The 2010 World Cup in South Africa will have implications for Africa
that are likely to extend far beyond the frontiers of the world's most
widely-followed sporting spectacle.
This was the view expressed by Fifa president Sepp Blatter on Thursday
in a New Year message from world soccer's controlling body in Zurich.
"The vision we have of a successful World Cup in South Africa,"
added the Fifa president, "provides a unique vehicle to impact on
improving health issues, education and peace-building on the continent
as a whole."
"In this respect," said Blatter, "the next three-and-a-half
years of preparation in that faces us constitutes a window of opportunity
to mobilise energies in Africa and elsewhere in the football world that
we cannot miss."
And the Fifa president expressed the view that "a successful World
Cup in 2010 will definitely contribute to the fight against racism and
the marginalisation of the African continent."
A long-standing friend of South Africa and a driving force behind ensuring
the country gained the right to host the World Cup, Blatter has reiterated
his confidence in the 2010 tournament proving a success.
At the same time, the Fifa president has expressed some concern that not
enough tangible evidence has been provided that "picks and shovels"
have been put into operation to transform the well-laid plans into reality.
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29 Dec 2006.
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