June 11, Friday is definitely a momentous date in all soccer fans calenders especially Africaans as being the date when Africa has the chance to host the famous FIFA World Cup. The Americas and Europe have had the priveledge of hosting the FIFA World Cup for the past 801 years. Just how is the location for a FIFA World Cup decided? The latest selection policy is that any country can bid for the world cup as long as their continental confederation hasn’t hosted it in the past two years which makes a Africa very eligible. South Africa nearly won the 2006 bidding against Germany with a final tally of 12 votes to 11. For the 2010 World Cup however, all countries that bid were African the top three being South Africa, Morocco and Egypt. South Africa won by four points to Morocco resulting in this unforgettable event. The reasons mentioned are all technical, but you might ask if the country has the ability to host such a huge event? Personally, I’d say “definitely”, these are my reasons:
* I love their team- it’s a fact, the definitely deserve to hold the cup. Wouldn’t holding the Cup in a country who’s team isn’t even that good be a total let down? Even if you look back, the soccer teams of countries hosting the cup are usually first class like Brazil (1950), Argentina(1978) and Italy(1990). If South Africa was added to the list, nobody would mind.
* Perfect stadiums- South Africa’s preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup included the construction of four new stadiums. Their designs include : a detractable glass roof, beautiful lighting, zebra like seats, and the South African flag. What more could you ask for?
* Good weather- South Africa is well known for it’s good weather-aside from the wildlife. It will be winter time when the World Football Tournament will take place. Not to worry though, your favorite players won’t end up freezing to death since the winter temperature in South Africa is warmer than most countries summer temperature! The average temperature will be around 20 degrees Celsius at 12pm noon.Lower temperatures are known to be better for athlete’s bodies.Good weather equals higher tempo.
* It’s in Africa- what could be a better place for the world to unite than in the very place that civilization is said to have begun?And the place where soccer is in the heart of every African?Soccer in South Africa has in the past been a cause for unification and a force for apartheid resistance during President Mandela’s era. Having Soweto be the venue for the finals will add meaning and make the even even more memorable for the reason that Soweto has been the heart of South African soccer.
Despite any controversies in the past four years regarding safety, in my opinion,South Africa is the perfect place for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the whole world should be very proud that this is the first time that a sporting event of this magnitude is being held in the continent.
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