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SA not doing enough for World Cup: FIFA
The 2010 Soccer World Cup Local Organising Committee is not doing enough to promote South Africa to the world, said FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: July 13, 2008 07:58 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Johannesburg:
"South Africa should now start sending out information to the world on what they can expect from this country during both the Confederations and World Cups," Valcke told reporters on Wednesday.
"We should be starting with the six teams that have already qualified for the Confederations Cup (Italy, Spain, Brazil, United States, Iraq and Egypt). It is important for this country to promote itself. It will be too late after the Confederations Cup."
He also told the media to forget about FIFA president Sepp Blatter's reported Plan B.
Blatter told the media in Vienna last month that FIFA had a Plan B in case South Africa was hit by a natural disaster and could not host the 2010 showpiece.
"But, no matter where we host the World Cup, there will be questions about that country's ability to stage the event. We expect the same questions to arise when Brazil hosts the World Cup in 2014. We are confident of South Africa's ability to stage a successful World Cup," said Valcke.
He told press that the world governing body would discuss the recent crisis in Zimbabwe with the United Nations, but added that there were no plans to suspend Zimbabwe at this stage.
"It is a political matter. We only suspend member countries if the government interferes with the football association of that country, but we will meet the UN on Zimbabwe," he said.
The 2010 Soccer World Cup Local Organising Committee is not doing enough to promote South Africa to the world, said FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke."South Africa should now start sending out information to the world on what they can expect from this country during both the Confederations and World Cups," Valcke told reporters on Wednesday.
"We should be starting with the six teams that have already qualified for the Confederations Cup (Italy, Spain, Brazil, United States, Iraq and Egypt). It is important for this country to promote itself. It will be too late after the Confederations Cup."
He also told the media to forget about FIFA president Sepp Blatter's reported Plan B.
Blatter told the media in Vienna last month that FIFA had a Plan B in case South Africa was hit by a natural disaster and could not host the 2010 showpiece.
"But, no matter where we host the World Cup, there will be questions about that country's ability to stage the event. We expect the same questions to arise when Brazil hosts the World Cup in 2014. We are confident of South Africa's ability to stage a successful World Cup," said Valcke.
He told press that the world governing body would discuss the recent crisis in Zimbabwe with the United Nations, but added that there were no plans to suspend Zimbabwe at this stage.
"It is a political matter. We only suspend member countries if the government interferes with the football association of that country, but we will meet the UN on Zimbabwe," he said.
Topics mentioned in this article
Football
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