# SOUTH AFRICA - Stadium and Arena Development News



## JYDA (Jul 14, 2008)

koolio said:


> Why? Aren't you living in the US? They qualified.


The first clue was he's from San Diego...


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## hngcm (Sep 17, 2002)

JYDA said:


> The first clue was he's from San Diego...


lol:lol:


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*$7 to watch Brazil vs. Italy*

Soccer fans are clamouring for tickets for the plum Confederations Cup game between current world champions Italy and five-times champions Brazil.

The match will be at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on June 21.

The tickets are not yet sold out, but Fifa media officer Delia Fischer commented: “This particular game, along with those involving host nation South Africa, are attracting the most attention, with sales across the board going well”.

Bafana Bafana are due to open the Confederations Cup against Iraq at Ellis Park on June 14.

Other Bafana Bafana games are against New Zealand at the Royal Bafokeng Sportds Palace in Rustenburg on June 17 and Spain in Bloemfontein on June 20.

Tickets for group stage games in the Confederations Cup can be bought for as little as R70 — although escalating to R700 for the more expensive seats.

SA’s 2010 World Cup Local organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan says: “Nowhere else in the world could soccer fans watch Brazil playing Italy for R70”.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, however, are the prime tickets for the final at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on June 28 — they will sell locally at R1,400, mushrooming to 500 US dollars (approximately R5,000) overseas.


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## CarlosBlueDragon (May 6, 2007)

Look easy group A but Difficulf group B!! 

A : Spain and South Africa !! B : Brazil, Italy and USA !!!

Final : Brazil vs Italy or Brazil vs Spain or Italy vs Spain??

I Hope Brazil win....Cheers


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Johannesburg: Orlando Stadium, Training Venue*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*LOC up to speed on venues*

With just over four months before the Confederations Cup kicks off, the 2010 Local Organising Committee are finalising accommodation and training arrangements for the teams.

Rax Max Mashego, the 2010 LOC team service co-coordinator, said: “We are working to ensure everything is ready by early April.”

“The hotels are ready and we are working around the clock to ensure the smallest details such as laundry are attended to.

“We have to some extent swopped teams because of their preferences for hotels. Iraq prefer the Indaba hotel over Protea Wanderers. They want to put two players per room and smaller rooms will create a claustrophobic environment,” said Mashego.

The Confed Cup, which features continental champions Brazil, Egypt, Iraq, Spain, the US and New Zealand, as well as world champions Italy and hosts South Africa, will be held from June 14-28.

Three provinces — Gauteng, Free State and North West — will host the tournament traditionally used by Fifa to test the readiness of the country staging the World Cup.

“During the post-Confed Cup draw inspections, we received comments from the participating countries. Some teams expressed a wish to have gymnasiums and swimming pools located within the hotels to minimise movement.

*Teams based in Tshwane will play at Loftus Stadium* and will stay at the *Centurion Lake Hotel and the Protea Hotel Waterfront*, also in Centurion.

“ *The team staying at the Protea Waterfront will train at the HM Pitje stadium. The one staying at the Centurion Lake Hotel will use the Super Stadium in Atteridgeville*.”

The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is the match venue for teams based in Rustenburg. *Those sides will stay at Kwa Maritane and Bakubung Bush Lodge*. *The side staying at Kwa Maritane will train at the Moruleng Stadium and the one at Bakubung will train at Mogwase Stadium, which has been renovated to meet Fifa specifications for a training venue.
*
Four hotels have been identified for Mangaung, which will host group matches as well as the semifinals.
*
The sides staying at the Protea Hotel Bloemfontein will train at the Central University of Technology grounds, sharing the facility with the one staying at the Bloemfontein Spa Lodge.*

But those accommodated at the *Protea Hotel Willow Lake will train at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium, while the Botshabelo Stadium will be used by the teams staying at Protea Hotel Black Mountain in Thaba Nchu*.

*Johannesburg-based teams will be accommodated at the Sunnyside Park, Indaba, Protea Wanderers and Hilton hotels, with the refurbished Rand and newly built Orlando stadiums as training venue*s.

“Extensive work has been done to ensure the se facilities meet the required standard and are ready. We are looking at April for completion.

“Some venues, such as the Super, Rand and Orlando stadiums are technically finished. It is just a question of fixing parking and driveways,” said Mashego.

Meanwhile, the LOC will mark the 500-day countdown to the World Cup with a ceremony in Bloemfontein when the host cities will unveil their posters.

LOC marketing officer Derick Carstens said the ceremony, to be held in Mangaung on January 26, would form a big part of the visualisation of the first World Cup to be played on African soil. “We will use the event to launch the first phase of the World Cup from a nation- building point of view.

“We need to get all South Africans to embrace the event,” said Carstens.

Tickets for the World Cup go on sale on February 20.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Tshwane/Pretoria: Training Venues*

*Super Stadium 28,900*



















*Construction:*


















*Matches:*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Confederations Cup stadiums reach final straight*
(LOC) Monday 19 January 2009

In just five months South Africa will play host to some of world football's biggest stars, such as Fernando Torres, Kaka, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso and Francesc Fabregas when the country hosts the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009.

With the six continental champions, reigning FIFA World Cup champions Italy and the hosts battling it out for the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 trophy from 14 June 2009 to 28 June 2009, the excitement levels are high as South Africa whets its appetite for the big one in 2010 when it hosts Africa's first FIFA World Cup™.

First up, though, the FIFA Confederations Cup may well be primarily a precursor for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, but it is also a major undertaking on its own, with Brazil, Italy, USA, Iraq, New Zealand, Egypt and Spain, all participating alongside home team Bafana Bafana to be named ‘champions of champions'.

With the tournament just around the corner, the readiness of the four stadiums that will host the FIFA Confederations Cup is being monitored with considerable interest. And judging by the progress being made at Johannesburg's Ellis Park, Pretoria/Tshwane's Loftus Versfeld, Mangaung/Bloemfontein's Free State Stadium and Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, it is certainly apparent that they will be more than ready to host the game's biggest stars, leaving only one question unanswered. Who will lift the trophy in June?

Here's a look at the status of the four FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 stadiums:

*Loftus Versfeld - Tshwane/Pretoria*

Construction at Loftus Versfeld is almost complete. According to Godfrey Nkwane, the 2010 Host City Coordinator for Tshwane, the stadium construction is now *90 per cent complete*, with the stadium's n*ew roof on the eastern pavilion completely finished*.

"The stadium will be ready in time to host a successful FIFA Confederations Cup 2009," said Nkwane.

"The stadium upgrade has been progressing very well. The roof over the eastern pavilion, which was the single biggest work package, has been successfully completed and the cranes that used to occupy the Loftus Versfeld stadium skyline are a thing of the past. Work is also progressing well on the upgrade of sound and evacuation systems," added Nkwane.

The stadium is currently undergoing an aesthetic makeover befitting the high profile matches it is to host during the FIFA Confederations Cup, including a mouthwatering clash between Italy and Brazil on June 21, which has sold more tickets than any other game in the tournament so far. According to Nkwane, *lighting in the stadium is being improved and all the walls will receive a fresh coat of paint* to spruce one of South Africa's grand old stadia.

Opening round matches:
15 June - USA against Italy
17 June - USA against Brazil
21 June - Italy against Brazil

*Ellis Park - Johannesburg*

Great progress has been seen with Ellis Park stadium and the City of Johannesburg team are very happy with the work that has been done on the stadium that will host the opening match and final of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009.

"*The stadium itself is now complete* and the sub-contractors will be handing over at* the end of the month. *The pitch and the seating have also been completed," said Johannesburg 2010 coordinator, Sibongile Mazibuko.

"We are excited that this phase is coming to an end and we are very happy with the work that has been done," she continued.
*
For the Ellis Park 2010 team focus is now shifting toward the stadium precinct*. This project, which will be completed by March, aims to clean up the surrounding area, to ensure its ready for the tens of thousands of spectators expected for the upcoming FIFA tournaments in 2009 and 2010.

Opening round matches:

14 June - South Africa against Iraq
18 June - Italy against Egypt
20 June - Iraq against New Zealand

*Free State stadium - Mangaung*

The southern most FIFA Confederations Cup venue is well on its way to being ready to host world-class football come June 2009. The biggest improvement to the stadium has been to the western stand, which has considerably increased the seating capacity of the stadium.

"The major part of the upgrade work was on the main western pavilion, increasing the stadium capacity from 38 000 to 45 000 seats. *The majority of the work is complete besides the venue operations centre, floodlights and turnstile mechanisms,* which are to be completed in February 2009," said the Technical Director of ILISO Consulting, Tykes Govender, the company in charge of the stadium project.

The pitch is the most important element of any stadium, a fact that the Free State stadium team are well aware of. *"The planting of the grass was completed on 19 December 2008. We are well into the growing period and the grass is expected to be fully grown by the end of February 2009,"* stated Govender.

The spectator seating is now 100 per cent complete while the VIP seating is 70 per cent complete and scheduled to be finished by February. Both the floodlights and the sound system are also set to be complete at this time as well.

Opening round matches:

15 June - Brazil against Egypt
17 June - Spain against Iraq
20 June - South Africa against Spain

*Royal Bafokeng stadium - Rustenburg*

"Royal Bafokeng Stadium is ready to host the FIFA Confederations Cup in June," according to Rustenburg host city coordinator Nketu Matima.

"*The upgrades to the west stand are now over 90 per cent complete* and the roof is on. *It is just the partitioning of the roof that is underway at the moment and this will be finished by the end of January.*"

*The internal upgrades, which include the dressing rooms and medical facilities, are complete and new seats are being installed. The new lights and video screens have been installed and the pitch has been redone.*

"*By the end of January, 95 per cent of the work will be complete.* All that will be left to do after that will be minor external work, including final cleaning of the stadium and its surrounds, which puts us well on track to hand over the stadium by the end of February," says Matima.

"In terms of the precinct upgrade, a new road is being built to the stadium. This is close to 40 per cent complete and will be finished by April. A media centre is also being built in a disused school adjacent to the stadium and is one of the important legacies of hosting the tournament."

Bafana Bafana will play Norway at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on 28 March 2009.

Opening round matches:

14 June - New Zealand against Spain
17 June - South Africa against New Zealand
21 June - USA against Egypt


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## PaulFCB (Apr 21, 2008)

Did all the teams officially announce that they are going to participate?


