Football is a really popular sports all over the world and 2010 FIFA World Cup is going to take place in South Africa! The logo of the World Cup (right) comes from
here. The boss of 2010 Local Organising Committee Danny Jordaan has said that 345 894 tickets have been sold to South Africans and 304 633 to overseas fans (
data as of 28 September 2009). The Government Communication and Information System reports that they play a pivotal role in intensifying the government's communication strategy for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The department's CEO, Themba Maseko said at the 2010 National Communication Partnership 4th Conference in Johannesburg on Monday, 17 August 2009, that government had set up a number of structures to enhance its marketing and communication plan, to ensure that it speaks in one voice. "Communication is the key tool in delivering a successful World Cup. In this regard, we need to develop an appropriate and resounding communication strategy to host the best world cup ever." So, hopes are really up, and news from South Africa report that country is getting ready for this big event -
players safety will be assured,
local businesses are ready with the help from government,
the roads in and around the city will be of a world class standard ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, etc.
The official webpage of FIFA and
International Marketing Council of South Africa also provide us with good news only.
Searching for international news, like BBC and CNN, gave me a wider view on the issue. I could also sense some worries as it is going to be the first time when football's treasured prize will be played in Africa. For example, one
BBC reporter is concerned about the spread of HIV infections and claims that calls are growing for South Africa to legalize prostitution at least during the month long event. I also found
a long article that expresses worries on several issues: whether the football stadiums will be ready on time, crime rate, overall poverty of the country, etc. The other journalists worry about
frequent power cuts,
growing market for child-trafficking,
traffic problems,
fake tickets,
World Cup venues workers strike,
shortage of accommodation, etc.
All in all, I cannot say that all news coming from South Africa is positive and international news is negative, but one can trace certain trends. Will positive news from South African government feeding the communication flow contribute to the success of 2010 FIFA World Cup?
The photo below is taken from the webpage of The Guardian, the whole gallery is
here. Take a look, and think for a while ... What is reality? How is it created?
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6 comments:
Looking at the picture you posted really makes me wonder how they will pull through...But I guess the answer is that there are multiple realities, not just one. There is the reality of bumpy roads and muddy football fields and the reality of fancy stadium and “world-class roads” built just for the Cup. The challenges there are huge, of course, all the things you mentioned from frequent power cuts to accommodation problems. But I believe that the South Africa went through some serious scrutiny before it got the Cup (I could also be wrong though), so despite its problems it must also have some real potential.
I read someplace that this will be the first time that the tournament will be hosted by an African nation though, so there aren’t really previous experiences on how the Cup has been arranged in similar environment. According to your post it also seems that the positive and intensified communication strategy has not - at least not yet - convinced the international journalists. And even though the communication strategy would be as perfect as it could be, it does not solve all the problems there are. They have quite a task: At the same time they should be able to assure people that the arrangements have been done well enough so that it can be safe and even enjoyable to come there, but on the other hand they can’t or at least they should not try to hide the real problems there.
Granting these kinds of events for less developed countries to arrange can be seen as giving a chance and motivation to develop. So when the Cup is over, it would be nice to see an evaluation of what were the positive and negative effects it had on the city or the whole country, and especially on its PR field.
Thanks, Nina for sharing your thoughts!
I also hope to read some interesting stuff after the Cup is over :)
I think it is a very good idea to give the World Cup to an African country. As South Africa is one of the more wealthier countries in Africa (correct me if that is not true), I am sure that they can handle the organisation well. I think Africans are very warm and nice people who will welcome the guests in a unique way.
Do you remember The Olympic games in China? There were also worries in the newspaper, if everything gets ready, the danger of the air pollution etc. I think that Western people do not have confidence that poorer countries can manage and organize such a huge event.
Maria
These are interesting points you brought up, Maria! Never thought about it this way, thank you for broadening my horizons!!!
I think this is similar to the the olympics being held in Rio de Janeiro. In a way, the international sporting organizations have given poor countries a chance to prove themselves, while questioning whether or not they have what is needed to make things work.
I think things won't be as bad as the worries. More worrying I think is that South Africa has a very unequal spread of wealth - some are very very rich living in fancy houses with their own swimming pools while others don't have clean water to drink. Thus, creating this large spectacle may create the illusion that "South Africa has made it" when there is still a long way to go.
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