On the socio-political impact of the FIFA World Cup

On the socio-political impact of the FIFA World Cup
Football is the only sport which brings all cultures together. No other sporting discipline can do this. We all hope Nelson Mandela’s dream of attending the opening match at the FIFA World Cup will become a reality. This World Cup will prompt the complete integration of all the people in South Africa.

On the significance of the FIFA Word Cup finals
The thinking behind the FIFA World Cup finals is not simply to organise it where it’s easiest. A World Cup belongs to the whole world, it belongs to all players. So everyone has the right to bid for the tournament, provided certain basic conditions are fulfilled.

On security
We have no doubts whatsoever in our ability to organise a secure tournament. Eleven million tourists visit South Africa every year, so why should people stop coming because it’s the World Cup?

On the South Africa team’s chances of progress at the finals
If they play like they did in Thursday’s friendly, a goalless draw with Korea DPR, they won’t score many goals at the FIFA World Cup. The object of football is to score goals, so if the South Africans intend to progress, they’ll obviously need to score.

On the legacy to Africa
FIFA on its own cannot bestow any kind of legacy. We need support and commitment from governments. Two years ago, we met the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London. They supported us in promoting education and upbringing. They committed to invest USD 1 million in schools and education. In the meantime, many other countries have joined in, including Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, Belgium and Germany. We also initiated the “1GOAL: education for all” campaign, co-chaired by Queen Rania of Jordan. We do need help from representatives of EU countries. We can provide the software, but the hardware has to come from others.

source: (fifa.com )