Media "walk out" as WC Organiser fail to arrive on time

[Nod]

to be fair, Khoza did pay those backtaxes

Only because he got caught.

 

[ToxicBunny]

I can almost guarantee you he didn't pay back absolutely everything he should have... there would have been some deal or agreement and some politcal wrangling... That for me is a bigger problem than these ppl actually stealing the money in the first place, its when they get caught, there is always some political connection that interferes. The politicians need to be wrapped over the knuckles in a big way when things like that happen imo.

 

[IamCanadian]

Quote from Khoza today:

“So, contrary to reports that the World Cup may be awarded to Australia, that will not happen. At one stage Fifa even said we were moving too fast and we were told slow down.”

More propoganda.

Also:

“We need to humbly apologise for what happened (on Monday). This is the first time such an unfortunate event has occurred and it will not happen again.”

Buddy, at this level of international business and sport your apologies are useless. Why don't you just say that this is Africa and that is the way we do things around here.

Can you imagine being a fly on the wall watching Khoza and his misfits squirm while be slapped down by FIFA head honchos telling them that they had better get their act together and stop behaving like rank amateurs, something akin to what Bafana Bafana is like.

Also this damning quote from the same article:

Horst Schmidt, the general secretary of the German Football Association who has been appointed by Fifa as a consultant to the 2010 World Cup, said he had decided to stay in SA as a sign to the media that he was also contrite over Monday’s events.

The fact that this guy Horst now says he has decided to stay in SA is a sad testimony to the incompetence shown with this media event. The South Africans have to be spoon fed by this German to get things done. Good grief!




http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/SpecialReports/2010WorldCup/Article.aspx?id=325369

 

[RichardP]

Why is when someone is caught out in a lie, its a 'Smear Campaign' .. cant they just accept the mistake and move on!... the next one is Telkoms ... The Papi Smear

 

[IamCanadian]

Brand South Africa suffered serious damage when local 2010 Officials stood up the International Media

...........................After waiting for nearly two hours, the large contingent of international and local media decided to stage an unprecendeted walkout, many of them mouthing unprintable words as they stormed out of the conference room.

Comments German Branding Guru, Dr Nikolaus Eberl: "This incident comes only days after Brand South Africa suffered a significant setback, when the latest Nation Brand Index (NBI 3/2006) listed South Africa 32 out of 36 countries surveyed - barely a year after the country had earned a respectable 22nd ranking in the NBI ratings. It appears that the world is becoming increasingly critical of a brand(South Africa), that not long ago was heralded as a shining example of successful transformation and a symbol of hope."

"As with any business, the success of the product ‘Soccer World Cup’ will be determined by how well the client will be served, not the supplier. This is why the German Football Association went out of their way to make the clients of the world cup the winners – the spectators and the people who delivered the world cup beyond the stadia, the media, without whom the world cup would be a non-event."

"In fact, Germany went as far as creating Media Clubs at all venues, to cater for any need a journalist might have in reporting the games. The German government and the German Football Association went out of their way to cater for the media’s every need."

"In the run-up to 2010, the media will the key stakeholder in determining South Africa's brand image. As such, they deserve the full respect and consideration of the local organising committee. If there is one lesson from the 2006 World Cup, it is that the host's brand image ultimately depends on successful media cooperation."

Dr Nikolaus and co-author Herman Schoonbee published “The IziCwe Code: Internal Branding” in 2005 (Academy Press, foreword by Reuel Khoza), which was recently critically reviewed by President Thabo Mbeki in his Letter from the President; using “the analytical tools contained in The IziCwe Code”, the President issued the challenge to government leaders to “generate the kind of commitment that will ensure that …our government at all levels … can be trusted to honour the brand promise!”

More of the same. Not looking good folks. Maybe SA is taking on more than it can chew. Time will tell.

http://www.freepressreleases.co.uk/Press_Releases/Sports/2010_Media_Snub_erodes_South_Africa's_Brand_Image_200611241945/

 

[feo]

More of the same. Not looking good folks. Maybe SA is taking on more than it can chew. Time will tell.

http://www.freepressreleases.co.uk/Press_Releases/Sports/2010_Media_Snub_erodes_South_Africa's_Brand_Image_200611241945/

Well apparently they were having a meeting of their own in their hotel or wherever...but yeah you're right it's not pretty when the ORGANISING committee are late.