11 March 2010
The soccer world cup is now just around the corner and it seems that ordinary South Africans are getting more angry at the money spent on the stadiums. They are threatening to disrupt the soccer world cup if their demands are not met.
| Football fans and stars to try out new Cape Town Stadium |
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On Saturday 23 January, 20 000 lucky football fans will get to test the brand new R4.5 billion Cape Town Stadium at the inaugural match of the Cape Town Stadium Soccer Festival.
The match, which is hosted by the City of Cape Town and sponsored by Virgin Active, will be between Premier Soccer League giants Santos and Ajax Cape Town. The twenty thousand tickets that were allocated for the match have all been sold.
“The Cape Town Stadium Soccer Festival affords us the chance to celebrate the ingenuity of the team behind the magnificent Cape Town Stadium, as well as the rich traditions of Cape Town football,” says Ross Faragher-Thomas, Managing Director of Virgin Active, the official sponsor of the Cape Town Soccer Festival.
“The Cape Town Stadium is a venue that should make all South Africans proud, not just those from the mother city, and we at Virgin Active are delighted to play our part in this most historic of occasions.
The schedule for the day is:
14:00 Gates open
Roving podium entertainment
15:20 Official blessing of the field and opening of the stadium
15:30 Musical performance by Freshly Ground
16:00 Ajax Cape Town vs Santos game 1st half
16:45 Vuvuzela orchestra performance
17:00 Ajax Cape Town vs Santos game 2nd half
17:45 Final whistle
17:55 Official trophy ceremony
19:00 Gates close
The match is being used as an opportunity for the operators of the stadium, SAIL STADEFRANCE to test the stadium’s systems and processes by slowly building-up to the full 68 000 capacity in a number of different games before the 2010 FIFA World Cup™event.
Getting there - parking and transport arrangements
The City will provide a free shuttle bus service from the Civic Centre in Hertzog Boulevard to the stadium and back for fans who have not purchased pre-paid parking tickets at the stadium. To use this facility, all fans need do is present their match tickets. Traffic Services and volunteer staff will be on hand to assist with parking and pedestrian access to the shuttle service. The service will run from 12:00 to 19:30 and is within an easy walking distance from the parking areas, which will be in nearby public parking garages and on-street. It is also conveniently located for public transport users of Cape Town Station, Station Deck and the Golden Arrow Bus Terminus. Security will also be provided.
Free secure parking areas will also be available in the Foreshore area, and will be well sign posted.
No parking will be permitted at Cape Town Stadium other than for pre-paid parking ticket holders. This applies also to any buses and minibus taxis that do not have pre-paid parking tickets.
Around the stadium and nearby residential areas extensive no parking restrictions will apply. Any illegal parking will be backed by strict law enforcement.
A helpline has been set up for those who require additional information on the event and can be reached on 021 487 6800.
As these transport and parking arrangements are being tested for the first time on Saturday, the City appeals to all fans to be patient and display understanding.
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21 Jan 2010
Title: Maradona: No 2010 terror attacks
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By Nthambeleni Gabara
Johannesburg - Terror attacks are not a threat to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, says Argentinean head coach Diego Maradona.
Speaking to reporters at Soccer City in Johannesburg, the football legend said he would tell his players not to worry about security when he got back to his country after concluding his five-day visit to South Africa.
"I have only stayed five days in South Africa, but I've realised that the impression about this country was wrong. People are loving and friendly.
"I have no doubt that the soccer world cup will be a success and I will also tell my players not to worry about security, but to remain focused on playing football," he said.
Asked about his impression about the newly revamped Soccer City stadium, the 49-year-old said: "I would have liked to play, but now that my time is over, I will use my efforts to get my team to the final of the tournament.
Before going to Soccer City, Maradona visited Sekelela Secondary School, where he donated his national team jersey to the school soccer team. He also gave the school caps, takkies and two computers.
At Soccer City, he juggled with the ball shortly after he exchanged his number ten jersey with the Chief Executive Officer of the Local Organising Committee, Danny Jordaan.
Maradona concluded his visit at Orlando West High School, a few metres from former President Nelson Mandela's house.
The Argentinean coach arrived in the country on Monday to asses sports facilities in Pretoria to be used by his team during the soccer world cup.