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Paul the Gunner said:


> Did all the teams officially announce that they are going to participate?


yes


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

* Royal Bafokeng Stadium `90 percent complete*
Posted: 2009/01/23



The Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg will host matches during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.


by Kagiso Metswamere

Work on the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, which is to host matches for the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup and 2010 Fifa World Cup, is 90% complete, and the stadium is expected to be ready in mid-February.

"We have done a lot of hard work in preparation of the two main soccer events that will be taking place in our stadium," Royal Bafokeng Sports Holdings MD George Khunou told BuaNews in Mafikeng this week.

"We were expecting that the stadium will be through in March but because of the hard work that has been taking place the stadium will be completed sooner than we expected."

He said that the upgrading of the stadium had cost about R360-million, with the National Treasury contributing R147-million, Royal Bafokeng Sports Holdings contributing R170-million and the Rustenburg Local Municipality contributing the rest.

The current seating capacity of the stadium is 39 000, but they have planned to increase it to 43 000.

International friendlies

Khunou pointed out that the stadium would be available for use next month and would be used to host two international friendly games prior to the Confederations Cup - with the games being used as a test run for hosting larger tournaments.

"A lot of work has already being done in the stadium, the pitch is green and ready for use, most of the seats are being put in and we are still working on the roof and other small aspects in the stadium which we expect to complete soon," he said.

"We are more than confident that the stadium will be completed and ready to use by next month with little work to be done."

Khunou added that they were working in partnership with the municipality and other private companies to ensure that they are well prepared for the two big international soccer games. #


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*FREE STATE STADIUM*

*NEW GRAND STAND ENTRANCE*


















*NEW GRAND STAND ROOF*


















*GRAND STAND CAMERA PLATFORM
*


















*GRAND STAND VOC AREA*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*PLAYERS FOYER*









*
PLAYERS SHOWER ROOMS
*

















*
PLAYERS DRESSING ROOMS*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*FREE STATE STADIUM*

*FREE STATE STADIUM
*
*DOPING AREA*

















*
MEDICAL ROOM*


















*FIFA OFFICE*










*DISABLED TOILETS*


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## galaxtico (Jan 29, 2009)

Are Loftus Versfeld and Ellis Park ready for the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup? I heard the roof at Loftus is ready and Ellis Park has two new stands and new chairs. Has anyone got pictures of the current stadiums, because I can't find decent ones.


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## Loranga (Apr 24, 2003)

Albeit this is a stadium forum, the most interesting thing with Confederations Cup 2009 will be to see what kind of weather/temperatures SA will provide, and how the players will cope with the relatively high altitude. I am very glad that the World Cup 2010 will not be played in +30C.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

galaxtico said:


> Are Loftus Versfeld and Ellis Park ready for the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup? I heard the roof at Loftus is ready and Ellis Park has two new stands and new chairs. Has anyone got pictures of the current stadiums, because I can't find decent ones.


They are ready and have been for a while. Its just minor details being completed for the FIFA February 2009 inspection and deadline date.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Loftus Versfeld*
30 December 2008


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Royal Bafokeng Stadium*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Construction Status:*

*Rustenburg:* 90% complete. Final roof partitions to be installed and new seats by end February. Pitch and internal refurbishments complete. Precinct works to continue until April.

*Bloemfontein:* 95% complete. Roof and internal refurbishments complete. Pitch almost complete. Entire project on track for end February FIFA deadline.
*
Johannesburg:* 99% complete. Seats, roof and internal refurbishments complete. Final overlay and servicing underway. Precinct transformation to continue until Confed Cup.

*Pretoria:* 95% complete. Roof and internal refurbishments complete. Final cleaning of stadium and minor cosmetic upgrade to continue until end February.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

I'd like some non-World Cup/smaller venues to be used as well. 
I think 15 venues would be great.

*Athlone Stadium*


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## city_thing (May 25, 2006)

^^ That's a great looking stadium. Very modern and simple. The standard of the stadiums South Africa is building is incredibly high.

And good idea for a thread Mo Rush.


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## Pule (May 18, 2004)

*Orlando Stadium*


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

good idea mo. just how practical that is financially.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Why would there be a financial issue?


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

not really a problem for the tournament organisers, but each stadium would host less matches than usual so the turnover for them wouldn't be as big.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

No,only send the romania vs. hungary matches to smaller venues. They won't be filling 40,000 seat venues.


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## gho (Oct 9, 2007)

those are both nice stadiums. Do numerous sports and teams share teams in South Africa like they do in Australia, where there is one main rectangle stadium for both codes of rugby and soccer, or is it like England where every team seems to have a seperate stadium?


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Its mainly the rugby venues that share with football.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*1995 Rugby World Cup Venue: Olympia Park, Rustenburg

*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*1995 Rugby World Cup Venue: Danie Craven Stadium*


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

Hehe, we've come such a long way stadium-wise!


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## CharlieP (Sep 12, 2002)

Mo Rush said:


> No,only send the romania vs. hungary matches to smaller venues. They won't be filling 40,000 seat venues.


It would be a miracle if Hungary improved that much in six years!


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## gho (Oct 9, 2007)

Mo Rush said:


> Its mainly the rugby venues that share with football.


So will the stadiums being built for the FIFA WC stadiums be used by Currie Cup/Super 14 teams after the games?

I like Danie Craven Park (aesthetically) what is the capacity?


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Five of the WC venues are already used by Rugby teams.
All of the Confederations Cup venues are used by rugby teams or have hosted rugby matches.

The new ones are proposed for the Rugby World Cup


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

Mo Rush said:


> No,only send the romania vs. hungary matches to smaller venues. They won't be filling 40,000 seat venues.


true.


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## 67868 (Jul 31, 2006)

Mo Rush said:


> No,only send the romania vs. hungary matches to smaller venues. They won't be filling 40,000 seat venues.


at the last world cup there were crowds of over 30,000 at the games between georgia vs nambia and romania portugal and this tournament is only getting more popular


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## NavyBlue (Apr 23, 2005)

Mo Rush said:


> Its mainly the rugby venues that share with football.


In saying that, would some of the football specific stadiums be able to accommodate the larger Rugby playing field?


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

IHaveNoLegs said:


> at the last world cup there were crowds of over 30,000 at the games between georgia vs nambia and romania portugal and this tournament is only getting more popular


Yes, but in order to get to said games fans from other countries didn't have to fly across the world to get to the games


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Of the new venues, Cape Town, PE, Durban, Peter Mokaba can accommodate rugby. soccer city as well.

I'm not sure about Mbombela


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## Pirate99 (Nov 29, 2008)

Cubo99 said:


> Is Orlando Stadium home of Orlando Pirates FC ?? thx


No it is not, Orlando Pirates are part of a consortium that owns 51% of Ellis Park ( Coca-Cola Park). Many fans still consider Orlando Stadium to be the spiritual home of OPFC, if not South African football as a whole.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Another large sporting event hosted with great success in South Africa.
Bring on the Confederations Cup, the Lions tour and the Manchester City tour to RSA.

*Confederations Cup: Can South Africa Repeat Their IPL Success?*
South Africa successfully hosted the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year at short notice. Goal.com's Subhankar Mondal now asks whether the southern African nation can do the same with the Confederations Cup and subsequently the 2010 World Cup finals.....

As the 2009 Indian Premier League came to an end on Sunday, South African president Jacob Zuma declared, "The month-long IPL has revived the country's economy. It has boosted the South African economy by 1 billion rand with the number of hotel rooms booked and the number of flights that were added. It has given a fillip to South African tourism. The IPL was a great advertisement for next month's Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

Nine times out of ten you would have been cynical of that and would have delve deeper to try and find out for yourself whether indeed the competition has been as successful as it is being claimed to be, but this is the one time that you can't help agreeing.

This year’s IPL was slated to be held in the cricket-mad nation of India but thanks to the election dates coinciding with the match dates and the Indian government unable to assure full security, the much hyped competition was airlifted to South Africa, a nation that is as much famous for cricket as it is for football.

To state that the IPL 2009 has been a success would be an understatement. Initially there were apprehensions whether South Africa could organize such a mega event as successfully as it should but in the past month or so all those fears have been allayed and nullified. The South African sports organizers have demonstrated that they can host a major sporting event successfully even at short notice.

Which has now made all those cynics who initially doubted South Africa's credentials to host the 2010 World Cup finals look stupid. The IPL was a precursor to the Confederations Cup that is scheduled to be held in the nation from June 14. The Confederations Cup is a mini-World Cup (well, sort of), itself a precursor to the World Cup finals in which the respective confederation winners along with the World Cup winners and the hosts would compete to become the best of the lot. It is one of the major football competitions in the world and gives an idea of how the nation that is to host the World Cup will cope with the whole affair.

Hosting the IPL has given South Africa a huge boost. This was always going to be an exercise to show the world that they do possess the necessary credentials to host a major sporting event. In the past this illustrious nation has hosted the Rugby and Cricket World Cups and after their successful hosting of the IPL campaign, it is only fair that people start believing in their abilities.

The IPL saw no incident with fan trouble or terrorism. The visiting fans and the tourists had a great time with everything organized to perfection. Security was tight and there were no incidents of anyone getting hurt. Of course, you might point out that an IPL isn't necessarily as huge as a Confederations Cup, let alone a World Cup, but given South Africa's ability to cope with the IPL situation, it is only fair that we give them the benefit of the doubt.

If you ask the organizers in South Africa, they would tell you just how well organized and secure the IPL has been this year. The chairman of Cricket South Africa, Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka, was earlier quoted as saying, "I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind now about security next year. I'm sure FIFA is looking at the situation and if they were to talk to any IPL players or administrators, they would hear how well they have been looked after from a security point of view. When you go to the stadiums, you see how strict security is - it's been amazing - so South Africa is ready to go as far as security is concerned."

Moreover, only four World Cup venues would be used for the Confederations Cup which is only going to help allay fears of security in the nation. Speaking to the BBC earlier this month, Ivor Hoff, chief director of sport for Gauteng Province that will host the World Cup final explained, "We have recently staged the Indian Premier League cricket at short notice and our elections, featuring 17 million people, were held in two days and without incident. We are very confident that South Africa can host the World Cup successfully. The Confederations Cup will give us the necessary understating of our strengths and weaknesses. It is a huge project but we will be ready. And making sure we have a successful competition can help make sure we are ready for 2010."

