, is conservative. The inflation rate in 2002 was 8.9%.

Some problems still exist in the country as a result of the apartheid era. Strictly speaking, they are fairly serious social, labour and health problems (principally Aids, affecting an estimated 20% of the population), which the two democratic governments in the history of the country (between 1994 and 1999 the President was Nelson Mandela) have tried to tackle with a series of plans and programmes providing water and electricity for the entire population. They are now committed to developing a vigorous programme to fight unemployment.

These problems are distinctly reflected in the population that largely comprises the mainly black lower classes. The middle and upper classes comprise mainly whites (although we were shown statistics indicating clearly that the black sector was slowly but steadily acquiring more purchasing power).

The total workforce is estimated at around 28% of the population. In 2002, the unemployment rate was estimated to be approximately 30%, with nearly 50% of the population living below the poverty line.

The capital of the country is Pretoria, with two million inhabitants. The main financial and business centre is Johannesburg, with more than 4.1 million inhabitants. The legislative body is situated in Cape Town, which has 2.9 million inhabitants, whereas the judiciary is based in Bloemfontein, with 645 000 inhabitants.

It is also important to point out here that the work to improve the infrastructure of roads and airports in the country will be covered by the government in accordance with the country’s development plan, irrespective of whether South Africa is awarded the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The 2010 FIFA World Cup bid documentation states that this plan provides for a total investment of US$825.3-million.

SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THE COUNTRY
General information indicates that South Africa shows a lack of security, but the Inspection Group was not aware of any such claims during the visit, although it was possible to read press reports on some violence in marginal areas during our visit.

Despite this fact, we can say that the people of South Africa were always friendly, very boisterous and constantly celebrating during our visit to the country.

We therefore came to the conclusion that as long as people attending the 2010 FIFA World Cup (FIFA family and spectators) keep within certain boundaries, they should not encounter any trouble.

With regard to organising security for a possible 2010 FIFA World Cup in the country, the Inspection Group received an excellent, comprehensive work schedule from one of the high commanders of the national police, covering stadiums, media centres and main hotels, that will doubtless satisfy every requirement for the event.

After the presentation we concluded that they have enough experience with this kind of event to handle them without difficulty.

We must say that the security business is a flourishing industry in the country.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS
South Africa is the leading country in telecommunications in Africa, and has the most widespread infrastructure and technology on the continent. This sector will certainly continue to undergo enormous development over the next few years.

Facts in this connection are the following: 5 million telephone land lines in South Africa (11% of the population), more than 15 million mobile phones (34% of the population), and more than 2 million regular internet users.

Almost all telecommunications are digital, and all of the venues will be connected by fibre optics.

The opinion of the Inspection Group is that South Africa has an excellent existing capacity to meet every telecommunications and IT requirement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

TRANSPORT

Airports
In this connection, the Inspection Group referred to information in the book "AC-U-KWIK", issued by the Pilots Corporation based in the USA.

There are 10 international airports (Alexander Bay, Bisho, Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Johannesburg, Phalaborwa, Pietersburg and Port Elizabeth).

The Inspection Group used four of these airports (Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town), and we confirm that all four comply with international standards, especially Johannesburg airport, which has won accolades as the best airport in Africa over the past two years

The other airports we used (Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Polokwane and Pretoria) are not currently equipped for taking international commercial flights, as they are military bases or national airports, where chartered planes could possibly land.

Roads
In South Africa the road network is first-rate. There is no problem moving from one town to another, although it is a huge country with enormous distances separating the main towns. Altogether, it has 7 200km of national roads and more than 50 000km of provincial roads.

Seaports
Although there are a number of major ports (Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Cape Town, etc), the Inspection Group did not examine them in detail. Passenger liners can be easily accommodated in these ports, but people are not expected to be arriving via the ports, given South Africa’s distance from other continents and the huge distances between the various ports.

Railways
There are currently 6 000km of rail tracks throughout the country, and train connections between the various towns are good. Only two 2010 FIFA World Cup proposed venues are not connected to the railway network. The country has a strong railway culture.

Public transport in the cities
Public transport is split into four main sections: mini-vans, buses, trains and taxis. A mini-van system is mainly in use for collective transport, taking commuters home while picking up others en route. The urban train network (subway and over ground) is also well frequented and popular in some cities.

HOTELS
The hotel sector in South Africa is first-rate. The Inspection Group confirms that there are enough hotel rooms to accommodate everyone taking part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, including media representatives and fans from around the world, both in the main towns (Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria) and in the other towns suggested as 2010 FIFA World Cup venues (Rustenburg and Bloemfontein). With regard to Polokwane, at the time of our visit, we believe that the hotel infrastructure does not measure up to FIFA requirements.

MEDICAL SERVICES
On the whole, the health system has excellent facilities and perhaps one of the best private health systems in the world, drawing on modern technology and highly qualified specialists and medical staff.

We have to add that there are fully equipped infirmaries with adequate first-aid facilities to meet every need in the stadiums proposed for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Additionally, the Inspection Group was able to visit the Doping Control Laboratory authorised by the International Olympic Committee, in Bloemfontein, and the Sports Institute in Cape Town, where a great deal of medical research is carried out in the sphere of sport.

As regards the general health of the population, the statistics on HIV carriers (an estimated 20% of the population) are indeed worrying, which is why a vigorous preventive campaign is under way, and in this connection, the President of South Africa mentioned his personal concern and that of the government to eradicate this disease.

Finally, the Inspection Group feels it is important to highlight its visit to the Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, which is, without doubt, a world-class establishment for every type of treatment.

