The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament. It is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.
This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. Italy are the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.
Africa was chosen as the host for the 2010 World Cup as part of a policy to rotate the event among football confederations (which was later abandoned in October 2007). Five African nations placed bids to host the 2010 World Cup:
Following the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee not to allow co-hosted tournaments, Tunisia withdrew from the bidding process. The committee also decided not to consider Libya's solo bid as it no longer met all the stipulations laid down in the official List of Requirements.
After one round of voting, the winning bid was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter at a media conference on 15 May 2004 in Zürich. South Africa was awarded the rights to host the tournament, defeating Morocco and Egypt.
Tunisiawithdrew on 8 May 2004 after joint bidding was not allowed
Libyabid was rejected: bid did not meet the list of requirements and joint bidding was not allowed
During 2006 and 2007, rumours circulated in various news sources that the 2010 World Cup could be moved to another country.Some people, including Franz Beckenbauer, Horst R. Schmidt and, reportedly, some FIFA executives, expressed concern over the planning, organisation, and pace of South Africa's preparations. However, FIFA officials repeatedly expressed their confidence in South Africa as host, stating that a contingency plan existed only to cover natural catastrophes, as had been in place at previous FIFA World Cups.
Qualification
As the host nation, South Africa qualified automatically for the tournament. Nonetheless South Africa participated in World Cup qualifiers because the CAF qualifiers also served as the qualifying tournament for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. They were the first host since 1934 to participate in preliminary qualifying. As happened in the previous tournament, the defending champions were not given an automatic berth, and Italy had to participate in qualification.
The qualification draw for the 2010 World Cup was held in Durban, South Africa, on 25 November 2007.
List of qualified teams
The following 32 teams qualified for the final tournament.
Countries qualified for World Cup Country failed to qualify Countries that did not enter World Cup Country not a FIFA member
This is the first World Cup that does not include any teams that are qualifying for the first time, although two of the qualifiers (Slovakia and Serbia) have previously appeared only as parts of former competing nations. Slovakia was previously part of Czechoslovakia, and Serbia has competed as part of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. In both cases FIFA considers these teams to have retained the earlier nations' records.
Controversy surrounded final qualification matches played between France and the Republic of Ireland, Costa Rica and Uruguay and Egypt and Algeria in November 2009.
In the second leg of the play-off between France and the Republic of Ireland, French captain Thierry Henry, unseen by the referee, illegally handled the ball in the lead up to the winning goal, which saw France make the final 32 teams ahead of Ireland. The incident caused widespread debate on how matches should be refereed at the highest level. FIFA rejected a request from the Football Association of Ireland to replay the match, whilst a widely reported later request by Ireland to be included as an unprecedented 33rd World Cup entrant was later withdrawn. Costa Rica complained over Uruguay's winning goal in the CONMEBOL–CONCACAF playoff,[9] whilst Egypt and Algeria's final match was surrounded by reports of crowd trouble.
In response to the incidents during qualification, and to a match fixing controversy, on 2 December 2009 FIFA called for an extraordinary general meeting of their Executive Committee. After the meeting, FIFA announced that they would be setting up an inquiry into technology and extra officials in the game, but they did not announce the widely-expected move of fast-tracking the introduction of goal-line referee's assistants, already being trialled in the Europa League, and instead restated that the competition in South Africa would be officiated as before, with just one referee, two assistants, and a fourth official. On the subject of fair play, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said:
I appeal to all the players and coaches to observe this fair play. In 2010 we want to prove that football is more than just kicking a ball but has social and cultural value...So we ask the players 'please observe fair play' so they will be an example to the rest of the world.
The Lukasrand Tower in Pretoria sporting a football in anticipation of the world cup
Five new stadiums have been built for the tournament, and five of the existing venues are to be upgraded. Construction costs are expected to be R8.4bn.
In addition to the stadiums being built and upgraded, South Africa is also planning to improve its current public transport infrastructure within the various cities, with projects such as the Gautrain and the new Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) titled Rea Vaya. Danny Jordaan, the president of the 2010 World Cup organising committee, has said that he expects all stadiums for the tournament to be completed by October 2009.
