Dear Fifa ... South Africa clicks!
4 November 2003
As the Fifa inspection team wraps up its seven-day evaluation of the country's readiness to host the 2010 Football World Cup, ordinary South Africans are taking to the Internet to let football's world governing body know why they think SA should win the right to bring soccer's global showpiece to Africa for the first time.
Messages are starting to build up on the Dear Fifa
Internet message board on SouthAfrica.info, the South African web portal of the International Marketing Council of SA, a public-private body mandated by President Thabo Mbeki to promote the country to investors, tourists and any citizens out there who may be suffering from homegrown "Afro-pessimism".
The five-man Fifa delegation brings its whirlwind tour of SA's soccer centres to an end on Wednesday with a visit to Robben Island having inspected footballing facilities in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Durban, Port
Elizabeth and Cape Town.
And if the team has being doing its homework, it will have pored over the three-volume, 1 000-plus-page, six-kilogram Bid Book handed over to Fifa in Zurich, Switzerland last month.
But if they still need any convincing, perhaps they should log on to www.southafrica.info/2010, where supporters of SA's 2010 bid have been exercising their powers of persuasion with brevity and wit.
Brett from Johannesburg posts the following recipe for Fifa: "Mix in: 1 Cricket World Cup 1 Rugby World Cup 1 Africa Cup of Nations 1 All Africa Games 1 AU Summit 1 UN Sutainable Development Summit 100s of top class hotels 1000s of stunning tourism venues a whole lot of awesome stadia many tons of passion for the game
and
you've got South Africa 2010!! We can do it!"
For Themba Ngobese from Midrand, it all comes down to South Africans' passion for the game: "For myself and millions of other South
Africans, soccer is our number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 sport."
Dudu Nyamane, also from Johannesburg, reckons that "enough has been said about our world-class infrastructure. About 40% of our people are unemployed. Hosting the next World Cup here will not only feed and educate a multitude, it will position this country as an ideal global partner for foreign investment a sustainable development strategy."
More than one posting takes a swipe at New Zealander Charles Dempsey, whose abstention from the previous Fifa vote saw South Africa missing out on the 2006 World Cup to Germany by one vote.
Jamaal Smith from Rockey Street, Yeoville, says South Africa is the place "because we've got the Right Stuff just ask Becks he'll tell you just ask Oprah she'll tell you just ask Bono he'll tell you just ask Michael Jackson he'll tell you just ask Arnold Schwarzenegger he'll tell you just don't ask Charles Dempsey he'll abstain from telling you."
Skhu Xinwa (Jozi)
also refers to Dempsey in his multi-lingual posting: "Dear FIFA Ag maan
we are the best mos! No one can gooi the best show on earth like we do or kanjani? Ask the ICC, WRB, CAF, UN, AU, Commonwealth and Ghaddafi, as well. Even Dempsey knows it! So bring on the world, we are more than ready to welcome and give them a lekker jol here eMzantsi."
According to SouthAfrica.info webmaster Colin Hossack, the message board will keep running until Fifa announces its decision in May next year by which time, he hopes, it will have swelled far beyond the 70-odd messages it has registered in the last past five days.
"You never know with an online campaign", he says. "Once it takes off, it can grow very quickly in a very short time. Our Happy Birthday Madiba message page cruised along steadily until 18 July, the actual day of Mandela's 85th then 10 000 messages were posted in the space of 24 hours, and the Mandela Birthday Book ended up with over 17
000 postings, an incredible number for any Internet message board."
It's also the quality of postings that counts, says Hossack; the Mandela birthday messages were rich with creativity, and the Dear Fifa messages show all the signs of matching that.
So, Heidi Reynders of Pretoria offers Fifa a simple formula: "We've got infrastructure + systems + technology + possibilities + economic growth x rainbow nation = South Africa Viva South Africa!"
There's some overseas backing too. David Nell of New Jersey, USA, writes: "The world deserves to see Africa at its best. Please bring the world cup home to the cradle of mankind."
Then Molo, from Cape Town: "This country has seen more development than is actually shown in media overseas. Its people have overcome the roughest of history in the most admiring way. Let South Africa show it to the world, 10 years after it was born."
And from the same neighbourhood, Colin Boyes of the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce:
"Why South Africa? 1. Proven track record in succesfully hosting world cups in rugby and cricket. 2.Africa's time to host the premier soccer event has arrived. Failure to acknowledge this would deny that it is a true 'world cup'. 3. The commitment of a united South Africa to ensure its success."
Back in Johannesburg, Yvonne writes: "As Madiba wowed you, I am sure our President wowed you and that every South African you have met has wowed you. We are a wonderful nation, eager to prove to the world that we can put on the very best show in 2010. We are Alive With Possibility, and unquestionably up to the challenge. We support our team."
Andre Venter comes in from another angle: "Dear Fifa, being Afrikaans, I was brought up with rugby and boerewors BUT I have also grown to love the sport of soccer the skill, the players and the vibe! I remember what the Rugby World Cup did for our nation
and what we did for it
We've got an awesome spot over here and even better
people!"
And for KC from Mamelodi, "it goes without saying. South Africa has what it takes.
Tlisang World cup mo rena. Khanti ke eng ka lena? [Give us the World Cup. Whats wrong with you guys?] Anyway sharp."
To post your own message, visit 2010 World Cup South Africa.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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