As unbiased and objective it sounds, it is also a frank admission that some things still need to be sorted out. The Confederations Cup will certainly be a measurement of South Africa's ability to organize and host the Football World Cup and if any problem arises, then it can be mitigated and eradicated between now and 2010 World Cup finals.

But what about the fans? How have they been welcoming the idea of hosting the World Cup finals for the first ever time in the so-called Dark Continent? Goal.com's World Cup Editor Peter Pedroncelli says that people in South Africa are more than just eager to play host to the biggest single sports event in the world.

“South African sentiment towards the tournament is very positive, and stats show that the few cynical people are decreasing as we get closer to the event. The expenditure is being considered in terms of the end product and especially the legacy that all the improvements (stadia, roads, telecommunications, security) will leave the country with. So in that way the money being spent is likely to be recuperated through tourism booms, improvements and job creation.”


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## trmather (Feb 7, 2008)

Just a quick question.

How many athletics events is Royal Bafokeng gonna host each year?


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

trmather said:


> Just a quick question.
> 
> How many athletics events is Royal Bafokeng gonna host each year?


Maybe 1


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## skyperu34 (May 25, 2003)

The Ellis Park is really impressive with those high tribunes ! There is an excellent set of big and beautiful stadiums in SA.


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## Walbanger (Jan 10, 2006)

Slightly off topic but a question to the Saffies on board.

Is Bafana Bafana South Africa's most popular or high profile national team?

Over in Australia we only really hear of the Springboks and the Proteas because of the obvious rivalry's. Just a little worried the great Rugby legacy of Ellis Park and Loftus Versfeld will be lost to the Soccer hysteria, though nice to see many of the new stadiums have Rugby dimensions.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Rand Stadium*
25,000


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

^^ I like the idea of a RWC game here, byut the field looks too small to me. the goal area would be tiny.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

ellis park and loftus are used for football games throughout the season and, for most of those games, are filled to capacity. i wouldn't say bafana are our most popular national team, simjply because they haven't achieved anything since 1996, that's united the country like rugby has. my hope is that the world cup will do something similiar for us as the previous WC did for germany. ok, they got to the semis. the point was that the loss didn't affect the countries unity and kept on partying and supporting the team.


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## CharlieP (Sep 12, 2002)

Have the proposed grounds for a South African RWC been listed, as they have in the other three bids?


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## shacky (Jun 10, 2008)

i like the idea too bt i dont think it would happen and i wouldnt want it to. the IRB doesnt want small attendances, rugby is a growing sport and it deserves bigger stadiums!i know there are small unions that wouldnt get huge crowds bt i dont think the IRB would agree with a small stadium espcially in South Africa!weve got brand new stadiums and it could give the impression that the country wouldnt embrace the world cup, Athlone stadium would be the perfect size for smaller games in a world cup. and yes New Zealand has even smaller stadiums for 2011 which i dont agree with but anyway.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

^^ agree


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## wolflanz76 (Apr 15, 2009)

wow nice Stadiums:applause:


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## Jizzy (Sep 28, 2008)

can't wait to see italy and brazil rip up the self-obsessed overhyped usa.


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## Anatool (May 30, 2009)

Why did the FIFA change Bloemfontein in Mangaung ? And isn't the official name of the stadium Vrystaat Stadion , like in Afrikaans ?


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

Jizzy said:


> can't wait to see italy and brazil rip up the self-obsessed overhyped usa.


I love your blind hate.

1) The US never said they'd win the World Cup.
2) No footballing nation is more overhyped and self-obsessed than England, the England that failed to qualify to their last major tournament.
3) The US will field a B-team in the Confederations Cup because of CONCACAF rules regarding the Gold Cup.

Last time Italy and the US played, it was a draw...the US had nine men for 43 minutes.

That was the match where De Rossi showed how classy he was, remember that? It wasn't a one off because he did it to a Serbian player the same year (actually, he kicked him in the balls).

Of the top-six teams in England, two have American starting goalkeepers, none have English ones.

The "home of football" uses an Italian manager, and their most successful manager on win percentage? A Swede. The US uses an American, just like Scotland uses a Scot, Germany a German, France a Frenchman, and Italy an Italian.

I won't hijack this thread any further, but don't go posting misinformed crap just because you're borderline xenophobic. Thanks.

Have fun watching Dax McCarthy.


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## DennisRodman97 (Jul 12, 2007)

well said bobby


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## trmather (Feb 7, 2008)

Mo Rush said:


> Maybe 1


So why on earth does it have an athletics track?


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

It was built way before the world cup. It was built by the wealth of the bafokeng nation as a community venue and sports precinct. These type of venues are usually athletics venues.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Pilditch Stadium*
FIFA Confederations Cup Training Venue


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*We are ready!*



african biohazard said:


> *Pitch still getting a lot of attention - especially at this spot:*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Let the Games Begin!!!*




african biohazard said:


>


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Rustenburg
*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)




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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Final Touches*










*VIP Lounge*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Bloemfontein*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Rustenburg*


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## Wajdi (Oct 26, 2008)

Wawoo Amaizing

I'm from Tunisia and I felt proud when I sw what south african has done, the stadium is so beautiful.

The news often told us that there was problems and delay in WC preparation, but when I saw this thread I was surprised that they told us that.

It's a pleasure for all african to have this event on Africa and especially in south africa!


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

Some problems with the pitch. It looks like this is going to be a problem for the Confed Cup, but hopefully they can learn from this so the playing surfaces are pristine next summer:



> JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Workers struggled Saturday to make the damaged Ellis Park pitch playable in time for Sunday's Confederations Cup opener between host South Africa and Iraq.
> 
> Rugby, normally played at the Johannesburg stadium, has left the field scarred and uneven around midfield and players expecting international-standard pitches at the eight-nation tournament could be disappointed. Rugby has been played recently at the three other stadiums being used for the Confederations Cup in Rustenburg, Bloemfontein and Pretoria.
> 
> ...


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## Mr.Underground (Jan 15, 2007)

Mo. Rush and all ZA boys, my compliment.

I think will be a fantastic confederation cup, the verture of a wonderful WC.

Hoping Italy like winner.


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## djwizard84 (Nov 21, 2007)

SPAIN is my team on this C.Cup


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Sercan, any change of stickying this thread until 28 June only ?


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## www.sercan.de (Aug 10, 2003)

DONE.

But guys. Please no football talk.


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## Mr.Underground (Jan 15, 2007)

I 'm watching on TV Spain VS New Zealand.

Stadium empty and above all the stadium of Rustenburg is nothing of special.

I thought, looking images on thread, to give a better judgement. hno:


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## JYDA (Jul 14, 2008)

Those horns are a tad annoying


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## passionate saffer (Jun 8, 2009)

yes there a bit annooying and the attendence is awful.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)




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## Carrerra (Mar 13, 2008)

Question to SA friends. How many stadiums will be used for football after the tournament? Are there any stadiums whose regular football tenants are fixed?


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

passionate saffer said:


> yes there a bit annooying and the attendence is awful.


the average attendance for confed cup games is 36000. if you consider that some of the games are sold out (55000-60000 setas) the attendance at bafokeng was to be expected, especially when NZ are playing. no offense to the, but one team can pull so many people. you need a good opponent to double that.


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## GNU (Nov 26, 2004)

Whats the purpose of that empty space behind the goal?


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## Quintana (Dec 27, 2005)

The only thing I can think of is that it is the place where they will eventually award the cup to the winning team.


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## AndreÇB (Jan 31, 2007)

GNU said:


> Whats the purpose of that empty space behind the goal?


Some hypotesis:

1) a stage?
2) space for an ambulance?
3) some space related do rugby?


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## Red85 (Jan 23, 2007)

AndreÇB said:


> Some hypotesis:
> 
> 1) a stage?
> 2) space for an ambulance?
> 3) some space related do rugby?


Disabled and challenged people?


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

seats behind the goal posts too close to the playing field


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## passionate saffer (Jun 8, 2009)

the game today was fine. happy with it


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## bigbossman (Jun 25, 2007)

If those damn horns are at next years world cup it could ruin it. They are so fucking annoying! and everyone i have spoken too agrees, look through the internet too...

and where are the fans and why are they dancing??


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## RobH (Mar 9, 2007)

Thank God I'm not the only one!! I posted this on another forum earlier today:

_I don't know what they had in the crowd but did anyone else think the constant buzzing/hooter noises in the background were really annoying?! It wouldn't stop and was louder than the crowd for large parts of the game!_


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## www.sercan.de (Aug 10, 2003)

I think everybody don't like it. They should ban those horns.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

Maybe that empty space behind the goal is for the photographers? The photographers are usually along the endline so maybe that space is somewhat of a staging area for them to put their bags and such? Just a guess.


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## AndreÇB (Jan 31, 2007)

bigbossman said:


> If those damn horns are at next years world cup it could ruin it. They are so fucking annoying! and everyone i have spoken too agrees, look through the internet too...


today i was watching Brasil-Egypt on MUTE... damn horns...


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## ØlandDK (May 29, 2005)

AndreÇB said:


> Some hypotesis:
> 
> 1) a stage?
> 2) space for an ambulance?
> 3) some space related do rugby?


1) Would also be my guess
2) You can park a ambulance there but can't get it out of the stadium again? 
3) Doubt it - don't know much about rugby but I don't remember seeing such space in other rugby stadiums.


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## trmather (Feb 7, 2008)

RobH said:


> Thank God I'm not the only one!! I posted this on another forum earlier today:
> 
> _I don't know what they had in the crowd but did anyone else think the constant buzzing/hooter noises in the background were really annoying?! It wouldn't stop and was louder than the crowd for large parts of the game!_





bigbossman said:


> If those damn horns are at next years world cup it could ruin it. They are so fucking annoying! and everyone i have spoken too agrees, look through the internet too...
> 
> and where are the fans and why are they dancing??





www.sercan.de said:


> I think everybody don't like it. They should ban those horns.


Agreed. I feel like finding the person who gives them out and :bash:


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)




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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Those vuvuzelas/horns are part of the local culture and while annoying are what makes local soccer unique.


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> Those vuvuzelas/horns are part of the local culture and while annoying are what makes local soccer unique.


