I’ve just been reading about the woes concerning South Africa and theor ability to hold the Wold Cup in 2010. It seems that past doubts are gathering steam. With security concerns as well as monetary and infrastructure problems to contend with there is talk about moving the competition to another nation. With the occasional Scotland fan suggesting “England deserve it more than South Africa” matters are indeed dire.
South Africa does not have the reputation of being the safest destination. However, with the money involved in the World Cup and the certain massive influx of tourists and their money, criminal gangs and opportunists are believed to be looking to exploit the event to thier own ends. And they arn’t the only ones. As well as pickpockets and muggers, organised crime inside South Africa and from surrounding countries are thought to be looking to make massive profits from drugs and prostitution. On top of that there will be the expected accompaniment of violence. None of it looks pleasant.
Doubts have been heightened lately with the murder of Austrian Soccer star Peter Burgstaller. The ex-SV Salzburg goalkeeper was shot dead on a golf course near Durban, the motive for which was believed to be robbery.
With all the bad publicity about South Africa, suggestions are being made to move the competition. Opinions have been expressed that the event should be hosted in a safer, more reliable country. Germany is the most obvious nation. Having just hosted a successful World Cup, everyone can be assured of a relatively safe, financially stable competition. Other possible venues are the USA, Australia and England, all of which have modern stadiums and relatively low crime.
It would be a shame if South Africa were to lose out on World Cup 2010. However, I have to say I’m not overly keen on getting mugged, or worse. While in Lithuania recently, fans were getting mugged on a regular basis. Indeed one of the guys in our hostel was turned over by Lithuanian thugs leaving him in a really bad way. With that in mind I think that safety does deserve to be a primary concern. Plus any failing for the safety of fans can only have a detrimental effect for the future of the competition as a whole.
If the venue changes, I vote Australia then England on the basis of Australia not having hosted the event and England being close at hand for Scotland fans. Let’s hope its not necessary.