16 January 2010
SAIRR Today: How vulnerable is South Africa’s soccer World Cup to a major terrorist attack? - 14th January 2009
The attack by Cabindan separatists on Togo’s soccer team at the current Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Angola has created some controversy about safety surrounding the soccer World Cup to be staged in South Africa later this year. A number of analysts and newspaper editorials have dismissed concerns at terror attacks in South Africa. Soccer authorities have called the idea ‘stupid’ and one newspaper even went as far as to suggest it was ‘racist’. However there is some evidence to suggest that a risk does exist.
Of course there is very little, if any risk, of those same Cabindan separatists launching a second attack in South Africa. Their dispute with Angola’s government is too distant and too localised. Their attack was relatively amateur and involved nothing more sophisticated than the setting up of a machine-gun on the side of a road.
The terror risk facing South Africa’s World Cup does not originate from such relatively small and isolated rebel and political groups. There are in any case no such groups operating in South Africa. Route and venue security and the saturation policing likely to be employed by the South African police during the World Cup will also leave very little scope for such a relatively small scale ‘machine-gun’ assault to be carried out. South Africa’s security forces have proven themselves to be very adept at securing major events from petty crimes or other amateur security threats.
The terror threat facing the tournament in South Africa is altogether more serious. It revolves around the possibility that an Al Qaeda aligned movement may use the tournament as a platform upon which to launch a massive strike against a Western target in South Africa.
South Africa is particularly vulnerable to such a threat with all the circumstances or pre-conditions to stage such an attack in place.
These include that South Africa’s borders are porous and controls on entry and exit are easily circumvented. It is also relatively easy to obtain fraudulent documents to live and work in South Africa under an assumed name. It would provide little challenge to an Al Qaeda cell to infiltrate any weaponry or personnel into the country ahead of the World Cup. Indeed if a terror attack were on the cards Al Qaeda’s track record in planning suggests that this may already have occurred.
Borders in Western countries and particularly the United States are altogether more difficult to penetrate. Over the past decade border and visa controls have been stepped up dramatically. The fact that there has not been a major terror attack on American soil in almost a decade suggests that these efforts may have frustrated Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda may therefore be particularly drawn to the lax border controls and security on offer on South Africa.
There should also be concern at the capacity of South Africa’s intelligence services to accurately detect and act against such a threat. There is some evidence to suggest that the efforts of these agencies have been turned inwards to fight domestic political battles for factions within the ANC. They may not have their eye on the ball internationally to the extent that they should. Evidence led in the current Jackie Selebi trial also suggests that these agencies have been corrupted. Evidence from that trial includes that South African security agencies showed international intelligence reports to alleged drug smugglers in exchange for bribes. There must also be concerns about the simple ‘capacity’ of these agencies to do intelligence work. On a number of occasions they have been embarrassed by having their operatives and operations publically identified in the media.
Threat detection and mitigation must therefore be left to foreign agencies, many of which probably operate quite freely in South Africa. In part their interest in the country may arise from the concept of an African ‘terror belt’ that extends southwards from Yemen across the Gulf of Aden to Somalia and then down the east coast of Africa through Kenya and Tanzania before ending up in Cape Town. The strong Islamic influence that runs through this coastal belt probably provides ample opportunity for the concealment of terror cells. This is not to suggest that Muslim communities in Cape Town or elsewhere in Africa are actively complicit in such terrorist activities. Rather that terror cells are by their nature secretive and operate as clandestine minorities of the communities they penetrate.
Confidence in the abilities of these Western agencies should also not be exaggerated. American intelligence operatives failed to detect both the 9/11 attacks and the more recent Christmas Day airline bomb scare even though they appear to have had sufficient information to pre-empt these attacks. The recent killing in Afghanistan of several CIA agents by an Al Qaeda triple-agent is a further example of the challenges and miscalculations that beset Western agencies. While many successfully pre-empted attacks may never make newspaper headlines there appears to be a weakness in the ability of many agencies to properly penetrate terror networks and then draw correct conclusions from the information they do obtain.
There is much evidence that the difficulty in attacking Westerners in Western countries has seen Al Qaeda adopt the strategy of rather attacking Westerners in ‘third party’ countries. Other than the bombings of the London underground in 2005, and train bombings in Spain in 2004, most terror attacks of the past decade have been conducted on Western targets outside of western Europe and the United States. A selection of these include:
- The 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people including 90 Australians.
- Bombings in Morocco in 2003 that were targeted at Westerners and Jews and killed over 40 people.
- Suicide bomb attacks on a Western compound in Saudi Arabia in 2003 that killed over 30 people.
