FIFA: No Plan B for the “Killing Field”

December 15th, 2008 | by: chris |

“We are in the killing field where criminals are killing law-abiding citizens.” – Safety and Security Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

Not exactly a quote you want to see come from the mouth of the person in charge of such matters as safety and security (mildly important, I gather). Ever worse when this country – one featuring a murder rate that makes Grand Theft Auto look like My Little Pony – is hosting the world’s largest traveling tourist bullseye in just about 18 months time. But that’s not deterring the hey-why-yes-I-like-swiss-francs-would-you-like-a-World-Cup? suits at FIFA – or suit, as it would be, in the case of superfeminist Sepp Blatter – who have put the kibosh on anyone’s thoughts (read: hopes) that the tournament will be moved from South Africa: no Plan B.

“There is no Plan B, C or D — for those who still have doubts, I tell you the 2010 World Cup will be organised in South Africa. I will be proud because it is a little bit like my baby. I’ve had a dream for 34 years to bring the World Cup to Africa. It’s a little bit like my baby.

A preemie, surely.

So put away any of those fading embers and potential Plan B-Z countries – that’s you, England – and brace yourselves for what could be the most violent World Cup in history. Something which becomes more and more alarming by the day as quotes like the one at the top of this post continue to arise. Particularly from people holding a position with “safety” in the title.

Borderline arrogance on FIFA’s part, you’d have to think. But then again, this is Sepp Blatter running the sport’s largest federation. Can’t say we should’ve expected anything less.

Somalia 2018, anyone?

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mele419

fucking garbage blatter is. plain and simple. I’ve got nothing against africa, except for the fact that most of it is completely unstable, full of armed rebels and murderers and criminals. It’s just not ready. I don’t know if I want to go now to WC2010…
Peter B

I wonder how many people will actually travel to South Africa. At what point will fear of personal safety override passion for the game…. Hopefully it will be a great tournament that can show the rise of African football.
http://www.footballforum.org.uk dave stopher

I really think that having a World CUpin South Africa is a very bad idea!!!
kenny

Oh western ignorance….I just returned from South Africa….dayum the country is beautiful…having studied in Canada and filty USA and even little and unplanned over populated London.there couldnt have been a better place to host the greatest festival in the world….like there are no crimes in every part of the world and yet the Europeans and the Americans have committed the most inhumane crimes in humanity…YES WE CAN SA 2010
Joe

To address the naivete above: South Africa is safe enough when you stick to the nicer parts of the country and its cities. Like any place, sticking to the better parts will usually protect you from muggings.

The problem with South Africa is that those bad parts of town are REALLY TERRIBLE, REALLY VIOLENT. And the criminals that reside in this places are going to come to the “nicer” places you probably went too when there are hundreds of thousands of drinking, partying tourists with foreign cash (or the ability to pay kidnapping ransoms, HELLO) to be had. Brazil had the same problem with the 2007 PanAmerican Games: Rio de Janeiro has plenty of nice places in which to put your events, but Rio’s favelas are famously violent and dangerous.

The Brazilian government’s solution? Weeks before the 2007 PanAmerican Games, they flooded the Rio favelas with military/special police forces and arrested a good deal of the delinquents, castrating their destructive force at least for the month the Games were being held. Several people died in these arrests.. do we want this happening in South Africa in May 2010?
mele419

Joe, first what you said was obvious.
Second Africa is, overall, not a safe place now. It just isn’t. Even the “nice” parts are not nice. Either way, who’s to say the South African gov’t will clean up their streets weeks or months before the tournament? That’s like last minute b.s. Either way clearly no we don’t want that happening in South Africa because it doesn’t need to happen there because they shouldn’t be hosting a WC in the first place.
subz

Joe, I partly agree with you.
Most of the posts here are typical of people who havn’t been to SA and yet feel that they must have an opion based on numbers and statistics. I’ve lived here all my life and yes I’ve been mugged and lost friends and family to violent crime. But the picture you guys (and most western media) paint does not even come close to reality. Violent crime is concentrated in certain places – mostly where people live below the poverty line, are unmeployed, and illiterate. I doubt that is where WC games will be hosted. If there are any incidents during the 2010 tourament, it won’t be the first time it’s happened at a major event. The US WC wasn’t incident free; Olympics (KKK) too. Just because it’s Africa then everybody expects people running around carrying RPG’s and a bloodbath… Lets not even go into reasons why Africa is the way it is, thats not the point. All I’m saying is thousands of tourists come to SA every year and nothing more than the petty crimes happen in places they frequent. In fact ask anyone who was at the RWC in 2005 or the CWC in 2003 how much crime they saw in places like Camps Bay,Sandton, Umhlanga etc
Mendez

I think SA should be OK to host the WC.

Its normal for people to fear for their safety when the criminality rates in SA are high. But honestly, it should not be any different to Brazil hosting a WC. The criminality rates of both countries are high, but somehow, I reckon people wouldnt be so worried if it was Brazil organising the WC.

I think tourists should be alright if they avoid hanging out in certain areas and avoid walking alone.
Im not denying that there is a high rate of violent crime in SA, but Im just pointing out that its not as bad as people think and that it can be minimised.
kenny

shut up @mele419 and stop bein ignorant…I bet u have never stepped out of the US in your life….South Africa is a country and Africa is a continent..Stop referring to Africa as South Africa because Mexico is not US or Canada US but all countries in the continent of North America…and for your information the South African Government do not need to clean up the streets minutes before the game..South Africa has cleaner,safer and better looking places than most parts of the US….slums an dprojects all over America an dcrack heads and jumpers all over the place…dont say nonsense if you havent seen for yourself…i can tell all you do is sit behind the computer and believe rubbish they feed you….You should ask yourself why the white people did not want to leave South africa and you see whites who say they are south africans and why Nelson Mandela had to spend 27 years of his life fighting for the independence an dfreedom of South African people…I tell you one of the 1million reasons…because South Africa is beautiful and safe depending on where u want to go just lke every part of the world…..
fez

in 2006 African fans were told not visit certain areas during the WC. this statement came from the person reponsible for safety in the government, we did not hear much noise. RSA is as safe as any other country in the world, just ask multi national companies that have foriegn workers here in RSA.