EXACTLY!
The WC has come to Africa, and should be done in African style....
This is not Europe or the States, this is Africa, South Africa, Ke Nako! (celebrating Africa's Humanity)
Again, the sound of the Vuvuzela IS the cheers of the crowd, and in terms of commentary, the sound engineers can easily increase the volume of mics.
If they decide to not allow it, they should allow it for Bafana Bafana's matches.
Its part of the package


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## RobH (Mar 9, 2007)

I didn't say they should be banned and I agree it's part of your culture. That doesn't mean it won't annoy me though! 

It probably sounds better in the stadium than on TV, where it just sounds like a low annoying background hum throughout.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

No its worse at the stadium.


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## bigbossman (Jun 25, 2007)

the BBC commentators said it was annoying them. It annoyed me, basically if there is enough of a world wide backlash FIFA will do what it can to ban them, hopefully. The fact that it is south african culture shouldn't be an issue, standing is German (actually all of football) culture and was banned from the world cup, but the fact is this is annoying and could harm the marketability of the world cup.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

Mo Rush said:


> No its worse at the stadium.


i disagree. on tv you have no vibe and all sounds are more or less the same. i do agree that this is a matter of taste and for that reason should be seriously considered. i think the way it is now with every second person blowing a vuvuzela, it will create problems. i don't think it's as simple as saying, oh that annoys me so get rid of it. that could just be cultural ignorance. there has to be a middle ground.

btw they aren't handed out at games, it's a thriving business.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

I've begun muting the TV while watching because of them. There's no other atmosphere at the stadium so it's not as if I'm missing much.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

As I've said before, they are currently banned for 2010.


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## JohanSA (Apr 21, 2008)

they are also banned at all rugby union games . i think the only reason they are not banned for the confed cup is because the confed cup was struggling for attendance. it personally doesnt iritate me as much but i love the singing at soccer games and get goosebumps whenever SA gets going with shosholoza or ole . hopefully they keep the vuvuzellas banned for 2010 and ban it in the Cape Town cbd because allthough its tons of fun blowing it im all for ear pleasing ambience.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

it would be fine if they were just blown to intensify the hype. just like others play drums or whatever when the game teas up. what is annoying is the randomness that distracts from the game. mo, where is it stated that they will be banned?


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## GNU (Nov 26, 2004)

On a whole I dont have much of a problem with them and I suspect that a ban could lead to an awkward silence in the stadium since the fans are probably not that familiar with chants and so on. Generally I dont like to see football fans behaving the very same all over the globe.


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## CTMAN (Jul 27, 2007)

South African football and rubgy fans don't sing like they do in Europe or England.....all we sing is shosholoza or ole as Johan SA mentions above....... we really need to get some songs going at the games.....shosholoza or ole is so old school and tiring


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

there's nothing wrong with shosholoza. goodness, the english still sing swing low at the rugby and don't even know what the song's about. the last time i was at a bafana game was in 96. back then vuvuzelas were not that much of a feature and yet the vibe was amazing. people sang and danced. i think we'd be fine without vuvuzelas.


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

I would hate it if they banned them....soccer games in SA wont be the same, you hear them at rugby games too....hell even at the IPL people had them. 
I just dont think we should have to change the way we support sport just because the sound of the vuvuzela is unknown and misunderstood by the world and those south Africans who only watch the European leagues.
The vuvuzela is a unique African icon, and should be represented at these games.


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## RobH (Mar 9, 2007)

Misunderstood? I'm not sure there's that much to "understand"! It's annoying, has annoyed and will annoy. Others will love it. If it's part of the culture then maybe it's worth putting up with; South Africa will be unique and I suppose you have to take the bad with the good.


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## Cauê (May 14, 2008)

The noise of the crowd is very boring. As, a fly. All the time. That are "horns"?
But the Confederations Cup is wonderful and the heat of the crowd is beautiful.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

They aren't that unique. People in Central America use them, as do some of the Mexicans and the people from those countries that live here in the US. We hear them at some matches here and the majority of people here can't stand them. They're not that unique to SA.


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## RobH (Mar 9, 2007)

I didn't mean the use of these horns was unique. I meant the South Africa world cup will be unique and taking away from that experience, even if it stops the annoying background buzz, may not be the best thing.


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## CTMAN (Jul 27, 2007)

haggiesm said:


> there's nothing wrong with shosholoza. goodness, the english still sing swing low at the rugby and don't even know what the song's about. the last time i was at a bafana game was in 96. back then vuvuzelas were not that much of a feature and yet the vibe was amazing. people sang and danced. i think we'd be fine without vuvuzelas.


No problem with shosholoza in itself however learning to sing something else to mix it up would help....try attending an English Premier League football match and then you realise what singing is about....


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## bigbossman (Jun 25, 2007)

^^ lol what... the premier league and singing in the same sentence, well i never... if you want atmosphere i'd recommend lower league football or...

The backlash to the venezeulas is mounting, i wouldn't say it's a unique african experience, i can't remember hearing it in any of the recent ACNs and my family is from west africa and it's alien to them... like i said it's not the horns it's the monotony of them, no tune, no melody. The is literally no atmosphere, the crowd don't seem to react to anything, even a goal celebration isn't louder than the horns, where are the roars of encouragement it's a surreal annoying atmosphere i'm afraid and i thought the atmosphere from the korean fans was bad...



CTMAN said:


> fans don't sing like they do in Europe or England....


btw England *IS* a part of Europe...


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## Cauê (May 14, 2008)

Horn in the games, ok. But excessive horn all the time, I do not like.
Is a problem to be corrected for the Cup 2010.


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## Chimaera (Mar 14, 2007)

As has been mentioned before, the sound this horn produces is not unique. I've watched matches in other parts of the world where the same monotonous sound was produced practically from kick off till final whistle. I personally get irritated by it, like a mosquito is buzzing next to your ear for 90 minutes. But who am I to order South Africans what kind of football atmosphere they should create.


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## CTMAN (Jul 27, 2007)

bigbossman said:


> ^^ lol what... the premier league and singing in the same sentence, well i never... if you want atmosphere i'd recommend lower league football or...
> 
> The backlash to the venezeulas is mounting, i wouldn't say it's a unique african experience, i can't remember hearing it in any of the recent ACNs and my family is from west africa and it's alien to them... like i said it's not the horns it's the monotony of them, no tune, no melody. The is literally no atmosphere, the crowd don't seem to react to anything, even a goal celebration isn't louder than the horns, where are the roars of encouragement it's a surreal annoying atmosphere i'm afraid and i thought the atmosphere from the korean fans was bad...
> 
> ...


Well, i always enjoy the singing at Old Trafford...... and yes England is part of Europe, simply meant the difference between EPL and other European countires, not being too specific.


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## Alex Roney (Apr 22, 2007)

CTMAN said:


> No problem with shosholoza in itself however learning to sing something else to mix it up would help....try attending an English Premier League football match and then you realise what singing is about....


You need to go to games in South America because in terms of atmosphere England is no where near. And I've been to games in both continents. Heck you'll get a much better crowd in Eastern Europe and the Balkans over England.


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## CTMAN (Jul 27, 2007)

Alex Roney said:


> You need to go to games in South America because in terms of atmosphere England is no where near. And I've been to games in both continents. Heck you'll get a much better crowd in Eastern Europe and the Balkans over England.


I don't for a minute doubt what you are saying. My comparison is purely against that what we experience in South Africa. As I have nver been to watch a footie match in South America, I cannot comment.


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## flavze (May 13, 2009)

lol, matthew farking breeze reffing a game. Shittest ref in the entire universe, be prepared for the most bizarre calls in a game ever.


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## GNU (Nov 26, 2004)

bigbossman said:


> i can't remember hearing it in any of the recent ACNs and my family is from west africa and it's alien to them... like i said it's not the horns it's the monotony of them, no tune, no melody.


But wind instruments in general are quite popular in ACNs arent they?


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## RobH (Mar 9, 2007)

I agree with most about the horns, but ffs salaverryo, just because Mo disagrees with you and I doesn't mean you should respond to him like that! It doesn't make you sound very intelligent.


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## trmather (Feb 7, 2008)

You are to blame said:


> I find the people who are annoyed by the sound are those who aren't really paying attention to the games. At first it bothered me too but you get use to it eventually once you start paying attention to the game. I hardly notice them now.


Well unfortunately, the games have been poor overall, bar maybe the Brazil-Egypt game, so you can help but drift off and hear those horrible sounds.

Doesn't help the quality of the matches that the pitches are bloody awful as well though.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

salaverryo said:


> ^^Don't bother arguing with him. What he says, that's official. He's a paid member of the organising committee. ---EDITED---


Why was it edited? I want to see!!


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

trmather said:


> Well unfortunately, the games have been poor overall, bar maybe the Brazil-Egypt game, so you can help but drift off and hear those horrible sounds.
> 
> Doesn't help the quality of the matches that the pitches are bloody awful as well though.


Considering we just had a rugby season and are hosting the British Lions Tour at the same time I'd say they are doing fine, not perfect but fine. 

In addition, if FIFA was not satisfied with the pitch a contingency IS in place to replace the pitch in 1 day.

FIFA of course will increase the exclusion period before 2010 to remove any problems with the pitch.

*Loftus*










*Rustenburg*


















*Ellis Park*


















*Bloemfontein*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Match Day 4









*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Part 2*

*Match Day 4*


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Average attendances*


1995 Saudi Arabia 20,625
1997 Saudi Arabia 20,844
1999 Mexico 60,625
2001 Korea/Japan 34,824
2003 France 30,731
2005 Germany 37,694
2009 South Africa 36,444 (After 8 matches)


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## lpioe (May 6, 2006)

^^ the official attendance numbers don't seem very accurate.
The german commentator said the Royal Bafokeng is half full when South Africa played New Zealand (and from what I could see it looked about half full), yet officialy it was more than 80% filled.


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## Chimaera (Mar 14, 2007)

Looks like someone used the mirror to paint an American flag on his face :lol:

But why is he wearing a Portuguese shirt, if he supports the US...


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

lpioe said:


> ^^ the official attendance numbers don't seem very accurate.
> The german commentator said the Royal Bafokeng is half full when South Africa played New Zealand (and from what I could see it looked about half full), yet officialy it was more than 80% filled.


The attendance numbers are based on the numbers that pass through the gates. Which was 36k.


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## bigbossman (Jun 25, 2007)

^^ yeah and any bafoon can see they are made up...


