Apr 30, 2010 6:36 PM | By Amukelani Maphophe
Corrupt dealings within Fifa and questions on how do ordinary South Africans benefit from 2010 World Cup laid out.
South African soccer fans expect to benefit from the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Photograph by: PETER ANDREWS
Credit: REUTERS
The unaccountable structure they’ve (Fifa) installed is honed to deliver the game to the needs of global capitalism – with no checks or restraints. Just cheques
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The 2010 soccer world cup, dubbed ‘ the African world cup’ is constantly advertised as belonging to all Africans. But a new book titled, Player and Referee Conflicting Interests and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, published by the Institute for Security Studies, reveals corrupt dealings within Fifa and the tournament and also questions the claim that ordinary South Africans will benefit.
So far the government has spent over R33 billion in preparations for the world cup, and expects a 0.5 percent GDP growth this year.
Amongst the corrupt dealings the book looks at are concerns about accommodation, stadium venues and at the centre of everything else to do with the world cup, the issuing of tenders for the various services.
Match Event Services AG’s principal shareholder, Byron PLC has been the official accommodation provider for six previous world cups.
Match has the mandate to provide accommodation to fans at “fair prices and reasonable terms”.
However an investigation by Rob Rose, Sunday Times Journalist, has “confirmed that tourists will have to pay 1000 percent more than they would normally pay for accommodation in certain cases”.
The book also reveals that the City of Johannesburg has signed a contract with a company called National Stadium South Africa (NSSA) which was awarded the contract to manage Soccer City before and after the World Cup for a period of ten years.
The contract signed between FIFA and the city states that FIFA will have to pay the City 10 % of its ticket sales for matches and events held at the stadium during the world cup.
However, Rose questions whether the R3.4 billion spent upgrading the stadium will actually yield any return for the city of Johannesburg and the tax payer.
This because, the contract between the city, and the management company NSSA, requires the city to relinquish “all the cash it will earn for the world cup from FIFA to ? NSSA”, said Rose.
Strong contenders for the Cape Town stadium venue were Athlone and Newlands.
But Sam Sole, contributing author, said that Sepp Blatter signed the agreement to have Green Point as the venue, on 15 March 2006, a day before FIFA’s executive committee met to consider the six contending venues.
As of that day, Cape Town was legally bound to deliver Green Point as the venue despite it being the most expensive of the other six.
Revelations of corruption on FIFA’s side do not seem to be much of a surprise to contributing author, Andrew Jennings.
He said of FIFA: “The unaccountable structure they’ve installed is honed to deliver the game to the needs of global capitalism – with no checks or restraints. Just cheques.”
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COMMENTS
Apr 30 2010 07:02:33 PM
spencerc777
Let me sat this much -
The South African Football Association itself has long since been an illegitimate body in that the voting structures in our nine provinces, specifically in the Township, is unashamedly not adhered to.
This writer has brought this very serious matter to the attention of SAFA and FIFA repeatedly over the years, to no avail. Illegitimate Township and provincial presidents cast their votes year in and out, without any repercussions. Sadly, this leaves our SAFA foundations corrupt, and hence, we see our nationa along with Bafana Bafana, suffering the consequences.
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REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 07:04:44 PM
Tonto
As Jennings says FIFA is little more than a crime syndicate so therefore they have much in common with the ANC. It is a well known "secret" that the only reason South Africa was chosen as the venue for 2010 was on the back of an ANC promise to Blatter that they would have the entire African Continent vote for his re-election as President of FIFA. It subsequently offered the ANC and their cronies the opportunity to loot whatever flowed from contracts etc whilst FIFA milked everything else.
The SA taxpayer will pay for this "party" for many years to come and the so called benefits will never materialise.
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 07:25:59 PM
OMG_SA
Quick to embrace the African Way - to steal, cheat, disrespect - FIFA is the ANC's type of buddy!
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 07:27:46 PM
Sechaba-is-not-a-fake-Communist
Who cares about this Mafia who drinks in Italian water in Africa
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 08:12:39 PM
Rockspider
ANTHING the ANC touches in ANY manner, turns to shiit.
Like I predicted, it is going to kill our economy and drive the country to bankruptcy, like Spain.
The ONLY people that will make money is the ANC and their corrupt partners.
Well, I can tell you the farm murders were a hit at the conference in the US. They had no concept how corrupt the ANC is and how violent our society is.
This trip was really worth while, as they are moving their assets out of South Africa to other countries, as the ANC is just too expensive to bribe.
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 08:18:18 PM
mbongwam
Fifa and anc administration deserve each other the bloody corropt scums of scums.
these fools practise their corruption in our soil.
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 08:40:57 PM
wozawoza
WOW, FIFA is now playing football with international crime sysdicates....why is this not so funny.
When FIFA is over with the World Cup, they will pocket their CASH and escape....but we suckers will have to pay for all the Stadiums, Airport, Gautrain, and a host of other White Elephants.
FIFA gave South Africa a huge Liability...But our Politicians swallowed this bAIT.
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 09:00:26 PM
afrique
thought as much - the company match is total waste of time.......fat cats benefit from world cup and all other sa people have not......sorry to say 2010 soccer gone for bang........not interested in this world cup.....badly structured and badly setup for sa people to benefit.....
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 09:09:07 PM
Eric
No surprises, here!
I'll be happy to say "I was NOT there!" ;)
REPORT ABUSE Apr 30 2010 09:28:12 PM
nkosipeter
A classic case of how and why the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.
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Comments by Sonny
The greedy crony's took all!!
No wonder they had to get rid of the Scorpions in time!!
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