BBC2 Now!!!

[Saint_Charlie]

God I'm not sure I want us to qualify for SA :eek:

Louis Therous documentary on Jo'Burg right now.

[CJTheGull]

Yeah saw it myself last night - pretty grim alright and that's from someone who's from Bray :D
Can't see how a government and a (lack of) police force can seriously expect to protect tens of thousands of football fans arriving in a country as poor and as desperate as that. Have always had my doubts about South Africa's ability to host the tournament and no I am not being racist just stating the facts. Good friends with a South African and he says the place is a mess.

[as_i_say]

yeah they've been speculating about this for quite a while now. I heard something about Germany being on standby for it.

[shakermaker1982]

missus has told me I won't be going after Louis confirmed that South Africa is a little on the dangerous side. I kept shouting out "it's not bad......." and then Louis went and interviewed that serial killer who car jacks people for a living.

[lopez]

Exactly. I was saying I'm too old for this lark etc. to the missus. Truth is my a*se would shiver if I had to go there. :eek:

The series was in Philly last week (anyone see the undercover cop with the Ireland baseball cap? Cooool!). I'd go to Philadelphia no problem. J*s*s, I've watched Ireland in Washington DC which is worse. But I think I'll give Joburg a miss. Is Theroux going to Rio or Sao Paulo, too?

[Blue Bear]

While we're on the subject of t.v., did anyone watch Sky Sports after the Everton-Villa match yesterday? Dermott Gallagher sitting in the studio wearing an FAI tie. A cunning new business venture by the association perhaps? (not as dangerous as Jo-berg obviously!)

[Sligo Hornet]

Exactly. I was saying I'm too old for this lark etc. to the missus. Truth is my a*se would shiver if I had to go there. :eek:

The series was in Philly last week (anyone see the undercover cop with the Ireland baseball cap? Cooool!). I'd go to Philadelphia no problem. J*s*s, I've watched Ireland in Washington DC which is worse. But I think I'll give Joburg a miss. Is Theroux going to Rio or Sao Paulo, too?

You'll be fine!.......isn't Joburg twinned with Hemel Hempstead!;)

[Reality Bites]

missus has told me I won't be going after Louis confirmed that South Africa is a little on the dangerous side. I kept shouting out "it's not bad......." and then Louis went and interviewed that serial killer who car jacks people for a living.

That Criminal / Serial Killer was a seriously reprehensible character truly frightening, so too were the Vigilante groups.. all in all very bad PR for South Africa - parts of J'Berg seemed to be more like a post apocalyptic Mad Max style society..

[gspain]

I didn't see the programme but you cando a hatchet job on any place. There was a guy shot dead a couple of hundred yards from where I work last night.

I've friends who were there this summer and had a fantastic time. I know more going on the Lions trip next June.

I think it will be fine.

Having said all that it is a bit early to give them the World Cup and FIFA may come to regret giving it to a country without the infrastructure to host it properly.

[tetsujin1979]

The series was in Philly last week (anyone see the undercover cop with the Ireland baseball cap? Cooool!). I'd go to Philadelphia no problem. J*s*s, I've watched Ireland in Washington DC which is worse.Was in Philadelphia in September for a few days, didn't think it was rough, but I was staying fairly central.
Was in DC last year, likewise, didn't think it was dodgy in the least, but again I was staying very central

[noby]

I didn't see lastnight's one, but in Philly it was particular areas of the city - not the kind of places you'd find yourself strolling through if you're over there as a tourist.

[redobit]

Ya. SA is a dangerous spot they say.

A guy I know was telling me that him and his mate were out in town in one of the bigger cities. Everytime they wanted to move pubs they had to wait at the bar door until two cops and an alsation dog escaorted them to the next pub.

[Sligo Hornet]

Ya. SA is a dangerous spot they say.

A guy I know was telling me that him and his mate were out in town in one of the bigger cities. Everytime they wanted to move pubs they had to wait at the bar door until two cops and an alsation dog escaorted them to the next pub.

Sounds like a normal friday or saturday night in Watford!;)

[Paddy Garcia]

I didn't see the programme but you cando a hatchet job on any place. There was a guy shot dead a couple of hundred yards from where I work last night.

I've friends who were there this summer and had a fantastic time. I know more going on the Lions trip next June.

I think it will be fine.

Having said all that it is a bit early to give them the World Cup and FIFA may come to regret giving it to a country without the infrastructure to host it properly.

I was in Joburg, and my hosts for part of the time, the Red Cross, would not allow me to travel around at night in the area we were staying, felt there was a high risk of car jacking & violence in getting back to the hotel!

Many of the homes are fitted out like high security prisons. Dublin can be rough, but in fairness no comparison. Life can be very cheap over there. Also many fans will return having lost their wallets.

