South Africa is in the throes of unprecedented euphoria following the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This should come as no surprise given the historic nature of South Africa's hosting of an event of this magnitude, and the fact that the country will be the focal point of the world for the duration of the tournament.
That South Africa was considered to have the capacity to stage the tournament, and appears ready to do so, is plainly cause for national pride.
However, while FIFA will receive more than twice the amount of television licence fees than from the World Cup held four years ago in Germany, South Africa will not receive one cent of those revenues.
The reality is that South Africa has engaged in expenditure that it could not afford and can never recover.
Given FIFA's claims that it is time to give back to Africa, a simple principle should surely follow -- that in conscience, FIFA accepts that it should not take more out of a tournament in Africa than it took out of Germany. An appropriate endorsement of that principle would be for FIFA to commit its enhanced returns in 2010 to the funding of South Africa's new stadiums, thereby allowing for corresponding resources to be spent in areas of critical need.
When South Africa secured the right to host the World Cup, it did so on the basis that, subject to upgrade in certain cases, its established and world-renowned stadiums were adequate. Somewhere along the way, plans to use existing facilities were abandoned, as those in power determined that they should demonstrate that South Africa could build bigger, better, more modern, and more expensive stadiums than any country on earth...
That South Africa was considered to have the capacity to stage the tournament, and appears ready to do so, is plainly cause for national pride.
However, while FIFA will receive more than twice the amount of television licence fees than from the World Cup held four years ago in Germany, South Africa will not receive one cent of those revenues.
The reality is that South Africa has engaged in expenditure that it could not afford and can never recover.
Given FIFA's claims that it is time to give back to Africa, a simple principle should surely follow -- that in conscience, FIFA accepts that it should not take more out of a tournament in Africa than it took out of Germany. An appropriate endorsement of that principle would be for FIFA to commit its enhanced returns in 2010 to the funding of South Africa's new stadiums, thereby allowing for corresponding resources to be spent in areas of critical need.
When South Africa secured the right to host the World Cup, it did so on the basis that, subject to upgrade in certain cases, its established and world-renowned stadiums were adequate. Somewhere along the way, plans to use existing facilities were abandoned, as those in power determined that they should demonstrate that South Africa could build bigger, better, more modern, and more expensive stadiums than any country on earth...
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Craig Tanner @'The Hamilton Spectator'
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