Patrick Omorodion
11 May 2008
Ever since Africa backed Joseph Sepp Blatter to clinch the position of FIFA President, the Swiss-born administrator has never hidden his love for the continent.
Two years ago after he came on board as president, Blatter almost nicked for the continent when he lobbied to see that the 2006 FIFA World Cup came to Africa through South Africa but for the conspiracy of just one man.
Charles Dempsey, delegate for Oceania from New Zealand had the mandate to give his vote to South Africa if she went into the second ballot with any European country. With England knocked off, South Africa and Germany were left in the fray.
For an odd number FIFA Executive Committee, the number stood at 12-11 for Germany with Dempsey's vote hoping to tie the vote at 12-12 had he voted as instructed by his Confederation. At that stage Blatter would have cast his vote to break the ice and all knew it would have gone the way of South Africa.
Blatter was not a happy man from that exercise. He had earlier warned Africa to team up and give support to one candidate, Morocco or South Africa but preferably South Africa who had an edge but they wouldn't as Morocco battled on until she lost out after the first ballot.
After the 2000 exercise, Blatter used his position to convince members of the Executive on the need for the World Cup to be rotated among the continents, so that event could go through all the regions of the world to make a truly World Cup, especially as Asia had taken its turn through Korea/Japan in 2002.
Blatter had his way and it was agreed that the 2010 World Cup would go nowhere else but Africa and it was left for the continent to decide who is best to host it. Again Morocco popped up as a great challenger for the bid with others like Nigeria, Egypt and Libya also making attempts but everyone knew that South Africa having lost the 2006 edition narrowly to Germany, deserved the bid.
Since 2004 when South Africa got the nod to host the World Cup in 2010, Europe has never hidden their disgust for the idea with their media spinning negative reports about South Africa to prove that FIFA made a mistake by giving them the nod to host the event.
From insecurity to lack of financial muscle by the government, readiness of facilities and fans' apathy for football, the European media have constantly lampooned the idea of a World Cup in Africa.
For each criticism, the South Africans have always debunked the claims with Blatter coming in to defend the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as if with the last drop of his blood.
On the rumoured news that an European country has been placed on standby in case South Africa fails, Blatter said there was no such plan, stressing that "plan B is South Africa and plan C is South Africa" to reassure Africans.
As he defends the idea for an African World Cup, so he breathes the neck of Chairman Irvin Khoza and CEO Danny Jordaan.
Various visits by Blatter and other members of the Executive members of FIFA have continued to reassure them that South Africa will not disappoint in 2010.
Just in April Bafana Bafana Brazilian coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira quit his job of rebuilding the South African national team for both the Confederations Cup in 2009 and the World Cup in 2010 due to his wife's ill health. That decision seemingly jolted FIFA which is particular about the kind of team the host will present that year. It helped in the first place to contract Parreira to handle Bafana.
Parreira, it was reported, helped contact his compatriot and coach of Flamengo, Joel Santanaq to replace him. Santana arrived Johannesburg on Wednesday to begin work.
Like his compatriot, he is expected to earn a fat salary in the range of about R1.5 milion( about N27 million) per month for the 30-month period his contract would last.
FIFA has however warned him that he should get started with the job and build a solid team that will go as far as the quarter finals if not the semi finals of both the Confederations Cup and World Cup finals.
Secretary General of FIFA, Jerome Valcke was in Johannesburg in continuation of the monitoring process and expressed the world body's concern over the departure of Parreira, stressing that FIFA expects Bafana Bafana to get at least to second round of both events they are hosting. "We would like to see the host nation of major events such as the Confederations Cup and World Cup to get to at least the quarter finals or semi finals. That would keep the interest going in the host country.
It would not be good if Bafana were knocked out in the early rounds of either the Confederations Cup or the World Cup. That is why we hope the coach (Santana) will succeed with Bafana and make sure South Africa produces a competitive host team for the events," he told journalists at a conference.
Like his boss in FIFA, Valcke also expressed confidence in South Africa being able to host a 'great' World Cup, stressing that they at FIFA are not worried with negative reports about South Africa from the European media particularly, Britain
According to Valcke, ":there is nothing we can do about the negative reports. I do not know where they come from. We will prove all doubters wrong. "Believe me, this World Cup will be a huge success. All our reputations are on the line. We are happy with the way things are running.
On transportation, one of the areas the European press are hyping, he said " I am confident all the stadiums will be ready on time, plus all the roads leading to and from the stadiums as well as the transport needed will be in place on time".
Because FIFA fears that a likely change in government might disrupt the plans for the World Cup, Valcke visited Jacob Zuma, president of the ANC who is likely to succeed Thabo Mbeki for reassurance which he got. "Zuma assured us he would maintain the status quo in the LOc and it would be in the interest of everyone if it is so".
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