South Africa’s World Cup stadiums have stunned the globe’s largest sporting audience with audacious style although critics say a developing country can ill afford such extravagance and some will be white elephants.
A man wearing an anti-racism T-shirt ran on to the pitch minutes before the start of the World Cup final on Sunday and came very close to grabbing the trophy exhibited on the pitch.
English referee Howard Webb is used to the ups and downs of taking charge of high-profile games but even the confident Yorkshireman seemed a little surprised with the mass media attention ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final.
A headed goal by defender Carles Puyol carried Spain to their first World Cup final on Wednesday when they beat Germany 1-0 in the semi-finals.
Netherlands took a giant step on Tuesday towards the World Cup trophy that eluded their great sides of the past by defeating South America’s sole survivor Uruguay 3-2 in the first semi-final.
FIFA has spent $70 million on helping to develop soccer in Africa as a legacy from the 2010 World Cup, but proper governance is needed if the sport is to thrive on the continent, officials said on Wednesday.
FIFA development director Thierry Regenass said professional management of the game in Africa was often lacking and needed to be improved if soccer was to grow.
The World Cup moves into the knockout stage on Saturday and although no-one can predict exactly what will happen, one thing is likely: penalty shootouts are about to cause more joy and heartache.
Police fired rubber bullets and a stun grenade on Thursday to disperse protesting workers in the latest episode of a dispute that has forced police to take over World Cup stadium security and has embarrassed organizers.
A police spokesman said seven guards were arrested in the illegal protest outside their employer’s offices in Cape Town.
Empty seats at World Cup matches have been left vacant by ticket-holders who have not turned up for games, not because they have remained unsold, FIFA said on Tuesday.
A few hundred soccer fans were stranded in Johannesburg on Monday after the Netherlands-Denmark game in Soccer City when bus drivers went on impromptu strike.
Drivers were complaining they were not given sufficient warning that they would be expected to work longer hours during the first soccer World Cup on African soil.