World Cup 2010 Debacle: FIFA Asks America to Stand By to Take Over at Short Notice

[nocilah]

World Cup 2010 Debacle: FIFA Asks America to Stand By to Take Over at Short Notice

It seems that even as the World Cup soccer final match was being played in Berlin, FIFA officials were meeting behind closed doors, discussing how they could rescue the World Cup 2010 if, as they all strongly suspect, South Africa is unable to get its act together. They have already approached the USA to stand by at short notice to take over – although they are likely to wait until after 2007 to make a decision.

yup... don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[reech]

Source?

 

[Freshy-ZN]

Source?

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/0,1518,425957,00.html

 

[nocilah]

Source?

hope you can read German otherwise use babel or google to translate.

Offcourse our media will shy from this story... cuz you know, no one wants to admit that our country is failing in almost everything.

 

[rasputyn]

First it was Germany, then it was Australia, now its America who've supposedly been asked to be on standby....Whose next, Cambodia??

Why cant people realise that FIFA currently have commited to hosting 2010 in SA and just leave it at that. Only when FIFA come out and say "Yes, we have asked X country to be prepared to host the workd cup at short notice because of SA's delays in preparation" will I believe the speculation.

 

[nocilah]

First it was Germany, then it was Australia, now its America who've supposedly been asked to be on standby....Whose next, Cambodia??

Why cant people realise that FIFA currently have commited to hosting 2010 in SA and just leave it at that. Only when FIFA come out and say "Yes, we have asked X country to be prepared to host the workd cup at short notice because of SA's delays in preparation" will I believe the speculation.

oh i am sure 2010 will happen in South Africa - just as i am sure it will be plauged by countless problems which will pretty much embaress our country.

it certainly will not be the greatest world cup ever in terms of organisation - and i will wager on that.

 

[rasputyn]

I agree, the most glaring problem to me right now is the lack of pubic transport infrastructure. I think that this in itself will be the biggest problem the LOC will have to overcome...

One potentially useless hi-speed train does not a public transport system make.

 

[nocilah]

I agree, the most glaring problem to me right now is the lack of pubic transport infrastructure. I think that this in itself will be the biggest problem the LOC will have to overcome...

One potentially useless hi-speed train does not a public transport system make.

well i have heard talk of shuttle services, etc - but I am bit sceptical. usually there is always more talk then action.

if 2010 comes without a hitch and is in fact a succesful and amazing i will eat this post.

but the chances of that are as high as me winning the lotto

 

[bwana]

I agree, the most glaring problem to me right now is the lack of pubic transport infrastructure. I think that this in itself will be the biggest problem the LOC will have to overcome...

One potentially useless hi-speed train does not a public transport system make.

As far as I can see each city is going to need an impressive mass transportation system in place or there is a going to be chaos.

That and stadiums.

 

[rasputyn]

Can I watch if you have to eat it??

 

[rasputyn]

I was watching a thing on National Geographic the other day about the Allianz Stadium in Munich that they built for this WC...

Before and after each match, trains (afaik it's an underground system) arrive and depart 10 minutes walk from the stadium every 2 and a half minutes, on the dot.

The subway stations at Marienplatz (in the city center) and Fröttmaning (the stadium) have both been modernized and extended specially to cope with the flow of visitors to and from the stadium. The U6 line can now cope with 21,000 passengers an hour. At peak times, subway trains will arrive and depart every two-and-a-half minutes.

Extra lanes have also been added to the A9 and A99 freeways in time for the World Cup.

Link

Call me a pessimist but I don't think we'll be able to match that.

 

[icyrus]

There is no hope of us matching Germany in that regard and everyone knows this. Everyone knew this before the Word Cup was given to South Africa. What we need to do is not try and match Germany but try and make it possible without being a nightmare.

At the moment there is no public transport to speak of. I would love to know how the government plans on getting 50 000+ people across town from their hotels mostly in the Sandton area to the stadium during peak-hour traffic on our very unmaintaned roads.

 

[general_koffi]

Call me a pessimist but I don't think we'll be able to match that.

To be fair, Germany is like one gigantic Merc factory in that regard.

We won't be able to match them, but hopefully it won't be a complete horror regardless...

