| 2010: four years later |
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| Written by Ndaba Dlamini | |
| Thursday, 15 May 2008 | |
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Four years ago to the day, South Africa learned that it would host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ - and nothing has been the same since. 
Work at Soccer City is on track
ON the afternoon of 15 May 2004, Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown erupted. Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, had just announced that South Africa had won the bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. Hundreds of people had gathered to watch the live broadcast of the announcement - made in Zurich, Switzerland - on a big screen set up in the square. The noisy buzz of vuvuzelas and the delighted shouts were infectious, spreading the excitement outwards as celebrations began in nearby flats in the CBD and Braamfontein. The city centre came to a standstill as cars hooted and taxi drivers at the Bree Street Taxi Rank performed daring manoeuvres with their vehicles, much to the delight of spectators. Restaurants and pubs in Newtown, most of them flying the South African flag, did roaring business. Beer overflowed and revellers celebrated well into the night. Four years later, Blatter is more determined than ever that the country will be a "magnificent" host for the world in 2010, stressing that he continues to have the utmost faith in South Africa's capabilities to stage the event.
Confidence and trust Blatter added that the world had shown its trust in South Africa, with major global companies and broadcasters investing heavily in the 2010 World Cup, and more companies poised to follow. "I am sure it will be a great, great World Cup and I am happy to be the [FIFA] president at this period of time," he said. Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the South Africa Local Organising Committee (LOC), remembers the time when Blatter opened the envelope and revealed South Africa as the 2010 host as "a special moment". "It was a moment I will never forget for the rest of my life, along with the release from prison of Nelson Mandela. It was a release of emotions, joy and pain, of years of sitting at airports, on the road, on taxis and trains, going to houses and knocking on the doors of members of the FIFA executive committee." The most memorable image of that day is an emotional Nelson Mandela holding aloft the sports world's most famous trophy, saying the moment made him feel "like a young man of 15".
Mandela "We South Africans have to look forward to hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010. This event has the power to break down barriers and unite people around the world in a way that little else does ... "I am proud and honoured that the greatest single-sport event in the world will be staged in my home country on African soil, and I am confident that it will be the best World Cup yet." To commemorate the fourth anniversary of the announcement, the LOC is today hosting 2010 ambassadors Mark Fish, Phil Masinga and Desiree Ellis and other guests in Rustenburg. They are holding coaching clinics for local kids at Mogwase Stadium, and a 2010 FIFA World Cup™ organising team, along with the ambassadors, will play a match against a Rustenburg team. The day will conclude with a dinner aimed at recognising the contributions and efforts made by the host cities in preparation for the World Cup. Work on 2010-related projects in Johannesburg is going on in earnest, with 4 000 new seats installed in the Soccer City stadium, the venue of the World Cup opening ceremony, and the opening and final matches of the tournament. Construction of the massive stadium, to accommodate 90 000 soccer fans, is on track. Several other projects in Joburg are also in full swing in preparation for the event. Related stories: |
