It's officially one year to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. That means it's time to get my ass in gear and actually write. This is one week in one post.
Thursday, June 11, 2009: 365 days until the FIFA World Cup, officially the biggest sporting event ever to reach South Africa’s shores and thefirst time any nation in Africa has had the opportunity to host. This blog will track the social, political and economic changes and controversies surrounding the preparation for and the lead-up to 2010.
Today in the streets of Cape Town cannons and fireworks and speeches by both Mayor Helen Zille and President Jacob Zuma kick off the one year countdown to the Cup. Green Point Stadium,
Cape Town’s definitive nod to the FIFA coordinators and the biggest construction happening in town, gleams in the background, its glass roofing nearing completion, its undulant silhouette jarring with the square outline of Table Mountain.
Friday, June 12, 2009: Almost time for Confederation Cup kick-off. The big games start on Sunday, and last minute online ticket sales heat up. Here’s hoping FIFA doesn’t screw the pooch on ticket sales. We’ve got big plans to head to Bloem or Pretoria for the South Africa/Spain or Brazil/Italy matches, respectively. Group A (South Africa, Spain, New Zealand, and Iraq) is looking conspicuously weaker than B (USA, Brazil, Italy, Egypt). The organizers probably felt obligated to give the host nation at least a modicum of a chance of making the semis. Go Bafana!
http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Soccer/ConfedCup/585/462d81e4fd534dacb2e42e7c85743cef//Confederations_Cup_fixtures
Saturday, June 13, 2009: My soccer club, FC Santos, is invited to participate in a 365 celebratory indoor tournament at the old Good Hope Center (formerly the Civic Center) in downtown Cape Town. Each of the 8 clubs invited to join is to bring 8 players who will be mixed, matched and distributed onto 8 teams, each representing one of the 8 invited nations of the Confederation Cup. I played for Spain with my captain and a couple of girls from my team. We tried stacking only for the organizers to foil our plot and reorganize the teams. I watched Helen Zille play keeper in the 4 v. 4 Province v. City women’s indoor game. She’s not bad but sheeeez, does she keep a tight ship!
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