 

[Lord Anubis]

Ever been to a toilet at a large venue like Ellis Park or like Rand Show! Tourists are in for a real culture shock here. What about "africa time". Late gates, late trains, late games, late, late, patience ,patience, patience and a lot of seat wipes, sterile towels etc. Tourists will skyte from "straat kos" Lol 3 day old vetkoek kept warm in a coolerbag hehehe...

 

[Carlhead]

In what are they intending to play these football games again??

I don't know if school football fields are really going to cut it... as I remember those metal stands on the side of the field are pretty un-comfortable and they don't hold all that many people

 

[Lord Anubis]

Yep good luck to those intl fans tryin to buy seat tickets....or tryin to watch it streamed in a hotspot wif a laptop or on a phone or go to the loo wif all your kit. Ever been to a soccer match in SA? Lol its like the most disorganized dangerous thing you can do! I think I'll just watch at home on telly behind my six foot electric fence wif my uzi beside me and mute that blerry fufuzela's torture..

 

[Gatecrasher]

I hope rpm will keep an archive of all these threads. So that we can look back and chuckle once the World Cup 2010 is over.

I still remember the hording run at all the supermarkets before 1994 elections...

And who can forget the run-up to y2k?

How easily disaster "plays" in people's minds.

End of the day. Huge amount of money at stake. Huge amount of money to be made. Who needs government to do anything? The World Cup 2010 will be run by big business as World Cups always have been. Money moves mountains...

 

[Carlhead]

End of the day. Huge amount of money at stake. Huge amount of money to be made. Who needs government to do anything? The World Cup 2010 will be run by big business as World Cups always have been. Money moves mountains...

That's a really good point, however... we still need stadiums

 

[Nanfeishen]

Negativity seems to be the name of the game,- we have a chance to dis-prove so much negativity about this country with the chance to host the world cup, but it seems that we as south africans have reached the point where we are actually starting to believe the negativity about our own country that the press seems determined to instill in us. We live in a country that has one of the most diverse histories and cultures in the world, we emerged form an oppressive regime into a democratic country with ease and the minimum of problems, we hosted the rugby world cup in 1995, and in all my years of living in this country, i never ever felt as patriotic or as proud as the day we won that cup, and considering i dont even enjoy rugby. Personally , i feel we have as a nation lost our sense of patriotism and national pride, and we have allowed the negativity we see around us , the corruption and the crime, to affect us so much that we no longer see any good or anything positive about ourselves, so to all those who feel the need to knock , criticise or condemn our chances for 2010, get a life, be proud and remember we South Africans are always best when everything is at it worst. We have a duty to support the World Cup bid, and we need to stop bitching and do what ever it takes to make this work.

 

[Carlhead]

Negativity seems to be the name of the game,- we have a chance to dis-prove so much negativity about this country with the chance to host the world cup, but it seems that we as south africans have reached the point where we are actually starting to believe the negativity about our own country that the press seems determined to instill in us. We live in a country that has one of the most diverse histories and cultures in the world, we emerged form an oppressive regime into a democratic country with ease and the minimum of problems, we hosted the rugby world cup in 1995, and in all my years of living in this country, i never ever felt as patriotic or as proud as the day we won that cup, and considering i dont even enjoy rugby. Personally , i feel we have as a nation lost our sense of patriotism and national pride, and we have allowed the negativity we see around us , the corruption and the crime, to affect us so much that we no longer see any good or anything positive about ourselves, so to all those who feel the need to knock , criticise or condemn our chances for 2010, get a life, be proud and remember we South Africans are always best when everything is at it worst. We have a duty to support the World Cup bid, and we need to stop bitching and do what ever it takes to make this work.

Alot's changed since 1995... but my point is it's 2006 and no one's done squat!!! Talking about being patriotic etc. etc. where's our government and what the hell are they doing???

I would support the world cup effort, if I felt that anyone was actually putting any effort in.

You talk about our duties as South African's what about the Governemts duties as the leaders of this country? Come on man, you can't tell me you don't see the apathy?

I think by bitching and moaning, people are doing exactly what they think is nessesary to do what is nessesary to make it work... Maybe someone i.e. Government will atually take note (fat chance) and do something.

Time is getting short, it takes years to plan a build a single stadium, which AFAIK is a crucial component when hosting a world cup event.

Edit: And stadiums are probably the least of our problems