June 11, Friday is a date that will stay in all Africans and also the many soccer fans across the globe being the day when Africa gets to hold the prestigious FIFA World Cup. For eighty years now the FIFA World Cup host nations have alternated between Europe and the Americas Exactly how is the venue for the cup decided upon?Currently, the policy for selection is that any country can bid to be the venue for the World Cup guaranteed that their continent hasn’t hosted it in the past two years making Africa a good candidate. In the 2006 bidding, South Africa against Germany, the final count being 12 votes to 11. For the 2010 World Cup however, all countries that bid were African the top three being South Africa, Morocco and Egypt. South Africa won by four points to Morocco resulting in this unforgettable event. The reasons mentioned are all technical, but you might ask if the country has the ability to host such a huge event? If you’d ask me, I’d say they surely are, here are my reasons:
* Have you seen their team? This fact alone gives them the right to hosting the Cup. Can you imagine having the Cup in a country whos team sucks?What a disgrace that would be! Even if you look back, the soccer teams of countries hosting the cup are usually first class like Brazil (1950), Argentina(1978) and Italy(1990). It would make sense to have South Africa join the list.
* You should see the stadiums- as part of their preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa has constructed four brand new mind-blowing stadiums.One has a detractable glass roof, another with spectacular lighting, then there’s the ‘zebra’ inspired stadium located nearby the many game parks, and finally one that resembles the South African flag. Who could want more?
* Good weather- South Africa is well known for it’s good weather-aside from the wildlife. It will be winter time when the World Football Tournament will take place. South Africa’s winter temperature at midday is warmer than most countries daily summer temperature so no need to worry that your favorite players will get frozen. Lower temperatures have been proved to be better for athlete’s bodies so the average expected temperature of 20 degrees Celsius at 12pm noon will be great. With good weather, we can expect better performance..
* Africa- civilization as we know it has been thought to have begun in Africa and many African coutries hold soccer dear to their hearts. Could you think of a better venu for the world to unite? Also, during the Mandela era, football was a cause of unification and a force for the apartheid resistance. Having Soweto be the venue for the finals will add meaning and make the even even more memorable for the reason that Soweto has been the heart of South African soccer.
The whole world should be happy that an event of this magnitude is being held in Africa for the first time and no matter how many issues regarding safety have popped up in the past four years, I think the 2010 FIFA World Cup deserve to be held in South Africa.
Tags: entertainment, football, recreation and sports, soccer