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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 March 2000 Issue No. 473 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 March 2000 Issue No. 473
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Focus Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Africa blowing hot and cold
When Frenchman Jules Rimet suggested the organisation of a world football championship every four years, his idea was to spread football among the nations of the world, besides achieving personal glory, of course. However, had Rimet known that the issue of who would have the honour of hosting the World Cup would turn into a veritable war, he would certainly have thought twice before making his historic suggestion.
Hosting the World Cup has become a privilege sought by each and every nation for the enormous benefits to be accrued: worldwide exposure, business, tourism and even political advantages.
Africa has yet to host a World Cup, even though several of its countries have proven they can play the game just as skilfully as their European and South American counterparts. Until very recently the explanation for the continent being passed up for the grand event was that it had few capabilities which would allow it to be a successful host. However, the African countries bidding for the 2006 World Cup, Morocco and South Africa, now appear to have the right economic stuff. And according to the continental rotation system, it is Africa's turn to host the finals which have previously made the rounds in Europe and North and South America and will be organised in Asia in 2002.
Moreover, FIFA President Sepp Blatter backed Africa's bid during his electoral campaign last year. But Blatter was apparently paying lip service to win the continent's votes in the elections for he made an abrupt about-face on 28 January when, on a visit to Germany, he showed clear support for the Germans. "The DBF (Germany's Soccer Federation) is the best organised federation in the world," Blatter said, describing Germany's bid with a high jump metaphor. "They have placed the bar at 2.20 metres and few people can jump that high."
The same Blatter, while on a visit to South America in mid-February, declared that Brazil, also in the running, deserved to host the event because its national team had topped FIFA's monthly rankings for the past six years -- although the criteria do not necessarily have much to do with field performance. Several past host countries, most notably Uruguay, Mexico and more recently, the United States, are not or were not world powerhouses in the game when they staged the tournament. It is noteworthy, however, that shortly before Blatter's comment, Brazilian football legend Pele said his country would be unable to host the World Cup due to economic problems.
Blatter's yes-and-no to Africa could be understandable for he has been the object of an intense campaign by the European press for his support of the continent. Unfortunately, mismanagement on and off the field in the recently concluded African Cup of Nations (ACN) gave the FIFA boss a golden opportunity to break clean of his African backing once and for all. The three-week event was marked by crowd violence, organisational miscues and the three-day detention in an army camp of the Côte d'Ivoire squad on its return to Abidjan after failing to qualify for the second round.
But Mustafa Fahmy, general-secretary of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), said that Africa's bid to stage the World Cup for the first time is still on track. "We do not think anything that happened in the ACN has affected Africa's bid," Fahmy told the Associated Press during the championship.
Despite Fahmy's announcement, Europe seized on the ACN disarray and launched a series of vicious stereotypes: Africa is uncivilised, unpredictable, unsafe and unfit to host soccer's showcase event.
Security, or the lack of it, might bring about Africa's downfall, for one of the main issues on the agenda when FIFA's 24-member executive committee meets in July to decide which country is to host the 2006 World Cup, will be security. Walter Gagg, FIFA's technical director, said as much when he declared following the ACN tournament: "This cannot work in favour of the image of the whole of African football, in this tournament or tournaments in the future." It was music to the ears of both Germany and England, another World Cup hopeful.
South Africa is currently busy trying to convince FIFA delegates that they won't be kidnapped, mugged or raped each time they step out of their hotel in Johannesburg. Its slip-shod organisation of the 1999 All-Africa Games showed all too clearly that it still needs many years to host an event like the World Cup. On the other hand, Morocco's crime rate is low, the infrastructure is adequate and it has experience in bidding, having practiced the art in 1994 and 1998, in which it lost against the United States and France respectively. Just as important, Morocco is smack on the Mediterranean, making it, unlike South Africa, easily accessible. Morocco's proximity to Europe will also ensure thousands of fans day-tripping cheaply and easily from countries like Italy, France and Germany.
Recently, Morocco received the thumbs-up sign from a six-man FIFA delegation led by US Football Association President Alan Rothenberg. "Compared to the two previous inspection missions by FIFA in 1994 and 1998, Morocco has made great progress in the area of sports infrastructure and roads, and has also plans for numerous other projects," Rothenberg told AFP.
Blatter previously said he favoured South Africa, but if his past U-turns are any indication, his 24 March visit to Morocco might witness the same empty platitudes being pronounced in favour of Rabat.