- Bomb attacks on western occupied hotels in Jordan in 2005 that killed over 50 people.
- Truck bomb attacks on the British Consulate and HSBC bank in Turkey in 2003 that killed over 60 people.
Africa too has a record of being a stage for Islamist terror networks to strike Western targets as testified to by attacks on embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, the failed 2002 effort to shoot down an Israeli Boeing 757 with Strela surface to air missiles in Kenya, and the 2002 bombing of a holiday resort also in Kenya. South Africans would be naïve to believe that the warm relations that their Government enjoys with many rogue states, proffers them any degree of extra security.
The World Cup will also be a particularly attractive target for Al Qaeda. Estimates range at between 300 000 and 500 000 for the number of foreign tourists who will be in South Africa during the World Cup. This could make the tournament one of the largest gatherings of Westerners outside of western Europe and the United States.
With over 2 billion viewers the World Cup is also the world’s biggest live televised event. It dwarfs any event previously hosted in South Africa. The fact that every global news and press agency will converge on South Africa will greatly magnify the impact of any attack. Such global news coverage is a further factor that would make a terror attack on the World Cup a very attractive proposition for Al Qaeda.
Many of the circumstances that would make a terror attack possible and attractive to Al Qaeda therefore converge very neatly around the World Cup in South Africa in just six months’ time.
That is not to say that such an attack will occur nor that it is even likely. However, if an attack is carried out the diagnosis of why it occurred will be fairly simple, revolving chiefly around the circumstances and factors that this paper has highlighted. Nor is it possible to point to the nature of such an attack except to warn that Al Qaeda has unfortunately demonstrated its capacity both for patience and for highly imaginative planning.
Three weeks ago the Institute told Reuters, in an interview later published in media ranging from the New York Times to ESPN.com, that the Soccer World Cup could come to be regarded as key milestone in changing attitudes about the African continent. It is also the Institute’s view that the risks commonly associated with South Africa’s World Cup, including crime, a shortage of accommodation, and weak transport infrastructure will not adversely affect the tournament. Planning around the tournament appears to have been very effective as demonstrated by the now complete stadiums which are hugely impressive sporting arenas. On this score alone the sceptics about our ability to host the tournament appear to have got it wrong. The World Cup tourist experience of South Africa will be one of the best tourist experiences in the world. In almost every respect the factors that South Africa can control in arranging the World Cup appear to be well under control. But international terrorism is not something over which we have the capacity to exercise much control. In addition one of the most effective assets that any terrorist group can possess is to convince its next target that they are no longer at risk. South Africans should therefore be a little less hasty to dismiss the risk of the World Cup being targeted and realise that the scourge of global terror applies to all societies and particularly under circumstances such as those pointed out above.
- Frans Cronje
7 October 2009
Media Accreditation Deadline Looms for 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw
Only three weeks remain until deadline for journalists to apply for accreditation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw to be held in Cape Town on 4 December this year.
FIFA has issued the following information on the process to be followed and on events surrounding the draw which will be televised live around the world from the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
In addition to the activities highlighted below, Capetonians and visitors can enjoy a day of festivities in Long Street on 4 December in the hours leading up to the Final Draw at 7pm.
A FIFA media accreditation workshop will be held in Cape Town on 22 October 2009. Invitations have been sent out under a separate e-mail.
OC Media Information: Media accreditation for the Final Draw
FIFA is pleased to announce that the accreditation process for media representatives who intend to cover the Final Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa? in Cape Town started on 1 October 2009 via the FIFA Media Channel. The deadline for accreditation applications is 30 October 2009.
The draw event will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in Cape Town, South Africa on 4 December 2009. Media-related information for the draw, i.e. media accommodation, media facilities and activities throughout the draw week will be published on the FIFA Media Channel.
Thereafter, the applicant's information will be subject to a review process by FIFA, the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup, as well as the mandatory security screening conducted by the South African National Intelligence Agency. Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail.
Main media activities during the Final Draw week:
02 December 2009
- 11:00 Media conference following the meeting of the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup at the media centre in the Cape Town International Convention Centre
- 14:00 Mayoral welcome at the Green Point Stadium - the first official event at the new FIFA World Cup stadium
03 December 2009
- 10:00 FIFA Executive Committee meeting on Robben Island
Please note that due to limited capacity, a special registration will be required. Further details will be provided on the FIFA Media Channel in due course.
