Football's biggest names made plenty of positive noises in South Africa
last week. Having presided over the World Cup 2010 qualifying draw in
Durban, Fifa president Sepp Blatter has been upbeat to the point of euphoria
in talking up the country's preparations. Even Franz Beckenbauer, who
a year ago appeared to be a naysayer, has been quoted as saying that everything
is just dandy down here.
Talk, however, is cheap. For a real insight into the country's preparedness
for such a massive undertaking, I was lucky to catch up with another Kaizer,
the former Leeds and Kaizer Chiefs star Lucas Radebe. He had made his
way from Durban to Johannesburg for the annual Soccerex exhibition and
convention.
Although there were other luminaries of African football in attendance
such as Ghana-born French star Marcel Desailly and Liverpool goalkeeping
legend Bruce Grobbelaar, it was fascinating to see the response of the
South Africans attending the conference to Radebe's appearance.
He was mobbed by delegates and in hot demand when it came to media commitments.
And it's easy to understand why when one considers the ways in which Radebe's
career exemplified much of the good and some of the very bad of South
Africa's football story.
He grew up with 10 siblings in the stressful apartheid era township of
Soweto, found a way out by playing football but nearly lost his career
when he was shot in the street, he thinks by someone who didn't want him
to transfer to another club.
He arrived at Leeds United in 1994 as part of a deal also involving striker
Phil Masinga and went on to become a legend at the club _ even inspiring
some young Leeds musicians to name their band after his South African
club side.
By the time his 70-cap career with the Bafana Bafana came to an end, Radebe
had been showered with humanitarian awards and could also claim a close
personal relationship with Nelson Mandela.
He is just the sort of character who should be working as a figurehead
for World Cup 2010, yet has been somewhat bafflingly frozen out of the
team's preparations.
Thanksfully, Soccerex provided him with a forum, even if it is effectively
a global football business-to-business event. Radebe appeared at events
which opened and closed the three-day event at the Sandton Convention
Centre and spoke generally positively about all things 2010.
The journalists present were fully aware, however, of the
tumultuous nature of his early life in South Africa and that further provoked
an ongoing debate about the state of security in this country. Austrian
and German TV professionals spoke angrily about the murder of former Austrian
football Pieter Burgstaller _ shot dead when he was robbed on a private
golf course in Durban _ and the theft of briefcases containing valuables
from two Fifa officials, one former German star Oliver Bierhoff, while
they were in Durban.
Their anger was directed more at Mr Blatter's ''it could happen in any
country'' comment, as well as his comment that the killing had not involved
a World Cup draw delegate. That echoed the response by the country's police
commissioner who insisted that the he and his team could in no way be
held responsible for the incidents, despite his public pronouncement that
nothing would happen in Durban.
Readers of newspaper The Citizen were not convinced.
''Every flight into South Africa should include a pamphlet warning about
the hazards tourists are about to face,'' wrote one in Tuesday's paper.
Another said: ''Warning to World Cup 2010 tourists: Stay away from SA.
You are not safe here.''
Of course South Africa's organising committee has been working hard to
dispel such negative comments. Yes, it is common knowledge that the country
has a terrifying crime rate, with 50 people dying violent deaths each
day, but it would appear from the professionalism shown at the draw in
Durban and by the hosting Gauteng Province at Soccerex, that massive resources
are being thrown at the project.
So much so that Mr Blatter was moved to say ''Now there's no doubt that
the 2010 World Cup will be here, will be a big success.''
For that to be the case, the organisers need to keep Fifa _ partners in
the preparations _ as sweet as possible. With that in mind, Mr Blatter
will have been extremely disappointed at a government initiative announced
this week.
At the weekend in Durban, Mr Blatter told journalists that governments
should not interfere with sporting events and associations.
Two days later, President Thabo Mbeki signed into law a Sports Ammendment
Bill which makes provision for the government to intervene in sports matters.
Under one of the bill's clauses, even Mr Blatter is subject to the control
of the minister of sport.
Various organisations have warned that the Act violates the IOC Charter,
Fifa Statutes and those of international sporting federations. To no avail.
Perhaps now Mr Blatter will change his tune.
,
December 02, 2007
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