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

lpioe said:


> ^^ the official attendance numbers don't seem very accurate.
> The german commentator said the Royal Bafokeng is half full when South Africa played New Zealand (and from what I could see it looked about half full), yet officialy it was more than 80% filled.


it was definitely not half full. maybe at kick off, but it filled up very quickly within the first 20 minutes.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

bigbossman said:


> ^^ yeah and any bafoon can see they are made up...


Counts are determined by the turnstiles. Not human beings and not tickets sold.


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

Just thinking, they could have brought confed cup to CT, was at Newlands today, AMAZING pitch, stadium looked good, seating is ok. And im sure there would have been no problem filling the stadium


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## plasticterminator (Jul 23, 2007)

I agree with mo rush south africa as a tournament venue is great but my only gripe is the pitches which are below par. Of course replacing them just prior to the finals is not a solution if you still have the same maintenance regime/staff in place. I hope i am able to assist to bring the surfaces up to the world class standards that the venues deserve.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

loftus replaced their pitch, probably because they had rugby games and more recently than any of the other venues. i'm not concerned about next year. the football has been amazing so the pitches can't be that bad. and loftus and royal bafokeng are just outstanding.


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## Bezzi (Dec 27, 2008)

Brazilian players are having fun in South Africa, but they said the best thing they found in the country is the friendly people who make them fell like stay in home. In fact South Africa is very similar to our country and this can be the motivation for Brazil's victory. I'm really enjoing this confederation cup and can't wait to next year world cup. Well done SA!


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

Vuvuzela: a symbol of South Africa

From the beat of the samba drums in Brazil to the ringing of cow bells in Switzerland to the Mexican wave, the idiosyncrasies of several nationalities become apparent at football matches. South Africans are no exception, as those who have descended on the country for this year's FIFA Confederations Cup have discovered.

The vuvuzela is a vociferous air horn that reverberates around arenas with rare energy. It is also a proud and permanent symbol of its patrons.

"Without the vuvuzela, I don't think I would be able to enjoy football," said Sadaam Maake, one of South African football's celebrity followers. "It brings a special feeling to the stadiums. It is something that makes the fans want to get behind their team."

The vuvuzela was originally made from a kudu horn. Folklore has it that, in the ancient days, it was used to summon people to gatherings. Over the last 15 years, the sight and sound of the instrument being blown at games has evolved into an emblem of hope and unity for many South Africans.

"When we started the vuvuzela, there was so much sadness in our country in those years and it brought so much joy," explained Mzion Mofokeng, another iconic football enthusiast.* "All of a sudden people would go to the stadiums because of this instrument that was able to get fans on their feet and start cheering.* For few hours, they would forget about the reality in our society and enjoy the sound.

However, Mofokeng did add a warning: "In order for it to produce a nice sound, someone must know how to blow it. It must be done with a controlled voice and you need some art for that."
All of a sudden people would go to the stadiums because of this instrument that was able to get fans on their feet and start cheering.
Mzion Mofokeng on the vuvuzela.

The vuvuzela was introduced to the world as an item synonymous with South African football on 15 May 2004, when it was announced the nation would host the 19th edition of the FIFA World Cup™. Upon confirmation of the decision, South Africa's sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile and then-finance minister Trevor Manuel led the chorus of vuvuzelas in the presence of dignitaries and members of the media from across the globe.

However, its sheer volume has taken many by surprise during the FIFA Confederations Cup. "For someone who is not used to it, it might be a bit awkward," said Gladys Gialey, a Bafana Bafana diehard. "This is why I believe we must educate fans from outside South Africa about it. For me, as a football fan, I don't have a problem with it."

Evidently, the vuvuzela is deeply entrenched in football culture in a country fiercely dedicated to staging an unforgettable FIFA World Cup. "It is African culture, we are in Africa and we have to allow them to practice their culture as much as they want to," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

"Vuvuzelas, drums and signing are part of African football culture. It is part of their celebration, it is part of their culture, so let them blow the vuvuzelas."


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Andrew_za said:


> Just thinking, they could have brought confed cup to CT, was at Newlands today, AMAZING pitch, stadium looked good, seating is ok. And im sure there would have been no problem filling the stadium


Confed Cup is there to test World Cup venues not non-World Cup venues.


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## Loranga (Apr 24, 2003)

At least the vuvuzela is not as annoying as the "Eastern European Horn" that is common at least in russian hockey and football matches. But the Japanese Horn makes a better sound.


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## ZABoy (Jun 23, 2009)

Fizmo1337 said:


> Normally I wouldn't have replied but the last 2 sentences were full of arrogance that I couldn't let this comment pass without any reply.
> 
> I think you forgot it's the WORLD CUP, not the South African cup. You should already be very happy that you MAY organise the World Cup (lot's of countries would love to). Now that you have it you can't demand that everyone has to listen to you. No, you have to listen to FIFA and other countries in order to make the WC successful and make it an entertaining sporting event and no, spoiling the fun for everyone (by allowing those annoying vuvulzela's) is not the way to make a WC successfull.
> 
> ...


*"No, you have to listen to FIFA and other countries in order to make the WC successful and make it an entertaining sporting event and no, spoiling the fun for everyone (by allowing those annoying vuvulzela's) is not the way to make a WC successfull*" FIFA has listened and they have already said that our *VUVUZELA*. Get used to that, AND AS I PROMISED I have already bought my VUVUZELA and I am waiting for the 11 June 2010 to blow it so loud, so that you can hear it in Belgium.

Whether it was made in China or not, now it had become part of who we are.
No need to be confident buddy, WE WILL BE HOSTING THE BEST EVER WORLD CUP and it will be AFRICAN!!
If you want a meaning of being African, google President Thabo Mbeki's I am an African speech.

Cheers buddy


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## ZABoy (Jun 23, 2009)

To all the haters of the VUVUZELA read this http://www.supersport.com/football/article.aspx?headline=Vuvuzelas set to take WC by storm&id=305414

Vuvuzela is here to stay. Put your tv sets on mute or switch them altogether


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## Huskies (Apr 15, 2009)

ZABoy said:


> To all the haters of the VUVUZELA read this http://www.supersport.com/football/article.aspx?headline=Vuvuzelas set to take WC by storm&id=305414
> 
> Vuvuzela is here to stay. Put your tv sets on mute or switch them altogether


hopefully the world cup tickets will be expensive enough so that regular ( vuvuzela blowing ) south africans cant afford tickets ... so the stadiums fill up with boring but QUIET corporate people... or at least so they vuvuzela blowers only go to south africas games, cause in that case only three games would be ruined by that awful retarded sound ... :bash:


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## Fizmo1337 (Mar 26, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> Incorrect.
> 
> Its *FIFA's* World Cup, for the world, hosted in South Africa.
> We don't demand that our local football cultures be imposed on the world but part of bidding for this event( and many others we've bid for and successfully hosted) is to share our country with the world, its cultures and so forth and from this to develop our infrastructure for the long term success of the country. Sounds wishy washy yes, but when you've been cut off from the world for decades due to apartheid, being a part of the world becomes even more important.
> ...



Yes of course it's the FIFA World Cup, obviously. What I mean is that it isn't a South AFrican Cup, made and played by South Africans. No, it's a World Cup and there are players/teams from all over the world and billions of them will watch the games therefore you just can't ignore FIFA, sponsors, worlwide viewers,... when there is an irritating sound during the matches.

I think you misunderstood me for the rest of my comment. I got absolutely nothing against South AFrica organising it. Africa deserves a WC and it will further develop the country. I understand you want to do it your way and show and share your culture with the rest of the world. I even HOPE it will have some African feeling, a bit different to other World Cups but the vuvuzela is not the way to do it. South African dances, songs, drums, etc... would make it much more pleasant, for viewers but also the supporters inside the stadium. 

I only have an issue with the vuvuzela. It's a very irritating sound. Like a bunch of bees/flies around your head constantly. After a while you get crazy from it. I normally don't complain about sounds in the stadiums but this sound is really annoying.
Again, you can't really call it part of South AFrican "culture" because it has been imported from China in 2001. The Chinese only did this to make money so to call this part of your culture is a bit .... strange? It's not like it is a tradition going on for decades now is it? I think you all are afraid it's gonna be boring/unsuccessful without the vuvuzelas but I can assure you it won't.
And not only the europeans don't like it. Go on www.goal.com and go to the articles about the vuvuzela and everyone dislikes it, not only europeans (also players and staff from different teams complained already).

I know FIFA said they won't ban it but now it's 'only' the confederations cup. Not that many people are interested in it, it's just an exercise for next year. Let's wait and see what they will do when the World Cup started. the viewers will be 100 times higher and so will the complaints. It will be interesting to see how long FIFA can ignore the number of complaints of their viewers and sponsors.

Best way is to filter it out on TV so both sides are happy.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

I see what you're saying BUT its not going anywhere. I find the sound annoying.
So what if its been around close to 10 years? Our flags been around for 15 years? Other aspects of our culture is new too.

In addition, I understand that many don't like the sound BUT goal.com is not a proper site IMO and I'm certain technology allows for the sound to be reduced and the sound of the commentary to be increased.


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## juzzy (Jul 24, 2008)

Huskies said:


> hopefully the world cup tickets will be expensive enough so that regular ( vuvuzela blowing ) south africans cant afford tickets ... so the stadiums fill up with boring but QUIET corporate people...  or at least so they vuvuzela blowers only go to south africas games, cause in that case only three games would be ruined by that awful retarded sound ... :bash:


DOOS!!!!!


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## juzzy (Jul 24, 2008)

salaverryo said:


> Don't worry, you won't get many visitors to your country. Foreigners aren't stupid. No tourist likes to get robbed, and yours is a country of thieves. So you can have the World Cup all to yourselves, play your kazoos to your hearts' delight and misbehave all you want. One major drawback, though: there won't be any tourists to rob; you'll have go on stealing from each other.


POES!!!!!


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## Fizmo1337 (Mar 26, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> I see what you're saying BUT its not going anywhere. I find the sound annoying.
> So what if its been around close to 10 years? Our flags been around for 15 years? Other aspects of our culture is new too.
> 
> In addition, I understand that many don't like the sound BUT goal.com is not a proper site IMO and I'm certain technology allows for the sound to be reduced and the sound of the commentary to be increased.


All the South African people are saying here how it's 'part of their culture' and because of that we can't ban the vuvuzela's. That's ludicrous. It's imported from China a few years ago only to make money from it (the chinese ofc) and now suddenly it's 'part of your culture'. That's just laughable, no? And a flag is an integral part of your country and is a symbol for the whole nation. Don't tell me you want to compare that to a vuvuzela.

