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The beautiful game has come to Africa. With South Africa hosting the month-long 2010 football World Cup, the nation has shown it has come a long way since the dark days of apartheid.
South Africa has hosted various international sporting events since the end of apartheid in 1994, including the 1995 rugby World Cup and crickets 2003 World Cup. However, hosting footballs wildly popular global event being held on African soil for the first time will be something else altogether. If the tournament goes smoothly, it should raise South Africas profile, as the country is already Africas economic powerhouse. The cup should also improve the continents weak image on the whole. Former South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela lobbied hard to bring the cup to his homeland. Interestingly, the flashy stadium in Johannesburg where the World Cup kicked off is not too far from Soweto, the sprawling township considered to be the bastion of the anti-apartheid movement.
The World Cup promises to be a spectacle of colour, drama and hopefully great football. However, South Africas journey to hosting the global event has not been trouble-free. There has been criticism of the country for not having the infrastructure to hold a global sporting event of the cups calibre, while high crime rates are also an issue. In the run-up to the event journalists have reportedly been mugged while cash has been stolen from the Greek teams hotel rooms.
Nevertheless, the South Africans are trying to ensure that there are no major security lapses. Bomb squads are sweeping the venue and thousands of police officers are on high alert. It is a pity that Pakistani football fans will have to root for other national sides as this country does not register very high on the chart of international football. Though the sport is popular here, decades of official neglect have translated into lacklustre performances on the field. Which nation will raise the cup on July 11? That answer will depend on whichever side plays the best football and, of course, the fortunes of the day.
South Africa has hosted various international sporting events since the end of apartheid in 1994, including the 1995 rugby World Cup and crickets 2003 World Cup. However, hosting footballs wildly popular global event being held on African soil for the first time will be something else altogether. If the tournament goes smoothly, it should raise South Africas profile, as the country is already Africas economic powerhouse. The cup should also improve the continents weak image on the whole. Former South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela lobbied hard to bring the cup to his homeland. Interestingly, the flashy stadium in Johannesburg where the World Cup kicked off is not too far from Soweto, the sprawling township considered to be the bastion of the anti-apartheid movement.
The World Cup promises to be a spectacle of colour, drama and hopefully great football. However, South Africas journey to hosting the global event has not been trouble-free. There has been criticism of the country for not having the infrastructure to hold a global sporting event of the cups calibre, while high crime rates are also an issue. In the run-up to the event journalists have reportedly been mugged while cash has been stolen from the Greek teams hotel rooms.
Nevertheless, the South Africans are trying to ensure that there are no major security lapses. Bomb squads are sweeping the venue and thousands of police officers are on high alert. It is a pity that Pakistani football fans will have to root for other national sides as this country does not register very high on the chart of international football. Though the sport is popular here, decades of official neglect have translated into lacklustre performances on the field. Which nation will raise the cup on July 11? That answer will depend on whichever side plays the best football and, of course, the fortunes of the day.