The country is also going to implement special measures to ensure the safety and security of local and international tourists attending the matches in accordance with standard FIFA requirements, including a temporary restriction of flight operation in the airspace surrounding the stadiums.
The readiness of this African nation to host one of the biggest events in a sports that is worshiped by millions has received positive response from FIFA. FIFA has rated the readiness of South Africa at eight on a scale of 10 with the hope that they would be completely ready before the matches actually start.
Construction strike
70,000 construction workers who were supposed to be working on the new stadiums walked off their jobs on 8 July 2009. The majority of the workers receive R2500 per month (about £192, €224 or $313), but the unions allege that some workers are grossly underpaid. A spokesperson for the National Union of Mineworkers said to the SABC that the "no work no pay" strike will go on until FIFA assesses penalties on the organisers. Other unions threatened to strike into 2011. The World Cup organising committee downplayed the strike and expressed confidence that the stadiums will be ready.
Transport
Major road networks have been improved to cater for the expected influx of people coming to the country who will be travelling to and from the match stadiums. The Gautrain (underground rail network) will be complete in time for the opening game, but only limited lengths of the route.
Major metros have also updated their current public bus systems to cater for visitors. Websites such as Vaya Nathi have been created for host city visitors to view bus route information in host cities.
Final draw
The FIFA Organising Committee approved the procedure for the Final Draw on 2 December 2009. The seeding was based on the October 2009 FIFA World Ranking and seven squads joined hosts South Africa as seeded teams for the Final Draw. The committee also approved the composition of the other pots as well as the procedure for the final draw. Pot 2 was composed of teams from Asia, Oceania, and North and Central America and the Caribbean. Pot 3 included teams from Africa and South America. Pot 4 had the remaining European teams.
Hosts South Africa were automatically positioned as A1; the other seeded teams were drawn into the other groups B–H, but were always in position 1 of their group. Groups were drawn from A to H and the positions in the group were drawn for Pots 2 to 4. Geographical criteria also were respected, meaning that no two teams from the same confederation were drawn in the same group (except European teams, where a maximum of two will be in a group); i.e., South Africa cannot play the African teams from Pot 3 and Argentina and Brazil cannot be drawn against the three remaining South American teams. The first two African teams drawn from Pot 3 are placed with Argentina and Brazil. Similarly, hosts South Africa may not be paired with any of the other African nations (also placed in Pot 3).
As with the 2006 tournament, each team's squad for the 2010 World Cup consists of 23 players. Each participating national association must confirm their final 23-player squad by 1 June 2010. Teams are permitted to make late replacements in the event of serious injury, at any time up to 24 hours before their first game.
At the knockout stage (including the final), if a match is level at the end of 90 minutes, extra time of two periods (15 minutes each) will be played. If the score is still level after extra time, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout.
Latest dismissal in a match without extra time: 90+3 minutes – Antar Yahia – Algeria against USA
Latest dismissal in a match with extra time: 120+1 minutes – Luis Suárez – Uruguay against Ghana
Least time difference between two yellow cards given to the same player: 3 minutes – Kaká – Brazil against Côte d'Ivoire (Kaká was booked in the 85th minute and again in the 88th resulting in his dismissal.)
The total prize money on offer for the tournament was confirmed by FIFA as $420 million, a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament. Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million. Thereafter, the prize money would be distributed as follows:
In a first for the World Cup, there would also be payments made by FIFA to the domestic clubs of the players representing their national teams at the tournament. This would see a total of €26 million being paid to domestic clubs, amounting to just over €1,000 per player per day.
This was the result of an agreement reached in 2008 between FIFA and European clubs to disband the G-14 group and drop their claims for compensation dating back to 2005 over the financial cost of injuries sustained to their players while on international duty, such as that from Belgian club Charleroi S.C. for injury to Morroco's Abdelmajid Oulmers in a friendly game in 2004, and from English club Newcastle United for an injury to England's Michael Owen in the 2006 World Cup.
Mascot
Zakumi, the mascot of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
The official mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is Zakumi (born 16 June 1994 (1994-06-16)(age 15)), an anthropomorphisedleopard with green hair, presented on 22 September 2008. His name comes from "ZA", the international abbreviation for South Africa, and "kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.
