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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.
It used to be. It's now twinned with Hiroshima. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Sligo Hornet
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by gspain
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?