'World Cup could make SA a crime target'

From IOL

South Africa was already a "paradise" for international crime syndicates - and the 2010 Soccer World Cup would attract even more organised groups, the chief executive of Business Against Crime has said.

The influx of people into the country on business for the event would provide a "very good cover" and "we can expect the problem to increase," Kenny Fihla, said in Durban.

The same had happened in other countries that had hosted significant events. International syndicates had also targeted Germany, the United States and Japan.

"What you do is to prepare well in advance," he said after addressing the Business Against Crime (BAC) KwaZulu-Natal business breakfast.

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The criminal problem is one of the main factors to determine the success of the World Cup 2010. We always listen that the cases of rape, kidnap, murder from news. There are some S. African said that "don't go to there during the tournament because of danger". I hope their government put more resources to tackle such problem.

No plans for stadium's use after World Cup

From IOL

Cape Town still has little idea what the planned R3-billion World Cup stadium will be used for after the 2010 soccer tournament has ended.

After persistent inquiries by Weekend Argus, Cape Town World Cup director Teral Cullen could only speculate that the 68 000-seat stadium could be used after 2010 for conferences, rock concerts and exhibitions - even though the Cape Town International Convention Centre, an excellent conference and exhibition venue, is only about 2km away.

Most rock concerts in the city are held at the Bellville Velodrome which is enclosed.

Cullen said: "We definitely have a business plan which encompasses rock concerts and exhibitions, but it will be a lot more refined than it is now.

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I hope South African government can propose a good plan for stadium's use after World Cup. It is wastage as white elephant after the tournament.

South African drafts World Cup law

From China View

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The South African parliament Friday passed a draft law for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

The law covers a raft of issues from measures to stop unofficial advertising to medicines that will be used during the event.

The bill was passed on Friday and is the final step before being signed into law by President Thabo Mbeki.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Special Measures Bill spells out steps to facilitate the accreditation of foreign medical teams, measures to identify which medicines will be used, and puts controls on unofficial sponsors.

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World Cup Walcott moves down to England Under-21s

From Guardian

LONDON, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Teenage forward Theo Walcott, an unused member of England's World Cup squad under former manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, has been passed over by new coach Steve McClaren and picked for the Under-21s.

Eriksson stunned English football by taking Walcott to the finals in Germany as the 17-year-old had yet to play a senior match for Arsenal since joining them in January.

Moving down a level, Walcott was picked on Wednesday by Under-21 coach Peter Taylor for a European championship qualifier against Moldova at Ipswich next Tuesday.

McClaren, who has said he will do things differently to Eriksson, faces his first game in charge of the seniors a day later in a friendly against European champions Greece in Manchester.

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I think it is a right decision because Walcott is still very young and does not have much experience in top level match. No doubt, he will be the future star in England but he must have more appearance first. I hope he will be loaned to other weaker club(s) in the coming season.

Hargreaves voted England's best player at World Cup

From The Independent

Owen Hargreaves, the Bayern Munich midfielder, has been voted England's best player at the World Cup.

While the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard did not meet expectations, Hargreaves produced several consistent performances in midfield and at right-back.

And the versatile midfielder, subjected to ridicule for much of his international career, has been identified as the most impressive player in Germany in a Football Association poll last month.

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He is worth to be the best England player at the World Cup 2006.

Poll Result

Over half of the voters chose "Italy as the World Cup 2006 Winner" ~~~

Three-way race for World Cup media centre

From IOL

Cape Town may join a three-way race with Johannesburg and Durban to be selected as the main international media centre for the 2010 World Cup.

The chairman of the local Fifa World Cup organising committee, Danny Jordaan, confirmed that Cape Town and Durban had "shown an expression of interest" in the centre - but he said only Johannesburg had come up with a concrete proposal.

Johannesburg wanted to accommodate the centre in the 35 000m² Nasrec exhibition hall, a 15-minute walk from the Soccer City stadium.

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Zimbabwe submits World Cup strategy

From China View

HARARE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe has submitted its 2010 World Cup tourism promotion strategy to the Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) Secretariat, according to the committee's office in Harare on Monday.

The office said only Tanzania and Zimbabwe have submitted their reports.

The views by member states will be used to develop a regional promotion strategy for the 2010 event, the office said. A common SADC strategy will also help the region prepare and it will fully benefit from the grand event to be graced by over 32 nations, it added.

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Free World Cup tickets for the poor: Fifa's plan to fill seats in South Africa

From Guardian

Poor people in South Africa will receive free or very cheap tickets to World Cup matches when the tournament is held there in 2010. Fifa, football's world governing body, is drawing up plans to ensure that ordinary people can experience at first hand an event that many could otherwise not afford to attend.

'We are talking about either giving away some tickets to the local population, which could come from our sponsors' allocation of seats, or having very, very cheap prices for South Africans. Something along these lines will definitely happen,' said a Fifa official. 'We are determined to find ways of ensuring that the host population are not excluded from this huge event on their doorsteps.'
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It is a good news for the poor in African but who afford the income loss ???
FIFA or South Africa Government ????

4000 World Cup items for auction

Do you want to bid your favourite World Cup memorabilia such as Franz Beckenbauer's ties and Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger's boots ?

There are 4000 items which are sold via an auction site:

http://www.dechow.de

Why we failed at the World Cup –Lampard

From VanGuard

FRANK LAMPARD believes Sven Goran Eriksson should have taken striker Jermain Defoe to the World Cup. The Chelsea midfielder is the first England player to reveal what really happened at Germany 2006 in an explosive biography out next month.Although Lampard is full of praise for Eriksson, it is clear decisions were taken that left him baffled — and frustrated.

And those decisions give us the first clues as to why England, and Lampard himself, failed to live up to a nation’s expectations in Germany.Talking candidly and honestly, Lampard:Believes he should have trained harder in the build-up to Germany;

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I agree with Lampard. Sven Goran Eriksson made a wrong decision to select Theo and excluded Defoe. Since Owen was not fit enough, it is a high risk to select a player without any experience in top level match.

Royals wait on World Cup star bid

From Club Call

Reading are still waiting to hear whether their £3.5million offer for Rennes defender John Mensah has been accepted by the Ligue 1 outfit.

The Royals lodged the bid in mid-July, but are yet to receive an official response.

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Even Ghana couldn't enter the last 16 during the World Cup, their players performed quite well. He is a good addition to Reading.