Why is goal.com not a proper site?? It's one of the biggest football sites with football fans from all over the world. Topics get 1000+ comments regularly. A new news article appears every 3-5 minutes. It has dozens of news writers. The site is translated in 10 languages. If you don't call that a proper football site than what is??


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

FIFA gave away 70,000 free tickets for the group stage


> FIFA gave away 70,000 free tickets so local South Africans could attend Confederations Cup matches during the group stage of the eight-team tournament.
> 
> The governing body of world soccer decided to hand out the free tickets after some early matches at the World Cup warm-up tournament were played in half-empty stadiums.
> 
> ...


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## bigbossman (Jun 25, 2007)

^^ i was just about to post a similar article from the guardian, but to hell with it i'll post it anyway. This was from tuesday btw

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jun/23/fifa-confederations-cup-spain-usa



> Fifa is giving away some free tickets for the Confederations Cup semi-final between Spain and the United States.
> 
> World football's governing body said today there were about 6,000 tickets still on sale for the match at the 38,000-seat Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. "There will be a certain number of tickets given on a complimentary basis," the Fifa spokesman, Nicolas Maingot, said. "Again, it's a gesture from Fifa … for people to have a chance to enjoy this game."
> 
> ...


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## bigbossman (Jun 25, 2007)

Fizmo1337 said:


> Why is goal.com not a proper site?? It's one of the biggest football sites with football fans from all over the world. Topics get 1000+ comments regularly. A new news article appears every 3-5 minutes. It has dozens of news writers. The site is translated in 10 languages. If you don't call that a proper football site than what is??


The site is awful as a source of fact, it's like a football cross between the associated press (awful amercan reuters wannabe) and wikipedia, only worse. The journalism, if you want to call it that, is so poorly written and so factually incorrect it's painfully. It's popular only because there are more braindead morons in the world than not, it's a sad fact but it is what it is...


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## Bobby3 (Jun 26, 2007)

I, personally, don't have a problem with the vuvuzela. In fact, I think the complaints surrounding the vuvuzela are from people upset that Africa is hosting the World Cup to begin with. They don't want it there, South Africa (like Japan/Korea and the United States) isn't a traditional "home" of the game, it's offensive to their senses that South Africans would dare act South African in South Africa of all places.

People aren't going to not watch the World Cup because South Africans have toy horns, most people won't even care.


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## bigbossman (Jun 25, 2007)

^^ erm africa is a traditional home of the game more so than Korea/japan and the USA. Africa just didn't have the resources to be good at the game until the very recent past.

The problem is traditionalist don't like change, especially in football where most change is seen as destroying the game most people fell in love with, and though an South Africa world cup may not represent change the fact that it won't follow "the blueprint" gets a lot of people uneasy, i'm not saying it's right, it's just how it is. People find comfort in familiarity...

The vuvus are annoying (unless the game is good- rarities in tournaments) no doubt and FIFA does have a duty to cater to the world cup's TV audience (main revenue stream) as well as the host country and that's a fact. If enough money is at stake then upsetting south africans will be considered negligible callateral damage. Whether anything will come of it, remains to be seen though...


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

Bobby3 said:


> I, personally, don't have a problem with the vuvuzela. In fact, I think the complaints surrounding the vuvuzela are from people upset that Africa is hosting the World Cup to begin with. They don't want it there, South Africa (like Japan/Korea and the United States) isn't a traditional "home" of the game, it's offensive to their senses that South Africans would dare act South African in South Africa of all places.
> 
> People aren't going to not watch the World Cup because South Africans have toy horns, most people won't even care.


Nope. I have no problem with the World Cup going to South Africa and will be going to the tournament next summer, but I detest the vuvuzela. It's an awful sounding noise and worse than that, it's blown all match long. It doesn't get louder after a goal or during a build up. It's not blown in response to what's going on in the game. It's just noise for the sake of noise. If it was blown during times of excitement, I could get over the annoying noise. It won't stop me from going next summer and it won't stop me from watching, but it's caused me to mute these Confed Cup matches.


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## matpermai (Jun 18, 2009)

ZABoy said:


> Oh Shut up. If you dont like 'fucking horns' rather switch off the tv and find yourself a hobby. Better get this through your thick head, NO EUROPEANS are going to tell us what to do in our country.


I am no European..me from Malaysia..I also think the horn is still annoying..just like sound of flies..that is the first impression my wife get..she asked where is the fly sound come from...I love the sound of the drums and SA girls dancing..shaking their buttom...sexy..yeah..


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## matpermai (Jun 18, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> Incorrect.
> 
> Its *FIFA's* World Cup, for the world, hosted in South Africa.
> We don't demand that our local football cultures be imposed on the world but part of bidding for this event( and many others we've bid for and successfully hosted) is to share our country with the world, its cultures and so forth and from this to develop our infrastructure for the long term success of the country. Sounds wishy washy yes, but when you've been cut off from the world for decades due to apartheid, being a part of the world becomes even more important.
> ...


The issue here is just the horns..nothing else..it shows SAFFERS just like making random noise.


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## matpermai (Jun 18, 2009)

Bobby3 said:


> I, personally, don't have a problem with the vuvuzela. In fact, I think the complaints surrounding the vuvuzela are from people upset that Africa is hosting the World Cup to begin with. They don't want it there, South Africa (like Japan/Korea and the United States) isn't a traditional "home" of the game, it's offensive to their senses that South Africans would dare act South African in South Africa of all places.
> 
> People aren't going to not watch the World Cup because South Africans have toy horns, most people won't even care.


People watched WC not because of the countries hosting them...nobody cares about the host country very much..but if players,coaches, spectators, viewers acnnot enjoy the game then the host country will be most remembered


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

matpermai said:


> The issue here is just the horns..nothing else..it shows SAFFERS just like making random noise.


No, people just don't like hearing a detailed response.


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## ZABoy (Jun 23, 2009)

matpermai said:


> I am no European..me from Malaysia..I also think the horn is still annoying..just like sound of flies..that is the first impression my wife get..she asked where is the fly sound come from...I love the sound of the drums and SA girls dancing..shaking their buttom...sexy..yeah..


I thought you would gotten used to fly sounds as there lots of those in Malaysia :lol: (OOPS did I just become ignorant like the Europeans) My bad


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## Durban_SA (Jun 15, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> Incorrect.
> 
> Its *FIFA's* World Cup, for the world, hosted in South Africa.
> We don't demand that our local football cultures be imposed on the world but part of bidding for this event( and many others we've bid for and successfully hosted) is to share our country with the world, its cultures and so forth and from this to develop our infrastructure for the long term success of the country. Sounds wishy washy yes, but when you've been cut off from the world for decades due to apartheid, being a part of the world becomes even more important.
> ...


Well said. 120% agreed 



salaverryo said:


> Don't worry, you won't get many visitors to your country. Foreigners aren't stupid. No tourist likes to get robbed, and yours is a country of thieves. So you can have the World Cup all to yourselves, play your kazoos to your hearts' delight and misbehave all you want. One major drawback, though: there won't be any tourists to rob; you'll have go on stealing from each other.


F**k you too. And, yes, we won't get any tourists. There's only 300,000 tickets which have already been sold to foreign tourists. So pull your thumb out of your *ss, learn some respect for other people and other countries and grow up.


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## Durban_SA (Jun 15, 2009)

matpermai said:


> People have been putting up petition against this vuvuzuela. Just Google for petition against vuvuzela and vote.
> 
> http://banthevuvuzela.blogspot.com/


Lol, honestly, if you wanna get your point out in South Africa, you have to take to the streets and protest. So, you might as well get that ticket for 2010 and come to SA to get yourself heard 



GEwinnen said:


> But certainly not a European summer like during the last WC in Germany 2006.....


A South African Winter is probably better weather than a European Summer, well, where I'm from in SA atleast...


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Football: Confed Cup brings rainbow nation under one roof *
26 June 2009
Agence France Presse

The Confederations Cup has brought the rainbow nation together as blacks, white and mixed race fans pack into stadiums in stark contrast to local matches in South Africa where the fanbase is predominantly black.

"It's nice to see all the races, all colours in the stadiums," says 19-year-old Kelebogile at a training session for the Spain team.

"Things are changing," affirms Natasha, a 23-year-old South African of Dutch origin.

"My parents like rugby, but soccer took over my life," she explains at the Central University of Technology (CUT) stadium in Bloemfontain.

During the apartheid regime which ended in 1994 sport was subject to segregation: football, deprived of financial support, was the domain of the black majority while rugby and cricket was for the governing Whites.

Since then the barriers have come down, but slowly.

The Confed Cup which serves as a warm-up to next year's World Cup appears to have accelerated the process, especially among the younger generation.

This tournament "is unifying the country" says Thato, 19.

For one of his schoolfriends from the Bloemfontain township of Rockland, 17-year-old Palesa, "it emphasises the rainbow nation".

"The Whites are discovering the spirit of the Blacks in the stadium," adds 14-year-old Gontse.

"We have been brought up with soccer, soccer is in our blood."

Another student, Kerry, wearing a Liverpool t-shirt, comments: "Soccer is more exciting than rugby. Here there is no fighting. It's not so violent, it's more a team effort. And another thing, there are sexy players!"

Alongside her is 17-year-old Clint, of mixed heritage, who is buzzing after obtaining Spain star Fernando Torres' signature.

"I'm so happy. Look Mum, I'm shaking," he says to his mother.

Kriss, a South-African of Asian origin who has turned up with three white friends, proudly shows off his tattoo - You'll never walk alone - the Liverpool anthem.

Like many non-Blacks it's European football that raises the pulse of these four friends.

They follow the Premier League in England avidly and the Confed Cup allows them to see their favourite footballers in the flesh.

But they are starting to take an interest in the local leagues and in the national team, Bafana Bafana (Zulu for 'the boys').

They have watched them twice while their parents have stayed at home.


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## plasticterminator (Jul 23, 2007)

ryebreadraz said:


> Well, often FIFA has their own men oversee the pitches prior to the WC and those are men who have experience with pitches worldwide. They are some of the better keepers in the world. Also, the organizers have blamed the poor pitch condition on the rugby being played there not long before the Confed Cup so by all indications, the time no activities will take place on the field prior to the WC is what matters here.