It was on Robben Island where, for many years, political prisoners had to fight for the right to play football, with men secretly playing the game in their cells with balls made of pieces of paper, cardboard and rags tied together with string. The island's authorities finally gave in, granting inmates the right to play football in 1965. The prisoners then built their own goals and would swap their drab prison garb and play in the colours of their teams on Saturdays. The Makana Football Association was founded on Robben Island in 1969. It was a football association which adhered strictly to the FIFA Statutes and principles and the Laws of the Game. On 18 July 2007 the Makana FA became the first FIFA honorary member association.
04 December 2009
- 09:00 Team seminar (open to TV crews/photographers for the first five minutes) at the CTICC
- 09:00 - 12.00 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bidding Country Media Expo (see details below)
- 19:00 Worldwide broadcast of the Final Draw, followed by a mixed zone and a Host City exhibition
05 December 2009
- 10:00 - 11:00 Opening of the first Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha
- 12:00 - 18:30 First World Press Day at the CTICC to provide media with first hand information on the preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup? and the host country
- 19:00 World Press Day Media Party
2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bidding Country Media Expo
Within the context of the Final Draw, FIFA has organised a media event in which the 11 bidders for the 2018 and/or 2022 FIFA World Cup (Australia, Belgium-Netherlands, England, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Mexico, Qatar, Spain-Portugal, Russia and the USA) will be able to present their bids to the international media. This event will take place at Workshop 17 (V&A Waterfront) from 09.00-12.00 on 4 December 2009 and will include interview opportunities with representatives of the bidders. Media transport will be arranged from the media hotels and the CTICC to Workshop 17.
Please note that this event is independent from the Final Draw and that a separate media accreditation will be required to access the event. The accreditation procedure for this bidders media event will be conducted via the FIFA Media Channel, where a specific accreditation form will be available from 1 October to 30 October. More information will be published on the FIFA Media Channel in due course.
For further information on the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, please visit the competition's official webpage on FIFA.com
FIFA Media Channel
Media representatives who have not already registered for the FIFA Media Channel can do so at media.fifa.com
The FIFA Media Channel is the primary communication channel between FIFA, the local organising committee of each FIFA competition and the media. This password-protected online service is designed to provide media professionals with details on activities, including press conferences, team training sessions and other media resources, information on competition media facilities, including stadium media centres (SMCs), ticketing, FIFA and LOC media contacts, and any special media announcements.
Approval to access the FIFA Media Channel does not mean you have been granted accreditation. The media accreditation process for any FIFA competition requires the completion of an accreditation form via the FIFA Media Channel that is specific to the event.
Historic live concert in Soweto to usher in the FIFA World Cup
Bringing together the two universal passions of football and music, the first FIFA World Cup™ on African soil will welcome tens of thousands of fans with a momentous concert on the eve of the competition. To this end, FIFA has appointed Control Room, a producer of global live entertainment events, to create, organise and produce the Official Kick-Off Celebration Concert for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
Featuring major African and international music artists, the concert will be staged at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto/Johannesburg on 10 June 2010, the day before the world's most-watched sports event kicks off. Control Room, organisers of global-spanning live music events including Live Earth, will announce the line-up of performing artists as well as ticketing information at a later date.
All net proceeds from the concert will be donated to "20 Centres for 2010", the Official Campaign of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ which aims to build 20 centres across Africa offering education and healthcare services as well as football training to disadvantaged communities.
6 October 2009
FIFA Interactive World Cup 2010 kicks off
FIFA, along with Presenting Partners EA SPORTS and PlayStation, today (6 October) announced the start of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2010 (FIWC10) season. The sixth edition of the world's largest football gaming tournament provides virtual athletes from around the globe the unique opportunity of competing in an official FIFA World Cup. The FIFA Interactive World Champion 2010 will be decided at the Grand Final in Barcelona, Spain on 1 May 2010, for which players can qualify online or at live qualifier events. The winner will receive USD 20,000 and "a money can't buy" experience of attending the FIFA World Player Gala, where they will mingle with the best football players in the world.
"More than half a million players vied for a spot in the Grand Final of last year's FIFA Interactive World Cup. This makes it the FIFA tournament with the most competitors," said Chuck Blazer, a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and the patron of the FIFA Interactive World Cup. "The FIWC is becoming more and more popular among all age groups and the great thing is that everybody can participate. Players can face each other whenever they want and wherever they are - this is truly unique."
