“Legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup for the African continent and the way forward”
The Chairperson
FIFA President, Mr Joseph Sepp Blatter
FIFA Secretary-General, Mr Jerome Valcke
COSAFA President, Mr Suketu Patel
CECAFA President, Mr Leodegar Tenga
UNIFAC President Mahomed Iya
WAFU Secretary-General, Mr Malan Aka
SAFA President, Mr Kirsten Nematandani
2010 FIFA World Cup LOC CEO, Dr Danny Jordaan
Presidents of all the African FIFA Member Associations in Attendance
Delegates
Ladies and gentlemen
The Ministry of Sport and Recreation in South Africa have been accorded the unique privilege of welcoming the football leadership and delegates from the African continent to our shores. We welcome you and salute you for once more choosing the Southern tip of the African continent as the venue of this august gathering.
We also take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the leadership of Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) and of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee for issuing the clarion call for all of us to gather in this room this morning. We do so inspired by the fresh and indelible memories of the glorious hosting of the first FIFA World Cup in Africa by Africans. Talking about the legacy of the FIFA 2010 World Cup to the African continent is as rejuvenating as talking about the meaning of freedom to many generations that went through imperialism, colonial rule, plunder, apartheid and racial discrimination. The World Cup lit skies and provided us hope!
Africa today is laying the ghost of colonialism and despotic rule to rest and charting a new way forward for herself, taking our rightful place in the community of nations. The new Vistas that are opened by the democratisation processes are propelling our continent to new economic heights and generating a plethora of opportunities for current and future generations.
Our historical mission of creating peaceful conditions that allows for free movement, freedom of choice, freedom of association, a united and prosperous Africa are beginning to yield the desired results. We trust that Mr President Blatter that you and the FIFA leadership will take a leaf from as little an example as our local government elections. We are aware that you are preparing for your own FIFA important elections in Zurich in a few days time.
On 18 May 2011, during the occasion of the birthday of the Stalwart of the African National Congress (ANC) and an icon of the South African struggle for liberation and freedom, comrade Walter Sisulu.South Africans at large were once again offered an opportunity to exercise their democratic and birthright to cast their votes for a political party of their choice to govern the Republic of South Africa at the local government sphere.
The overwhelming majority of South Africans flocked to the voting polls to choose the party they believed will better their lives and push-back the frontiers of poverty, underdevelopment and ignorance.They did so under free and fair conditions that have been laid and guaranteed by our nascent constitution of the republic and thus the ruling party, the ANC.
There have been minimal reports of disruptions during the elections and thus the international observers and the Independent Electoral Commission South Africa (IEC) declared the local government elections free and fair; and all South Africans have accepted the results with open hearts of peace and friendship.We wish all South Africans success in their continued efforts to uphold democratic principles and to promote all-round unity in all facets of the South African society. We believe Mr Chairperson and the leadership of football that we all have it within ourselves to lead by example and become the beacon of light that will lead Africa and the rest of the world to a new world order.
This occasion takes place exactly nineteen years after the re-acceptance of the Republic of South Africa to the global football stage which took place in July 1992. Since then, South Africa became a force to be reckoned with in sport and recreation world-wide especially in football.
We did this with the soul, zeal and zest to be counted as part of those who are in standing testament to the changing fortunes of our country from a divided nation into a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Hence, the hosting of 2010 FIFA World Cup became a major milestone in the history of our country in particular and Africa in general.It marked the beginning of a major revolution in Africa’s socio-economic and political standing in the eyes of the peoples of the world.Our collective wisdom and drive for such an august event represented major bedrock for the realisation of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) and that of our democratic state.
As Professor Meshack Aziakpono in his paper entitled – A recovery plan for Africa, “African countries lack reliable infrastructure. One of the benefits that South Africa enjoyed from preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup was the huge investment in infrastructure which has the spin-off that business can more easily be conducted. Similarly other African governments should invest in infrastructure. It is important that policies are prudent and credible and have a long-term orientation”
In this regard, our developmental state for the first time invested hugely across all strategic economic and social platforms including, transport systems i.e. road infrastructure, buses, airports, passenger rail, etc.Our private sector and labour including small medium and micro enterprise (SMMEs) and service providers also benefited from this spectacular event and made it possible for the economy of such a huge magnitude to be shared within and amongst ordinary people.
