Africa has chance to make impact

Jun 14, 2006

For the host country, such an event is a one-time opportunity to display the sophistication of its planning, organisational and managerial skills.

Charles Mbalyohere in Germany
For the host country, such an event is a one-time opportunity to display the sophistication of its planning, organisational and managerial skills. A major hitch can forever tarnish national image! This is exactly what happened at the 1972 Munich Olympics when the Israel team fell victim to a fundamental security loophole, leading to a near cancellation of the games.
Judging by the way things have been so far at this World Cup, there doesn’t seem to be any indication of a major weakness in operations. Indeed one sometimes gets the impression the hosts have opted to keep a rather low profile and instead concentrate on meticulously making things work! Incompetence and sich blamieren (make a fool of yourself in public) are despised so much here, that if the price is not to be able to enjoy things like everybody else, then it will certainly be paid!
As the Republic of South Africa and Africa at large prepare to host the FIFA World Cup 2010, this is an important opportunity and indeed an obligation to polish up the necessary skills and capabilities. The 2010 World Cup will be a high-profile chance to once for all put to rest long-held negative perceptions and stereotypes about Africa’s preparedness and competency at staging an event of such complexity.
I presume that those in charge of planning for 2010 are here to gather invaluable experience. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the potential to fundamentally impact on global perception of the continent. Republic of South Africa will do well to involve the rest of the continent in a carefully coordinated act to powerfully exploit the intense global spotlight to be expected. If the strategic perspectives and the momentum for long-term change can be properly harnessed into the build-up to this event, then Africa will certainly not be the worse off for it. I was extremely delighted to recently discover a display window of a major retail chain here leased by the World Cup 2010 organising committee. A very impressive promotion of the host country in vibrating colours based on the diversity of cultures. A few weeks from now, we shall need to see more such displays, as part of the much wider enterprise of orchestrating the best World Cup ever!
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