Stadiums in South Africa are behind schedule.Today marks 500 days until the beginning of World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Scope the new widget on the right side of the page.
It's looking less likely that TFA will be making the trek to South Africa. I blame it on the financial crisis, everything else is these days. And, I'm sure I will not be watching every single match like I did in 2006.
My problems pale in comparison to South Africa's though. Four stadia were scheduled to be completed in December 2008, yet remain unfinished but still scheduled to be used for the 2009 Confederations Cup (the dress rehearsal of sorts for the WC). The remaining six stadia are slated for a December 2009 completion but most consider that unrealistic.
Moreover, the costs are spiraling to about $1.2B, approximately four times the amount estimated when the bid was awarded. On top of that, organizers are now expecting less than half of the original 900,000 visitors. Spiraling costs and fewer visitors? Sounds like a recipe for success to me.
Frankly, if World Cup 2010 does occur in South Africa, I will consider it a minor miracle.
[Photo: Sports Illustrated]
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3 comments:
FIFA won't let it fail, but yeah, it'll be a minor miracle if it actually happens.
Isnt there a back-up country? Like maybe Europe, USA or maybe even Australia?
The stadiums would be modern, and none have hosted the championship for a decade or more.
Thinking logically, where would the next one be able to be held should S. Africa not make the grade?
Europe may be out because the last one was held in Germany. The USA and Australia may be feasable(different continent, modern large stadiums, etc..) though, probably not a joint bid.
I cant see a South American country getting the gig, given Brazil getting(bidding? I'm so out of the loop on this one) for an upcoming WC.
For me, the States might be a good bail out location thanks largely to Beckham raising the profile of the game out there.
Australia may be too expansive for a WC. Can you imagine playing a first group game in Sydney, 2nd in Perth and 3rd in Melbourne or Adelaide? Gruelling. Unless, they went with all the group games and 2nd round on the east coast, qurters and semis in Adelaide and Darwin, etc.. and the final in Perth.
I dunno maybe its just me.
Um...can someone help me find the point of that post, please?
The rumor has been for months that USA is option B or C (Germany, I think is the other), but that FIFA is highly unlikely to bail on Africa. When I say highly unlikely here, I mean, 1 in 200 or so, based on current information. However, I think that unless SA has a SARS-like outbreak, the show will go on regardless of how ready they are.
As for other countries
USA because they have the infrastructure and the stadia.
Germany because, having just hosted, they are the most up to date in FIFA's eyes.
I'm not sure where Australia slots in, though they have been mentioned.
All the above is based on internet rumormills. Treat it as such.
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