Where did you get that information from?:lol: Please show me, I am heavily involved with FIFA and the wc plus many other of the biggest tournaments.


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## GNU (Nov 26, 2004)

kerouac1848 said:


> Stifling heat and humidity encourages the game to be played at a walking pace and for players to be too concerned with hydrating themselves. There is a reason why the football season (in most countries) starts in autumn and finishes by spring.


Leagues usually take a break in the summertime (from a European standpoint) because of the tournaments which are being held at that time.



Fizmo1337 said:


> Again, you can't really call it part of South AFrican "culture" because it has been imported from China in 2001. The Chinese only did this to make money so to call this part of your culture is a bit .... strange?


According to Wiki they have been around a bit longer:

_"Originally made out of tin, the vuvuzela became popular in South Africa in the 1990s. In 2001, South Africa-based company Masincedane Sport began to mass-produce a plastic version."_


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## kerouac1848 (Jun 9, 2009)

GNU

In Europe the individual leagues of many nations predate international tournaments by several decades. The oldest, the English First division or Football League, started in 1888, 42 years before the first WC. I think during the early seasons the 1st Division started in September and finished in March or April, but I'm not 100% sure. Whilst I'm sure there were numerous factors - e.g. cricket being played during the summer months - I'm positive the cooler weather was one of the major ones. Also, until the introduction of the Apertura and Clausura system, most South American nations had their leagues spanning the calender year so as to reflect the Southern Hemisphere climatic seasons. Even with the new approach, December, January and also July are closed seasons for countries such as Argentina, with the latter month acting as a kind of winter break.


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## GNU (Nov 26, 2004)

Would be interesting to find out the season schedules from back in the days, although its not really relevant in connection to today.
In Europe, football is being played throughout the summer every 4 or 2 years (not counting in youth tournaments and the like) so here atleast its not a question of the climate, albeit that might of course be different in countries of the Southern Hemisphere.


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## salaverryo (Apr 3, 2008)

Pule said:


> Can one be familiar with winter that we experience just for 2 months?


This is like saying that one can't be familiar with Christmas because one experiences it only once a year. Goodness, these Africans and their arguments...hno:


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## NMAISTER007 (Oct 29, 2008)

Does any1 know at what time will the final start?? (E.U time)


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

salaverryo said:


> Goodness, these Africans and their arguments...hno:


hno: is that really necessary?

the point is, SA's weather varies significantly depending on where you go and can be anything from clear beautiful days to stormy rain. that's why we can't just say "it will be like this....".


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## GEwinnen (Mar 3, 2006)

Durban_SA said:


> A South African Winter is probably better weather than a European Summer, well, where I'm from in SA atleast...



Never ever, i checked your weather in Durban just a minute ago: 17°C, cloudy, rainy and windy

Wheather here in my hometown at this moment: 27°C, cloudy, no wind, no rain (central Europe, Spain for e.g is more than 30°C)


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## woozoo (Jun 16, 2008)

*Crowd @ south Africa vs Spain =*

WTF??


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## Fizmo1337 (Mar 26, 2009)

Yea I guess only around 40-50% of the stadium is filled. 

It's sunday (weekend) so you would expect that some of the working class would go + it's close to johannesburg, a big city. Strange.


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## NMAISTER007 (Oct 29, 2008)

What time????


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## Fizmo1337 (Mar 26, 2009)

NMAISTER007 said:


> What time????


Now (15:00 CET) of course. How would we otherwise know that the stadium is half empty?


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

i didn't even know there was a 3rd place playoff. it's filling up a bit more now, so maybe it was just poor advertising.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

GEwinnen said:


> Never ever, i checked your weather in Durban just a minute ago: 17°C, cloudy, rainy and windy
> 
> Wheather here in my hometown at this moment: 27°C, cloudy, no wind, no rain (central Europe, Spain for e.g is more than 30°C)


that's what i meant with "the point is, SA's weather varies significantly depending on where you go and can be anything from clear beautiful days to stormy rain. that's why we can't just say "it will be like this....". it can change overnight and tomorrow it's 25 and sunny over there. although we are experiencing a very very cold front countrywide at the moment.


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## Reggae Boyz Ja (Jun 25, 2009)

woozoo said:


> WTF??


It said that 31,788 people attended the game.


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## juzzy (Jul 24, 2008)

remember that we are supposed to be having winter right now, and in durban days under 20 degrees celsius in winter are very few and far between

regarding the attendance at todays 3rd place playoff... the crowd took theor time filtering into the ground it was actually quite a big crowd in the end


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

Very nice closing ceremony


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)




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## juzzy (Jul 24, 2008)

ha ...they forgot madagascar on the side of that "african continent"


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

Getty always takes some nice shots


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## soup or man (Nov 17, 2004)

Hell nearly froze over. US nearly beat Brazil.


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## rsol2000 (Mar 19, 2007)

BRASIL!


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

10 Points to SA for hosting such an excellent event and for ending it on such a high note!
cant wait for 2010!!


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## Kapow32 (Jan 26, 2009)

well done south africa, looking forward to 2010


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)




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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

wow what a night.


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## www.sercan.de (Aug 10, 2003)

what was the attendance of the final`


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## kanye (Sep 9, 2008)

^^ 50,000


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

the attendance they announced in the stadium was arround 52,000


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## www.sercan.de (Aug 10, 2003)

no exact number?


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## NMAISTER007 (Oct 29, 2008)

Wow, Brazil won 2 confederation cups in a row!!!!


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

The "problem" is that the venue seats 62,000 so even when attendance was 40-50,000 there are still 12,000+ seats empty.


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## woozoo (Jun 16, 2008)

Reggae Boyz Ja said:


> It said that 31,788 people attended the game.


I cud only watch the first 20 minutes, and the stadium looked 1/4 full max. Really surprised me especially since SA were playing... 

Nice tournament overall. I got used to the horns after a couple of games so if they get the attendance thing sorted (which I'm sure they will) 2010 will be fine 

USA must of won some respect after the last three performances!


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## www.sercan.de (Aug 10, 2003)

on turkish tv the speaker said the exact attendance (~60-65min as far as i remember)
it was ilike: 52,648 or something


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## tritown (Aug 25, 2004)

woozoo said:


> I cud only watch the first 20 minutes, and the stadium looked 1/4 full max. Really surprised me especially since SA were playing...
> 
> Nice tournament overall. I got used to the horns after a couple of games so if they get the attendance thing sorted (which I'm sure they will) 2010 will be fine
> 
> USA must of won some respect after the last three performances!


Being a US fan, what I was glad about is that the US didn't want to win respect; they wanted to win the Cup. You could see it on their faces.

As for logistics, the CC was pretty good, but, like most others have said, the horns were distracting and it will be interesting to see how prominent they are next year.


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## Reggae Boyz Ja (Jun 25, 2009)

www.sercan.de said:


> on turkish tv the speaker said the exact attendance (~60-65min as far as i remember)
> it was ilike: 52,648 or something


I think some of the seats close to the field were closed for security reasons, so it was probably sold out...


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

people arrived late for the 3rd place play-off. the stadiums was pretty close to capacity towards the end of the first half.

the final was sold out, but some of those tickets were bought by companies as corporate gifts which aren't always taken. hence a few empty seats.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

Mo Rush said:


> The "problem" is that the venue seats 62,000 so even when attendance was 40-50,000 there are still 12,000+ seats empty.


there were definitely less than 10,000 empty seats. i think for fifia events capacity reduced. it was like that in germany.


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## woozoo (Jun 16, 2008)

haggiesm said:


> people arrived late for the 3rd place play-off. the stadiums was pretty close to capacity towards the end of the first half.
> 
> the final was sold out, but some of those tickets were bought by companies as corporate gifts which aren't always taken. hence a few empty seats.


Personally I dont get how the 3rd placed play off could be so empty for so much of the game - the host nation was playing ffs. There was hardly anyone there for the national anthems.

I know that there is still quite a bit of road and motorway construction going on, which added to the duration of the journey to the stadium. Are these roads on track for completion by 2010?

There is obviously some problems here, and I guess thats the purpose of the confed cup - a test run. Something will need to be changed in terms of the way tickets are sold (as well as the transport to stadiums being improved). Surely the big games featuring wealthy countries with lots of travelling fans will be sold out, Im just concerned for games featuring teams like Costa Rica etc; though Im assuming there will be more interest in games as it will be the WC and people will turn out - even if the tickets have to be given away, or preferably sold cheaply.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

You can't compare WC ticket demand to Confederations Cup ticket demand.
Ticket sales for the WC are fine and attendance is unlikely to be an issue.

What is a challenge is that after hosting a successful IPL, Super 14 season and final and other events, South Africans still bought hundreds of thousands of tickets for the Confederations Cup, while hosting the British Lions tour across the country including two major test matches, and will now host Manchester City and next the ICC Champions Trophy


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

^^ exactly. i heard that there was a prroblem with the park and ride system in rustenburg on sunday, which is why the stadium took so long to fill up. they will have to and will have to work on that.


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## Pule (May 18, 2004)

^^ transport is the main factor that cause the stadiums to be full a bit later but the Joburg, Bloemfontein and Pretoria sorted the problem towards the end of the tournament. It's ablessing to have the host nation hosting Conf Cup as it will see where it lacks and improve on it. The use of trains, short and long distance, and more busses will definately ease the pressure by 2010.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

haggiesm said:


> ^^ exactly. i heard that there was a prroblem with the park and ride system in rustenburg on sunday, which is why the stadium took so long to fill up. they will have to and will have to work on that.


Whether its in Germany or South Africa or Chinese Taipei, spectators simply need to get to the park and ride sites early to allow for any contingency. Even Sydney with its decent transport system urged everybody at the Olympic Games to get to venues and transport hubs an hour or two before the events.

If South Africans don't do this then all the operational planning and buses in the world won't get them to the stadium before the match. They need to factor in the crowds at venues and security checks and other contingencies.


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## haggiesm (Mar 18, 2008)

^^ true, although i think there were specific problems on the day that only affected this match.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

I read somewhere that S. Africa is 15,000 hotel rooms short of what they need. Is this true and if so, what are they doing for 2010 now?


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Thats the number of rooms FIFA has signed up under its MATCH agreement.

Cape Town alone has over 90,000 beds within 50km of the stadium, that excludes the option of 20,000 cruise ships beds.