STADIUMS
In the opinion of the Inspection Group, if the 2010 FIFA World Cup were to start on the date of submission of this report [30 April 2004], three stadiums in South Africa would easily be suitable for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

They are: Cape Town (Newlands), Johannesburg (Ellis Park) and Durban (King’s Park Soccer Stadium), which have been venues for world events such as the Rugby World Cup.

Furthermore, five stadiums would have to undergo partial refurbishment to qualify as 2010 FIFA World Cup venues. They are: Bloemfontein (Free Park Stadium), Pretoria (Loftus Versfeld), Rustenburg (Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace), Orkney (Oppenheimer Stadium) and Johannesburg (Soccer City).

Additionally, during the visit, the Inspection Group received information that a final choice is expected to be made from among the following stadiums if the 2010 FIFA World Cup is granted to South Africa: Kimberley (Kimberley Stadium), Nelspruit (Mbombela Stadium), Pretoria (Rainbow Junction), Port Elizabeth (Port Elizabeth Stadium) and Polokwane (Peter Mokaba Stadium).

The latter already has a building, but because of the importance of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Inspection Group believes that it would be better to build an entirely new stadium.

The Inspection Group considers that this important investment will be a legacy for future generations in South Africa and will help to continue developing football, plus other sports in the country, due to the fact that they have already a very strong sporting culture.

TRAINING FACILITIES
Since South Africa has a very strong sports culture, many sports centres and stadiums are available (facilities for soccer, cricket, rugby, athletics, etc).

Most of the training facilities are smaller stadiums, technical schools or university centres, and the group does not expect problems for teams in this respect.

The bid programme for upgrading the training grounds is a main part of the strategy to leave a lasting legacy, as the training facilities will have a positive impact on local clubs and communities after the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Most of the pitches must be improved, especially the quality of the grass, as well as some dressing rooms, but there is no doubt whatsoever that almost all basic infrastructure is available and can be easily upgraded to World Cup standards.

CONGRESS & EVENT VENUES
In the opinion of the Inspection Group, South Africa has more than enough facilities to hold all the different events that must be organised for the 2010 FIFA World Cup (preliminary draw, final draw and others).

Concerning the Congress to be organised before the opening game, they have more than one excellent Congress Centre that is perfectly suitable for organising this very important event.

COUNTRY’S COMMITMENT
The Inspection Group believes that South Africa is totally committed to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

This was evident from the meetings held with the President of the Republic, the former President Nelson Mandela, the Speaker of the Parliament, various Ministers, members of Parliament, municipal authorities in each venue, business people and, above all, the various ethnic groups in South Africa, who would stop and show their joy and support of the country’s commitment whenever our group passed by.

BUDGET FOR HOSTING THE TOURNAMENT
Budget analysis. We were able to separate the total expenditure into two items:

0.      Investment in infrastructure

0.      Operations of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Investment in infrastructure (building, renovating stadiums plus training facilities)

Investments in venues US$112-million

Total amount US$112-million

Operations of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Expenditure:

Venue operations US$ 46 453 174

Safety and security costs US$ 36 274 183

Media organisation costs US$ 51 037 772

Transport US$ 13 470 373

Ticketing US$ 8 557 494

Technology solution US$ 8 324 999

Official events US$ 31 926 036

Organisation and administration US$ 47 983 405

Hotels US$ 9 596 986

Advertising and marketing US$ 13 165 376

Support and services US$ 26 714 741

Sponsorship goods US$ 30 000 000

Contingencies US$ 40 550 454

Total amount US$ 364 054 993

Total expenditure in operations has been calculated at US$ 364 054 993 plus US$ 112 000 000 in infrastructure, with a total amount of US$ 476 054 993, but it was not possible to review the manner in which the budgets had been drawn up or to understand completely the policy behind the figures.

We wish to state that income had been calculated under two items:

Ticket sales US$ 467 459 448

Local sponsors and value in kind US$ 73 726 103

Total income was calculated at US$541 185 551

In the opinion of the Inspection Group, the total amount of ticket sales revenue will be very difficult to reach.

This budget was presented with a surplus of US$ 65 130 558. It is import to point out, however, that the organisers have not budgeted for any contribution from FIFA.

STANDARD OF FOOTBALL IN SA
Football is the main sport in South Africa.

To analyse the standards of football in South Africa at international level, we can only refer to the past 12 years, although there is ample evidence that the sport has been played in South Africa since the end of the 19th century.

Despite this fact, which was due to apartheid, we must say that South Africa is one of the leading lights in football in its confederation, both at club and at national level.

We had the opportunity of attending a last-16 match in the Coca-Cola Cup (first-division club tournament organised by the association) between Kaizer Chiefs from Johannesburg and Ajax from Cape Town, played in Ellis Park, Johannesburg.

Considering the home advantage, we saw how many more fans were cheering for Kaizer Chiefs, who went ahead twice only to draw later, but the fans always respected their rivals, who were seated in the same sector of the stadium.

We have to add that the stadium was practically full and there was not one incident of disorderliness or misconduct among the spectators.

Finally, it must be added that South Africa has a great tradition of sports culture, perhaps the strongest in Africa, especially in cricket and rugby, but since the new democratic era, football has overtaken other sports to become the leading sport in the country.

Honours

National team:
World Cup: First phase 1998 and 2002
African Cup of Nations:
Winners 1996
Runner-up 1998
Organisers 1996
Bidding for CAN 2008

Women’s national team:
Runner-up African Cup of Nations 1995

Women’s u-19 national team:
Runner-up African Cup of Nations 2002

Club level:
CAF Champions League: 1995 Orlando Pirates
African Cup Winners’ Cup: 2001 Kaizer Chiefs

Source: FIFA.com