Zakumi's birthdate coincides with a day known and celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa and their second group match. The year 1994 marks the first non-racial nationwide elections in South Africa. He will turn 16 in 2010. Andries Odendaal, from Cape Town, created the original character design.
Zakumi's official motto is: "Zakumi's game is Fair Play." The motto was seen in the digital advertisement boards during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and it will also appear at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
A contract for the manufacture of Zakumi figurines was awarded to a company owned Dr. Shiaan-Bin Huang, who is an ANC representative member in the South African parliament. The manufacture of the figurines was outsourced to Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products in the PRC. The value of the contract was in excess of USD 112 million[citation needed]. Due to concerns over the loss of jobs in the South African manufacturing sector, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has suggested that more 2010 merchandise be sourced locally. Allegation of sweatshop conditions at the Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products factory led to an audit by Global Brands Group (master licensee of the Fifa World Cup 2010 brand), which revealed a number of non-compliance issues with GBC policies. The manufacturer denied the allegations of sweatshop conditions and claimed that the working conditions at the Shanghai Fashion Plastic Products factory were "very good"
Official song
The official song of the FIFA world cup "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" is presented by the Colombian singer Shakira and the band Freshlyground from South Africa. The song is based upon a traditional African soldiers' song named Zangalewa. Shakira and Freshlyground will perform the song at the pre-tournament Kick-Off concert in Soweto on 10 June. It will also be sung at the opening ceremony and at the final on 11 July.
Jabulani, the official match ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
The match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, manufactured by Adidas, will be named the Jabulani, which means "bringing joy to everyone" in isiZulu. The number eleven plays a prominent role in the new technologically advanced ball: it is the eleventh World Cup match ball made by the German sports equipment maker; it features eleven colours, one for each player on the pitch; and there are eleven official languages in South Africa. The event will also start on the eleventh day of June and end on the eleventh day of July. A special match ball with gold panels will be used at the final held in Johannesburg.
The ball was also used as the match ball of the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, and a special version of the ball, the Jabulani Angola, was the match ball of the 2010 African Cup of Nations. This ball is also used in the 2009/2010 season of South Africa'sPremier Soccer League, as well as the country's 2010 Nedbank Cup, 2010 Clausura Tournament of Argentina as well as the 2010 MLS season in the USA in the league's colours of blue and green.
The ball is constructed using a new design, consisting of eight thermally-bonded, three-dimensional panels. These are spherically-moulded from ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU). The surface of the ball is textured with grooves, a technology developed by Adidas called GripnGroove that is intended to improve the ball's aerodynamics. The design has received considerable academic input, being developed in partnership with researchers from Loughborough University, United Kingdom.
The balls are made in China, using latex bladder made in India, thermoplastic polyurethane-elastomer from Taiwan, ethylene vinyl acetate, isotropic polyester/cotton fabric, glue and ink from China.
As with many 'hallmark events' throughout the world, the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been connected to evictions which many claim are meant to 'beautify the city', impress visiting tourists, and hide shackdwellers. On 14 May 2009, the Durban-based shack-dwellers' movement Abahlali baseMjondolo took the KwaZulu-Natal government to court over their controversial Elimination and Prevention of Re-Emergence of Slums Act, meant to eliminate slums in South Africa and put homeless shackdwellers in transit camps in time for the 2010 World Cup. They have gained a lot of publicity for their efforts, even in the international media.
Another prominent controversy surrounding preparations for the World Cup is the N2 Gateway housing project in Cape Town, which plans to remove over 20,000 residents from the Joe Slovo Informal Settlement along the busy N2 Freeway and build rental flats and bond-houses in its place in time for the 2010 World Cup. The residents would be moved to the poverty stricken Delft township on the outskirts of the city and out of sight from the N2 Freeway. There has been particular concern about forced removals to the Blikkiesdorp camp in Delft and that in Durban, children are being forcibly removed from the city centre.
In July 2009, South Africa was hit with rolling protests by poor communities who demanded access to basic services, jobs, adequate housing and the democratisation of service delivery. These protests have been linked to the World Cup as protesters complain that public funds are being diverted away from social issues to build stadiums and upgrade airports. Fears have been expressed that the growing protests by shack dwellers could result in the tournament being disrupted. Some grassroots social movements have called for a boycott of the event.