FIWC is becoming more and more popular, and the great thing is that everybody can participate. Players can face each other whenever and wherever - this is truly unique.
Chuck Blazer, a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and the patron of the FIFA Interactive World Cup
Over the next seven months, thousands of players from around the world will compete against each other on EA SPORTS™ FIFA 10 on PlayStation®3 online or at one of the ten live qualifier events that will be held across the globe in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa and the UK. For the first time ever, the online qualification will be split into two separate seasons, with the first season running from 2 October through to 18 December 2009, and the second season running from 4 January through to 31 March 2010. In addition, there will be 21 Grand Final spots up for grabs in the online qualifiers as a result of a staggering 515,000 entrants last year.
Players interested in participating in either the online qualifiers or one of the live qualifier events will find all information on how to register as well as in-depth reports and stories around the tournament on the official website, www.fifa.com/FIWC.
"With the real-life football season already underway, FIFA fans the world over are itching to show off their skills in this year's FIFA Interactive World Cup tournament and they won't be disappointed," said Matt Bilbey, VP Marketing, EA SPORTS. "The FIFA development team in Vancouver has worked incredibly hard to give players the most authentic football gaming experience ever with FIFA 10. With the game launching today, we're excited for players around the world to start their journey to the top of the FIFA Interactive World Cup league on the PlayStation 3."
"The FIFA Interactive World Cup 2009 was a truly incredible tournament, with over half a million people competing, many of which via PlayStation Network," said Darren Carter, VP for Brand and Consumer Marketing, SCEE (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd). "The FIWC is a great example of what can happen when you take one of the world's best-selling games, mix it together with the world's favourite games console and open it up to the community. We are very excited about this year's tournament and wish everybody competing the best of luck."
The 31 players to successfully qualify for the Grand Final via the live qualifier events (10) and the online qualifiers (21) will come up against last year's FIWC champion - Bruce Grannec from France who has automatically qualified for the Grand Final and will be aiming to become the first player to retain his title.
7 September 2009 Monday
Ghana became the first country in Africa to qualify for 2010 after winning Sudan 2-0 in Accra
4 September 2009 Friday
The world cup seems to face a accommodation problem, a new plan at overcoming the accommodation problems is at hand where they will take the tourists around the country in 17 hour round trips.
3 September 2009 Thursday (update)
A Brazilian delegation for the 2014 FIFA world cup is currently in South Africa to see how South Africa prepares for the 2010 FIFA world cup. Governor of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, Blairo Maggi the leaders fo the delegation said that Brazil has already started working on their own plans and preperations for the 2014 World cup.
3 September 2009 Thursday
Irvin Khoza had something interesting to say today, he said:
People are saying this World Cup is a defining moment in the history of this country and what is disappointing me is that I'm not feeling this World Cup
amongst some other things.
As I wrote about on Tuesday there was a lot of volunteers from all over the world, today I've learned that country with the highest volunteers was Nigeria, the game with the highest number of volunteers was obviously the final game.
Sentech has announced today that the Comtech EF Data's DVB-S2 CDM-710 broadcast satellite modems were selected as part of the digital broadcast infrastructure for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Sony Ericsson had a press release today:
Sony Ericsson brings excitement to the fans for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™
03 September 2009
Sony Ericsson is launching a host of fan focused activities for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, providing everyone with interactive ways to enjoy the action
London – September 3rd, 2009 – Today, Sony Ericsson announced the launch of its Extra Man campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. The campaign aims to deliver the ultimate football experience to all World Cup supporters across the globe, made possible due to Sony Ericsson’s unique position as Official Mobile Handset of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Reflective of how the media landscape has changed and new ways that people now consume their media, Sony Ericsson will ensure that handsets will be at the heart of the first social networking and media sharing World Cup. From now until June 2010, Sony Ericsson aims to reward all fans with exciting activities both before and during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ enabling fans to create and share their own content. This will be either at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ itself, through the website sonyericsson.com/extraman or directly through Sony Ericsson handsets – experiences that fans can only enjoy exclusively through Sony Ericsson.
Sony Ericsson’s commitment to enhance the fan experience at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ supports the company’s realigned brand strategy, which aims to build a fun, playful and inclusive interaction with consumers.
