jamesieboy
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South African World Cup - a potential disaster?With the World Cup in South Africa looming there are fears in a number of quarters that this could be a potential disaster. Press reports are very gloomy.
Since the end of apartheid the situation has become much worse. Murder rates are now amongst the highest in the world.
South Africa is now one of the most violent countries in the world.
Numbers of foreign fans will be at an all-time low. Although that will be partly down to the price, there have been big football tournaments held in locations which are far away from the football heartlands of Europe in the past - Mexico, Argentina, Japan/Korea which attracted a lot of European fans.
I can understand why FIFA wanted to be seen to hold it in Africa but there is a lot of concerns that it not right yet to hold it there.
I hope they are wrong, but in the unlikely event of Scotland reaching the finals I don't want to see any fatalities resulting from the world's biggest sporting tournament.
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Lord Pitsligo
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Re: South African World Cup - a potential disaster? | jamesieboy wrote: | With the World Cup in South Africa looming there are fears in a number of quarters that this could be a potential disaster. Press reports are very gloomy.
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I remember the same for the Greek Olympic Games. They went off ok.
Now 2012, lets see them get that right! 
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linoleum
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it was an idiotic choice considering the crime and violence, never mind the blatant corruption.
should have been oz in my opinion.
you just know that the levels of 'fan murders' will be be massive compared to other world cups.
i know, this is racist and i'm actually a bnp mole.yaddayaddayadda.
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Rinty
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The 20/20 IPL is being held in South Africa right now, They have held the pan african games, the african cup of nations, The Rugby World Cup, the Cricket World Cup.
Those are all smaller events but I dont know that the situation for foreign visitors re violence has worsened significantly since staging these events.
The numbers of international tourists visiting SA has risen year on year since the end of apartheid and the numbers of UK citizens choosing to emigrate there is rising as well.
But there is no doubt that SA has a bigger problem with crime than most of the more developed nations that would normally host the world cup. Rape and hijacking etc are notoriously high.
I understand that FIFAs concerns are more about
the infrastructure being able to cope than the crime levels though.
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jamesieboy
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When the draw was made in Durban the officials were warned NOT to leave their hotel - it was too dangerous. And that was in one of the safer cities.
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Rinty
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I never had any problem in Durban, certainly not in the city. I could have recommneded several hotels where they could have easily stayed comfortably. Durbans streets are pretty busy at night so whoever gave them advice would have left them watching everyone else ignore it.
Durban is full of tourists, due to the beaches, you can surf right up into the city. It also has the reputtaion of being a sports city, with good stadiums and goos transport infrastructure.
I was warned not to leave my hotel in Washinton DC once, but I wouldnt say that makes it ineligible to hold major events.
Durban is the city with the least problems re the world cup in terms of being ready with stadium and infrastructure. FIFA, as far as I know, were more concerned with Capetown.
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The Lithgae Jambo
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Re: South African World Cup - a potential disaster? | jamesieboy wrote: |
I hope they are wrong, but in the unlikely event of Scotland reaching the finals I don't want to see any fatalities resulting from the world's biggest sporting tournament. |
So it'll be ok to have fatalities if Scotland doesn't reach the finals ?
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Holebender
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Patriotism is a funny old thing. Even the worst criminals probably don't want to see their country shamed in the eyes of the world, so I think everyone will be on their best behaviour.
Except for the psycho with a rifle in the clock tower who wants to get his face (albeit posthumously) on all the world's news broadcasts!
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jamesieboy
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I think that's being a bit naive, Holebender.
To suggest that all the criminals who usually take part in violent activities will have some sort of ceasefire for the WC is very probably wishful thinking.
Why would the leopard change its spots for 4 weeks?
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kevin04
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It looks like the democracy is alive and reasonably well in S.A.
Although, the ANC look likely to win the election and possibly hold onto their 2/3rd's majority. The Democratic Alliance have won the Western Cape, and will now rule that province, which is fantastic news.
A new opposition called COPE (mostly dissatisfied ANC Members) have took 8% of the vote, and many other opposition parties are looking to work together.
It will take a long time for the ANC to be voted out of office, but hopefully the DA can get the ground running in the Western Cape and offer real answers to crime, corruption and poverty to show the rest of S.A. that there is a real alternative to the ANC.
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