[Irish_Praha]

Another major problem is that 30% of the adult population is infected with HIV. I can imagine that being a big disaster, drunken weak-willed football fans away from home. All the cities will be swarming with hookers. The fan might bring more than just a tan back with them.:eek:

[Claret Murph]

Good friends with a South African and he says the place is a mess.



Maybe they will move the world cup to one of the ajoining countires

Zim could be interesting ;)

[Sligo Hornet]

Maybe they will move the world cup to one of the ajoining countires

Zim could be interesting ;)

Yeah.....imagine the queues at the ATMs.....loading $Z 500,000,000,000 into your wheelbarrow so you can buy a bag of cans!;)

[Noelys Guitar]

Was in Philadelphia in September for a few days, didn't think it was rough, but I was staying fairly central.
Was in DC last year, likewise, didn't think it was dodgy in the least, but again I was staying very central

I live just outside of Philly. Most parts of the city are fine. Lived here on and off for 8 years and have not had one problem. Mind you the city did have 400 + murders last year. 80% of those occured in SW Philly. And Camden New Jersey which is the other side of the Delaware river from downtown Philly is the most violent place in America. Maybe it is the same in SA.

[Partizan]

I know a Ghanaian taxi driver who lived in SA for a few years and confirmrd that the place is lethal. He was mugged at gun point twice in Jo'burg and Cape Town and said told me there was no way Africa is ready to host an event of this magnitude. He said maybe Egypt but thats it.

[Paddy Garcia]

I live just outside of Philly. Most parts of the city are fine. Lived here on and off for 8 years and have not had one problem. Mind you the city did have 400 + murders last year. 80% of those occured in SW Philly. And Camden New Jersey which is the other side of the Delaware river from downtown Philly is the most violent place in America. Maybe it is the same in SA.

I really don't think you can compare the States with SA. I was at a conference in Cape Town, which is pretty safe, and at least a dozen delegates were mugged, one girl by a guy with a huge knife - she jumped on the next flight home - totally freaked her. She's not planning to attend for the footy! Lots of similar stories.

I imagine any naive Irish fans would be very welcome (& I don't just mean from the 2nd home perspective!).

Have a friend who was entering his house as he was approached by a mugger with a gun. A security guard shot the mugger in the head from across the road & killed him - the body was laying on the pavement for about two days before it was removed. Freaked him too!

Having said all of that, it is a fantastic place with warm friendly people, great food and amazing sights - one of my best trips abroad - just need to be careful out there.

Endabob lived out there & will have a sensible view......

[pineapple stu]

I imagine the biggest problem is that everyone in SA knows the World Cup is coming - if there's problems there now (and there are, and I agree with the earlier post that you could show Dublin in a bad light very easily), they'll likely multiply during the World Cup when thousands of (relatively) rich, drunk, western tourists arrive.

[lopez]

You'll be fine!.......isn't Joburg twinned with Hemel Hempstead!;)It used to be. It's now twinned with Hiroshima. :D

I knew this bloke from South African. I think he lived in a middle class mixed race area of Jo'burg, with mixed race policemen as neighbours, even though he was white. He thought he was safer in Jo'burg than the part of Hemel he lived in. :confused:

[Newryrep]

I would imagine the Authorities will flood the place with security ala China olympics or possibly Argentina 78 in order to give a good impresson of their country. They will not want x million tourists spreading word of mouth tales of violence. Whether this gives a sanitised version of SA remins to be seen but I am sure the package operators are rubbing their hands in glee.

[MariborKev]

I've been lucky enough to visit South Africa a number of times in recent years, and indeed watch football when I'm there.

Are there parts of J'Burg which are dodge? Undoubtedly

The Eastern Cape is probably the safest area, but most of the games are up round Limpopo etc. Once you get out of Joburg you'll be fine. They are well used to protecting tourists coming to Kruger etc.

Seriously, if you want to worry about it, don't go.

[Fergie's Son]

If Mandela dies before the WC then I think there will be even more mayhem as their moral barometer will be lost. I think they could host the actual matches themselves but I would be very concerned with fan safety outside of the actual matches themselves. I must admit that I have very little interest in going to SA.

[newrynyuk]

I think it will be fine.

Having said all that it is a bit early to give them the World Cup and FIFA may come to regret giving it to a country without the infrastructure to host it properly.

Sadly true. This is Sepp Blatter's payback to the African countries who voted him into power 10 years ago. SA were meant to get the 2006 World Cup until the Oceania vote abstained at the last minute. So Blatter introduced the World Cup continental rotation specifically so Africa would get 2012. Now that SA has it, the rotation has been abandoned. Cynical stuff.

Even more cynical was the English FA's switching their vote in that 1998 FIFA presidential election from Lennert Johannson to Blatter because Johannson supported Germany's 2006 World Cup bid (as did all of UEFA) over England's. And you thought the FAI was incompetent?