Human rights
In April 2010, the Swiss Labour Assistance (SLA), launched a petition to FIFA's President Joseph Blatter. The petition asks FIFA to actively engage against exploitation and against the violation of human rights in the context of FIFA World Cups. The petition will be handed over in June 2010.
Blikkiesdorp
Blikkiesdorp has become well-known for its high crime rate, its substandard living conditions, and its extremely hot or cold, windy and sandy living environment. NGOs, international human rights organisations, and the Anti-Eviction Campaign have publicly criticised the conditions in Blikkiesdorp and how they say it is used to reinforce the eviction of poor families especially to make way for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Residents have also threatened to burn down Blikkiesdorp before the World Cup begins because of the bad conditions in the settlement.
Crime and security
Tournament organiser Danny Jordaan dismissed concerns that the terrorist attack on the Togo national team which took place in Angola in January 2010, had any relevance to the security arrangements for the World Cup.
South Africa and others have expressed concerns that the World Cup will stimulate and be a boon to the illicit sex trade.
Non-FIFA events
In November 2009 it was reported that a rugby Test match between the Springboks and France scheduled to take place in Cape Town on 12 June 2010 would be moved to Europe due to FIFA regulations banning other sport events in host cities during the time of the World Cup. After negotiations between the South African Rugby Union and members of the local organising committee, it was announced that the Test will be allowed to take place in Cape Town on the originally scheduled date because no World Cup match is to be played in Cape Town on that day, and the Test will be played at Newlands, which is not a World Cup venue.
FIFA trademarks
The South African low-fare airline Kulula.com were ordered by FIFA to withdraw an advertisement that it claimed infringed their trademarks. The advert, titled "The unofficial carrier of the you-know-what", features soccer balls, vuvuzelas and the National Flag of South Africa which FIFA claims when used in conjunction with each other constitutes an infringement (of its trademarks). Kulula.com disputed FIFA's claim, but later announced that they would withdraw the specific advert whilst continuing with the advertisement campaign.
Broadcast rights fees issue in Singapore
In Singapore, FIFA's broadcast rights fees for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals tournament have been described as "exorbitant", with the organization having changed prices according to what it perceived the country's TV operators were willing to pay. When Singapore TV operators SingTel and Starhub joined together to bid for the broadcast rights in late 2009, they were reportedly charged an initial SGD$40 million (about USD$30 million). When the Singapore TV operators refused to pay the initial sum quoted by FIFA, and as time passed, Singapore was faced with the prospect of being one of the few countries not to get match broadcasts from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was ironic since the former Prime Minister of Singapore wanted the country to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
With only about a month left before the tournament, FIFA finally relented and reportedly reduced the fee to SGD$21 million (USD$15 million), which was then accepted by the Singapore TV operators. This reduced fee was still significantly higher than the fee that FIFA charged Starhub for the exclusive rights to broadcast the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals tournament in Germany which was reported to be SGD$15 million (US$11 million).
This increased fee for the 2010 World Cup tournament broadcast rights resulted in the Singapore TV operators passing on the cost to their subscribers who were then charged a special fee of SGD$94 (US$68) in addition to existing contracts, to watch the tournament's games. This high additional fee was the most expensive in the region and angered Singapore football fans who felt it was unfair when compared to countries in the region that will either be broadcasting the matches free of charge as in the case of Indonesia and Thailand; or at significantly lower viewing fees at US$21 as in Malaysia and US$38 in Hong Kong. This fee is also almost four times the SGD$25 (USD$18) special fee that Starhub charged its subscribers for viewing the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals matches in Germany. As a result, many fans decided to protest against the increased fees with a mass boycott of the 2010 FIFA World Cup broadcast service by both operators.
Source : wikipedia
EURO 2012
Polandia - Ukraina
Polandia
Yunani
Rusia
Republik Ceko
Belanda
Denmark
Jerman
Portugal
Spanyol
Italia
Republik Irlandia
Kroasia
Ukraina
Swedia
Prancis
Inggris