“Our aim is to provide all fans of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ a rich and diverse experience including giving away tickets to 2010 FIFA World Cup™ matches. All of our marketing investment will be used to enhance and improve the fan experience as we believe this is an absolute priority. We will be working closely with our colleagues at Sony to make this happen and help fans realise their dreams,” said Stephan Croix, Head of Global Marketing Partnerships, Sony Ericsson.
The centrepiece of the fan focused mission will be the launch in 2010 of a unique football application which will deliver the best football experience on a handset. This will provide fans with instant access to football action videos from the best action from the World Cup qualifiers and the friendly games in the lead up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, football news and games. Fans will also be able to share all their football moments directly with their friends using social networking site applications built into the handset. Further details will be announced in due course.
Launching today is the action-packed website – sonyericsson.com/extraman – the home for all fan content needs, will host WorldCupedia, the world’s very first football focused search engine with content accessed through Kosmix. This impressive new application will arm fans with all the football knowledge they could ever need. The site will also let fans view highlights from FIFA World Cup™ qualifier matches, iconic moments from past tournaments and enjoy exclusive football content and football mobile downloads. From Canada to Australia, Russia to the UK, Sony Ericsson will ensure football followers can experience the very best moments of past FIFA World Cups™ at their fingertips.
Sony Ericsson’s commitment to providing fans with exciting football focused activities has already seen the launch of the Golden Ticket promotion, which offers consumers, from France to Mexico, Taiwan to Australia a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to follow their team all the way at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa.
“We are in a unique position to provide fans with more ways to support their team, be heard and get involved. By listening to these fans, Sony Ericsson will be able to energise and innovate their experience, becoming the channel for fan-generated opinion and content on a global scale”, continued Croix.
Sony Ericsson is the Official Mobile Handset of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, which arose through Sony Corporation, as the Digital Life Partner of FIFA. Sony Ericsson agreed to sub-license the category from Sony Corporation and the agreement includes all FIFA events until 2010 including the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa. The Digital Life category includes mobile handsets as well as consumer electronics, professional and broadcast AV and other equipment, personal computers, movies, music and gaming.
Notes to Editors:
The Golden Ticket promotion will be running in various regions across the world, including the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Legal
© Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, 2009.
The liquid identity and liquid energy are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. “ SONY” and “make.believe” are trademarks of Sony Corporation.
Ericsson is the trademark or registered trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson.
About Sony Ericsson:
Sony Ericsson is a top, global industry player with sales of around 97 million phones in 2008. Diversity is one of the core strengths of the company, with operations in over 80 countries including manufacturing in China and R&D sites in China, Europe, India, Japan and North America. Sony Ericsson was established as a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London.
About FIFA:
For more than 100 years, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, founded on 21 May 1904 in Paris and better known as FIFA, has continued to provide the essential leadership role to the international football family. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the eighth FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter guides the organisation today with a commitment to the evolution of FIFA as a modern and dynamic association. The basis of the world’s football family is formed by FIFA’s members. From the founding seven, the family has today grown to 208 affiliated football associations, also organised into six confederations spanning the globe.
FIFA’s worldwide activities go well beyond touching the world through its various competitions, such as the world’s biggest single-sport event, the FIFA World Cup™. In football development projects such as the FIFA GOAL Programme as well as in corporate social responsibility activities (including the Football for Hope movement to support through football social and human development) FIFA makes material, financial and promotional contributions to develop the game and to build a better future. For the Game. For the World. To find out more about FIFA and its initiatives please check out FIFA.com.
About the FIFA World Cup™:
The FIFA World Cup™ is the world’s governing body of football’s flagship event, occurring every four years with the best 32 nations of the six confederations battling it out for the ultimate prize in football – the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy. The brainchild of the third President of FIFA, Jules Rimet, the FIFA World Cup™ was first staged in Uruguay in 1930 and emerged decades later to be the biggest single sports event with a cumulative audience of more than 26 billion TV viewers in more than 200 countries over the 64 matches. In 2010, the 19th edition will be held for the first time on African soil.
The road to South Africa 2010 began in Samoa in August 2007 and from there the road is criss-crossing the globe before its final destination, South Africa in 2010. 203 teams have entered the race for one of the 31 available places in the FIFA World Cup™ final tournament with host South Africa automatically qualified. Even champion Italy must qualify to defend their title. Follow all the action and experience the triumphs, tensions and tears of qualification on FIFA.com, world’s football’s home on the worldwide web.
2 September 2009 Wednesday
Last night the BRT system that is supposed to get the tourists to their football destination was shot at, two busses were shot at by taxi drivers and they aimed for the drivers.
