An eye on the ball
The logo and slogan of Egypt's 2010 World Cup bid have been unveiled. Inas Mazhar reports on what the organisers came up with
Egypt's bid to host the 2010 World Cup took a bit of shape on Sunday when the logo and slogan were officially introduced. At the Cairo International Conference Centre, a packed audience of state officials, sponsors and entertainers were treated to the new Egyptian World Cup trademark: the eye of Horus atop a soccer ball.
In explaining the choice, presenters at the ceremony said a team of artists had sought to capture the spirit of peace and harmony among nations, which is mainly what the World Cup stands for, while incorporating Egypt's rich heritage and culture as one of the world's greatest civilisations.
The ancient eye of Horus was chosen because of its significance to Pharaonic history. The eye was believed to have protective powers conveying wisdom, prosperity, unity, wholeness and spiritual ability.
The logo's red, white and black colour scheme represents the colours of the Egyptian flag reflecting modern Egypt's pride in bidding to host the World Cup.
The logo, designed by the Bonus advertising agency, will be displayed throughout the country and abroad for the next 10 months.
The campaign will bear the slogan Uniting People. "We wish to bring the entire world to Egypt, a nation of diversity, peace, glamour and unity," said El-Dahshouri Harb, president of the Egyptian Football Association (EFA). "An event like the World Cup is magnificent. It mobilises children and grandparents, people of all races, colours, religions and countries."
FIFA will announce its selection on 21 May 2004. South Africa, Morocco, Libya and Nigeria are also in the running. FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced last year that an African country would host the 2010 World Cup, the first time the continent is offered the opportunity. Germany will stage the 2006 showpiece.
Speaking to the audience prior to the unveiling ceremony, Minister of Youth Aleieddin Hilal said that hosting a World Cup was the dream of every nation and could become Egypt's reality in 2010. "All Egyptians support the bid, hoping that their country will have the honour of organising the biggest football event in the world and making history by becoming the first African nation to host a World Cup."
Hilal said Egypt had started work on the bid months ago. "Egypt 2010 is on its way. We built the foundation of our campaign and now it's time to announce what we've done so far.
"First of all, our candidature is strong because of our people, organisation and dedication. Secondly, we are working to host an outstanding, unique event which will bring together men and women from around the world.
"That's why the bid's slogan is 'Uniting people', a symbol of our desire to greet the world in Egypt and to stand united behind the passion of football and the dream of a continent. We expect the support of everyone."
The minister said he was proud to present a list of goodwill ambassadors and friends of the candidature "who enthusiastically accepted to be involved in the endeavour and to help promote the bid. Many thanks to all of them. Thanks are also in order to the ministries for their cooperation.
"Our vision and message shall be continuously communicated through the new Web site launched today." The official bid Web site is www.egypt-2010.com.
Egypt 2010 bid President Mohamed El-Siagi said the EFA had set up a 40-man bidding committee whose mission will be to present the Egyptian candidature to FIFA. "It will put in expertise at the service of Egypt 2010, readying reports, organising events and implementing a communications plan.
"I am proud to be working with such a team and sincerely thank all members for their dedication and enthusiasm," El-Siagi said, adding that since last month, all efforts had focussed on preparing the candidature file which will be presented before 30 September to FIFA. "We have received the support of many international experts who were involved in previous World Cups and Olympic Games. Their input is crucial for making our bid more competitive. Through them we learn from past experiences and build on them.
"We know that FIFA's requirements for hosting a World Cup are comprehensive and detailed. Our objective is clearly to demonstrate to FIFA Egypt's ability to host such a major international event," El-Siagi said.
"Hosting the World Cup is a great honour for Egyptians and will be a memorable moment for our people," former ambassador to South Africa and secretary-general of the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, Moushira Khatab, said. "Reaching out to a global population from this land of peace and hosting an occasion that introduces to the lives of our children a new group of role models and championship football players, is indeed an inspiration and a motivation for Egyptian children, not to mention football fans among Egyptian women."
Khatab added that the need for such an event was extremely important. "At a time when the world is going through a transitional period, there's a need for humanitarian dialogue and this is sports."
Mustafa El-Feki, chairman of the People's Assembly Committee for Foreign Affairs, said Egypt deserved to host this major sporting event. "We deserve it simply because wherever we go, we feel our history, but we also feel the future. Egypt is the land of forgiveness, tolerance and national unity. And we give priority to our guests. We are delivering a message all over the world that Egypt is capable of creating a link between humanity and sports," El-Feki said.