Our government considers tourism and hospitality as a very strategic sector of our economy, and we made sure that all soccer-loving people of the world choose South Africa as their first destination.However, not only South Africa, even the neighbouring states of Africa as a whole.
Thank you Mr President, Sepp Blatter, FIFA for re-assuring us that the World Cup 2010 would not only benefit football, but would leave a lasting legacy for South Africa and fellow Africans.We witnessed the ‘Win in Africa with Africa’ project, Football for Hope campaign and the One Goal programme’.
However, on 13 May 2010 we made a commitment to the people of the republic when we announced the launch of a post-2010 FIFA World Cup Trust Fund and who will specifically benefit from it.We promised our people that “the FIFA’s legacy for South Africa of the 2010 FIFA World Cup amounts to US$100 million.About US$20 million of that amount was given to the South African Football Association (SAFA) in the build-up to the tournament and for the construction of the towering SAFA house.The remaining US$80 will be allocated to support a variety of programmes within South Africa, including football development, education, and health and will also play a role in humanitarian initiatives”.
In the same vein, the President of South Africa, the Honourable Mr Jacob Zuma had this to say, “After all, the game of football is in the main played by the youth and education is in the main about investing in the youth, and therefore to put education as one of the key legacy projects is very important.Therefore we want to see the campaign continuing until all children of school-going age are sent to school, as part of meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s).
When that happens, we will know that the legacy of the World Cup is sustainable, as education is a life-long investment that can break the chain of poverty in our country and in Africa.We want the children of Africa to remember the first Soccer World Cup on African soil as one of that planted the seeds of true universal access to education and a better life”.
The President also went further to pronounce that, “The World Cup tournament also underlined the need for us to invest in football development so that we can build world class football teams.To achieve this, we want to see greater emphasis on the revival of school sports from 2011.We have also committed ourselves to ensuring the provision of sport facilities in poorer communities as part of our rural development focus.Also important is the creation of further opportunities for the training of sports administrators, referees and coaches so as to improve standards.These are some aspects of development that should become a tangible legacy of the World Cup tournament”.
It is in this regard that we call on all of us not to disappoint the masses of our people who are patiently waiting for the delivery of such a promise.
As South Africa, we continue to work together with the peoples of Africa and the world to re-unite what was a divided country and ensure that all children of our nation enjoy majesty, liberty and integrity and grow up in an environment that treasures their god given talents, infusing the spirit of pliability and determination even in the face of difficult challenges.
Hence we believe that the millions of Africans know for the fact that we have a challenge 2014, to meet the UN MDG’s and those of our respective states. Together, we want to envisage a South Africa and Africa that has made some tremendous strides in the national effort and continental effort to build an African society of which all humanity would be proud.We would like to see an African continent that has taken a giant leap forward towards its rebirth.
Since 2004, we have traversed with you FIFA and we were privileged to climb a difficult mountain, side by side with you.We hope in this journey of the FIFA World Cup Legacy we will together walk side by side on the road to fulfil the heartfelt desire of all our people especially the youth to play sport with dignity in their land.
We look forward to this meeting to come-up with strategies and ways to fast-track delivery to the sport-loving masses of our people and we hope at least here today we will go out and tell our people when the roll-out of the massive legacy strategy will start as the country is in dire need of these programmes.
In recognition of all the people who made it possible for us to host the successful FIFA 2010 World Cup, the South African Government has charged the Ministry of Sport and Recreation to organise an international football game between Africa eleven and the World Champions Spain on the 11 June 2011. Through this event, the people of the continent and the world-over will be taken down memory lane and will further ignite the flame of the FIFA World Cup in their hearts and minds as the celebrations culminate into a music festival. We look up to the football leadership gathered here this morning to make this African dream a reality and a success.
Ladies and gentlemen, we trust that you will have fruitful deliberations and also enjoy the hospitality of the people of South Africa.
To all the leaders participating in the forthcoming elections in Zurich we wish you well in your campaigns.
Thank you!