In the one bus there was two people injured, they were hit by bullets. This cant be good for South Africa's image and tourists seeing this might think twice before coming to South Africa for the 2010 football world cup
Tuesday 1 September 2009
Lots of people volunteered for the 2010 soccer world cup and they do need a lot of volunteers but not 68 000, that is the total number of volunteers that opted in for the biggest soccer event of the year.
Monday 31 August 2009 (part2)
Today IOL reported that
Some 70 000 construction workers could be out of work by the end of the year when the majority of the country's 2010 projects are expected to be completed.
With just four months to go until most of the workers' contracts expire, the Campaign for Decent Work Towards and Beyond 2010 has called on the government to intervene.
That sure is a storm in the waiting. 70 000 jobless stadium builders will be a problem for the world cup. Imagine working for so long on the stadiums and getting the free tickets but then comes the last day of work where the contracts expire and the word of the day is jobless.
I think there will be a pretty upset bunch of axe and weapon bearing 2010 soccer stadium builders in December.
Monday 31 August 2009
It seems like the BRT system will be ready for the 2010, to my surprise as well. The minister of transport and other ministers has promised war on the taxis if they try to stop the BRT.
The travelers (actually they are some group but i cant get to the name now) that use the taxis and transport also stood behind the BRT and told the taxis to stop holding them for ransom and threaten all kinds of things. They also said they need reliable transport that's on time.
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Turns out taxpayers will be paying for the 2010 soccer world cup stadium generators, more than R200 million is need to ensure that the soccer stadiums will have electricity during the games, the Minister of Energy said that FIFA requires all stadiums to have backup electricity in the form of generators.
“The government expects ordinary electricity consumers to pay the account for the back-up generators for which R200 million was budgeted. The money will be paid through the increased tariffs payable by consumers, i.e. ordinary people on the street. Financial gains which will be derived from the soccer tournament, will however not go to ordinary taxpayers but into the pockets of FIFA and the soccer community,” Dr. Corné Mulder, Chief Whip of the Freedom Front Plus said.
“Municipalities however are also carrying an extra financial burden because network layouts will, according to the Minister’s answer, be re-configured so that, should there be a shortage of power, the stadiums will not be affected by load-shedding during the World Cup Tournament. Expenses for these changes are being carried by municipalities. The Tshwane Metro Council already owes Eskom nearly R400 million for electricity which it purchased and sold on to consumers. If the Metro is now already behind in payments for power, it can be expected that the debt will increase. Should the national government bail the Metro Council out, the money will once again come from taxpayer’s,” Dr. Mulder
The Freedom Front Plus is therefore opposed to the application of Eskom which it will be submitting to Nersa next month in which it will be asking for a further 40% increase in tariffs as this increase will place money in the pockets of FIFA and the soccer community.
So ordinary South Africans will have to pay for generators that enables FIFA to make more money, whenever someone wants to make money from FIFA which is the brand and we discussed yesterday they get sued but it is unfair however that citizens have to pay up for a "brand" to make money from "their" games and tournaments.
Tuesday 25 August 2009 - 289 days, 3 hours, 46 minutes and 29 seconds to go before the FIFA soccer world cup starts in South Africa. I decided today that this will be the official Fromtheold 2010 soccer world cup blog page so bookmark this page for updates.
Not much has happened that has to do with the soccer that you cant really see in the news. Same old story but there is this one thing. That is the BRT system that has to be in place before the soccer starts. FIFA has said that if South Africa cant manage to organize the transport they will get transport themselves, so South Africa only has 289 days to sort this out.
The taxi industry still threatens chaos if the BRT system goes ahead and we have not hears much lately about that except the other friday when they opened it and there was chaos and traffic.
The taxi industry wants full control of the BRT system.
On another note,a few days ago there was these people that made keyholders, the keyholders contained a soccer ball and the year 2010 on it, FIFA then threatened to sue them because of they are stealing their brand or something. I thought that was a bit mean of them, on the other hand they have this event that is their entire business, they only have it once every 4 years and it surely needs to be protected otherwise they might not be able to make enough money to hold it. But i'm sure that's not the case.
They did however say the 2010 Soccer world cup belongs to everyone, to all South Africans so i guess they cant really blame people for wanting to make a bit of money from it. There are ways to make money from the 2010 soccer world cup but you have to make sure that you dont use someone else's brand.
