Galaxy of stars for Final Draw
3 December 2009
South African Academy Award winner Charlize Theron will be the guest presenter assisting Fifa secretary-general Jérôme Valcke during the Final Draw for the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ at the Cape Town International Convention Centre at 7pm local time (CET+1) on Friday.
They will be joined on stage by a star-studded line-up of sports celebrities, including football star David Beckham, one of only a few players to score in at least three consecutive Fifa World Cups, two-time Olympic gold medallist and nine-time athletics world champion Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, Makhaya Ntini, the first black player in the South African cricket team, John Smit, the captain of rugby world champions South Africa, and Bafana Bafana player Matthew Booth.
Zuma, Tutu, Mandela
South African President Jacob Zuma and Fifa president Sepp Blatter will welcome the audience at the beginning of the 90-minute live show.
Guests on the day will include Nobel Peace Prize winners FW de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as football icons Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, Eusebio and Roger Milla.
Former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela, one of the architects of the first African World Cup, will address the audience by video message.
The majority of the 32 coaches of the qualified teams are expected to be present at the Draw.
TV audience of 200-million
"This is a very important event for football and Africa as the Final Draw comes to Cape Town, where an unprecedented six teams from the host continent will be represented," Valcke said this week. "We expect a record global audience, which I hope will be glued to their screens for the duration of the show."
The Final Draw will be beamed live to an estimated audience of more than 200-million people in more than 200 territories. It has attracted unprecedented worldwide interest and an onsite presence of 2 000 invited guests and more than 1 700 media representatives.
It has taken a year of preparations, 3 600 hours of manpower and 5 000 hours of production to put together the Draw show from the stage to the actual performances. This includes a world premiere with a handmade 3D animation of the official mascot Zakumi, enabling the animated Zakumi to interact live on stage with the presenter during the show.
Grand finale featuring 80 artists
Grammy award-winners Soweto Gospel Choir, Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo, and one of South Africa's most successful solo musicians, Johnny Clegg, will perform alongside the Jazzart Dance Company.
The grand finale will feature 80 artists, including internationally acclaimed musical ensemble Africa Umoja. African beats will echo through the Draw, while the show will reach a fitting climax at the moment when the 32 teams discover who they will be playing and when.
A compilation of poignant films will serve as a taster of the upcoming tournament, scheduled from 11 June to 11 July 2010, including a journey through Fifa World Cup™ history and features on the host country with all its remarkable offerings for fans.
The programme will be hosted by popular South African presenter Carol Manana on a giant 4 800m square metre stage constructed from 6.5 tons of steel, 1 600 square metres of printed material, a 1.2-kilometre long steel handrail, and some 950 square metres of timber.
Source: Fifa.com