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## TEBC (Dec 26, 2004)

*Which South African City Should bid for 2020 Olympic Games?*

Please, dont turn this thread in a City x City. Let´s talk about the vantages and advantages fro mboth cities. If posible with some pics of possible venues!!


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## TEBC (Dec 26, 2004)

Durban









Joburg - Soccer City









Joburg - Ellis Park Complex










Cape Town


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## TEBC (Dec 26, 2004)

Coca-Cola Dome - Johannesburg









Coca-Cola Dome
The Coca-Cola dome, hailed as one of South Africa’s most versatile special event and exhibition venues, is ten years old. Carol Weaving, Managing Director of the Thebe Exhibitions and Events Group, who manages the dome, says a decade of constant attention to every detail required by exhibition organisers, event coordinators, concert promoters and visitors certainly paid off. “With the wide variety of exhibitions and events that we offer, we have certainly managed to draw the support of a wide variety of visitors - as a matter of fact, more than six hundred thousand visitors a year cannot be wrong! “A decade ago the prophets of doom branded the dome as unnecessary and predicted that such a facility would never get the support of the exhibitions and events industry. Add to it that the design was criticised as being too complex from a layout, crowd management and acoustics point of view and the fact that the then residential nature of the area was perceived to be invaded, and the dome had no chance of survival. However, the success of the dome has proven these prophets completely wrong. “Persevering – and succeeding - in a very competitive market environment has certainly proven to be worth our while. The dome is now seen as a landmark on the Gauteng skyline and visitors know that they receive value for money – and very importantly - a great experience. “This is due to understanding the market that we operate in, understanding the customers’ needs and what they would like to experience when looking for entertainment – the WOW factor if you wish. For being able to reach this point, a dedicated team is essential, and we definitely have this at the dome. With this team, I look forward to achieving even more success in the next decade,” says Weaving. The Sasol Pension Fund, owners of the dome, renewed the management contract for the venue with the Thebe Exhibitions and Events Group until 2014. 
Location
Cnr. Northumberland Road & Olievenhout Avenue
North Riding
Johannesburg
South Africa
Tel: +27 11 794 5800
www.coca-coladome.co.za


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

I don't think any of them should. The World Cup is a major expenditure and something bigger than the country has had before. I think it would be best if South Africa held off, allowed themselves to reevaluate what went right and wrong from 2010 and how to best improve infrastructure and other aspects of the country, then bid on 2024. A complete evaluation following the WC would allow them to best identify the correct city to bid and how to best put together a bid.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

I'd like to see the Olympics in Africa soon, but I also think 2020 is a little early. 2024 or later seems more realistic. Those stadiums look great though. What cities outside of South Africa should be considered? Cairo?


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## Mr.Underground (Jan 15, 2007)

isaidso said:


> I'd like to see the Olympics in Africa soon, but I also think 2020 is a little early. 2024 or later seems more realistic. Those stadiums look great though. What cities outside of South Africa should be considered? Cairo?


Maybe Tunis also. But in general I'm against the Olympic Gams in Africa.

Now Olympic games is toocomplex live event to be host in an African city.


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## dysan1 (Dec 12, 2004)

Joburg would not even qualify in the local process due to height about sea level issues


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## Escalabitano (Jun 12, 2009)

In Africa: Cape Town, Cairo, Tunis, Luanda or Casablanca but in 2020 no.


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

dysan1 said:


> Joburg would not even qualify in the local process due to height about sea level issues


 JoBurg can't be any higher the Mexico City can it? It held a games.


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## kabelo (Aug 9, 2009)

highest point in johannesburg is 1804m above sea level. 
cape town should get 2020, or where else should it go?


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## Livno80101 (Mar 15, 2009)

Cairo / Tunis / Durban


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## dysan1 (Dec 12, 2004)

nomarandlee said:


> JoBurg can't be any higher the Mexico City can it? It held a games.


Yes but new opinion would discourage against it holding and it would not get much support in SA or globally as a host


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

Cape Town gets my vote  Call me biased but having come so close to getting it in the past was disappointing.


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

dysan1 said:


> Yes but new opinion would discourage against it holding and it would not get much support in SA or globally as a host


 I agree, that is a different then having difficulty holding it due to altitude though.


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## DennisRodman97 (Jul 12, 2007)

cape town all the way


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

*Cape Town 2020*
A breakdown of the existing, planned and required venues for an Olympic Games in Cape Town.


> *Existing (75%)*
> No permanent works required *22 *
> Permanent works required *5*
> 
> ...













*Notes:*

_1. Renovations planned for the Good Hope Centre will determine its final capacity. Currently its maximum seating capacity is 6,000.

2. Newlands Olympic Arena(s) refers to Newlands Rugby Stadium. A proposal exists which allows a temporary roof cover to be installed, temporarily transforming the venue into an indoor space. Along with temporary seating, two indoors arenas can be created significantly reducing the cost of providing two 15,000 seat indoor venues elsewhere. 

3. This venue was designed to accommodate an expansion of up to 10,000 seats. The timber side walls will allow for a temporary expansion from 2,000 to 6,000 seats. 

4. The Olympic Velocentre refers to the Bellville Velodrome and Bellville Athletics Stadium which are connected. 

5. The Table Mountain Mountain Bike Circuit is used during the Absa Cape Epic competition and consists of a 19km mountain bike route. For the Games, a 6km route is required.

6. The Newlands Olympic Waterpolo centre refers to the Newlands Aquatic Centre proposed by Swimming South Africa. Since the site cannot accommodate large events it cannot act as the main Aquatic Centre. If the Newlands site is not approved and replaced with a larger site, the aquatic centre would thenl replace the additional aquatic centre proposed above.

7. Cape Town Arena refers to the Grand West Arena.

8. Newlands Olympic Archery Centre refers to Newlands Cricket Stadium. The London 2012 Archery competition will be staged as Lords Cricket Ground.

9. The "Olympic Green" refers to the cluster of venues at the Green Point Urban Park.

10. The Berg River is to be renamed after the 17th century Khoi leader __Autshumato. The extent of the permanent works required depends on Olympic Rowing Course and Tourism hub currently planned by CnDV and TCTA.
__ 
11.__ The Green Point Tennis centre will be developed using private funds (sale of Rondebosch site) by WP tennis. Extensive use will be made of existing courts refurbished during 2009/2010. This venue will undergo its own planning and environmental approval process.

12. Atlantis Olympic Shooting Centre currently refers to the existing WP Shooting Union facility, the largest shooting range in the Western Cape. The venue has environmental approval to accommodate expansions.

13. Camps Bay Beach has previously hosted FIVB events._


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## greenandgold (Oct 10, 2009)

Well the Cape is a good spot to visit and live, but not for the summer olympics. First we must remember that the olympics are held in summer in the north hemi but it actualy its winter in the south. Cape Town is the worst winter place in South Africa. Its very windy , very cold, very wet and stormy. The weather which is so unpredictable can spoil the whole event from the opening ceremony to the action itself. So Cape Town is just not good for this event at this time.


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## TEBC (Dec 26, 2004)

greenandgold said:


> Well the Cape is a good spot to visit and live, but not for the summer olympics. First we must remember that the olympics are held in summer in the north hemi but it actualy its winter in the south. Cape Town is the worst winter place in South Africa. Its very windy , very cold, very wet and stormy. The weather which is so unpredictable can spoil the whole event from the opening ceremony to the action itself. So Cape Town is just not good for this event at this time.


OIC could let Cape Town host it in October, just like Sydney did.


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## greenandgold (Oct 10, 2009)

Oh maybe that could work. Thanks


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

^^ and that would be legend


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Sydney hosted September, so would Cape Town.
October is out of the question.

Mind you, we had a great August this year.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

30 votes...there arent 30 capetonians who visit this section.
8 votes for durban..wonder who that is..


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## Reggae Boyz Ja (Jun 25, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> 30 votes...there arent 30 capetonians who visit this section.
> 8 votes for durban..wonder who that is..


And your point is what?

Most of the people are just voting for cape town beacuse of some nice stunning picture they got drilled into their heads. They don't actually know the city is the seocnd best option.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

because you would know


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## Reggae Boyz Ja (Jun 25, 2009)

Of course I would know.

Even though I never been I'am not blind like most of thses amateurs here. I know Durban is the party city like Miami and Rio. It is the sport capital, the olympics are meant to be fun and a huge party celebration. Cape town is to nature loving like san franciso no fun there. Who wants to wear a snow suit when you go into the water in cape town? Durban you can go Nude!!!


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## Kenni (Jul 26, 2007)

I'd love to see the Olympics in the continent of Africa, I think next years World Cup will let us know if South Africa is ready to go to the next step.


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## dutchmaster (May 23, 2007)

It will be nice see SA host the Olympics after Rio..my chose goes to Cape Town..:cheers:


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

Reggae Boyz Ja said:


> Of course I would know.
> 
> Even though I never been I'am not blind like most of thses amateurs here. I know Durban is the party city like Miami and Rio. It is the sport capital, the olympics are meant to be fun and a huge party celebration. Cape town is to nature loving like san franciso no fun there. Who wants to wear a snow suit when you go into the water in cape town? Durban you can go Nude!!!


LMAO. You can see you've never visited SA :lol:


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Lydon said:


> LMAO. You can see you've never visited SA :lol:


somebody needs to keep going to skool


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## Luke80 (Jul 1, 2009)

Durban on the basis that it is the only SA city with a new stadium capable of hosting athletics events without remodeling the stadium!


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## ExSydney (Sep 12, 2002)

Luke80 said:


> Durban on the basis that it is the only SA city with a new stadium capable of hosting athletics events without remodeling the stadium!


Having a existing Main stadium is not the criteria the IOC seem to look in the bids for an Olympic Games.If that was the case,then London,Beijing,Sydney,Atlanta would have not won in recent times.
Ill pick Cape Town over Durban....J'Burg will never win due to the altitude issues.The IOC made it very clear that Mexico 1968 was a mistake.


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## TEBC (Dec 26, 2004)

ExSydney said:


> Having a existing Main stadium is not the criteria the IOC seem to look in the bids for an Olympic Games.If that was the case,then London,Beijing,Sydney,Atlanta would have not won in recent times.
> Ill pick Cape Town over Durban....J'Burg will never win due to the altitude issues.The IOC made it very clear that Mexico 1968 was a mistake.


And Rio will host it without a Main Atletics Stadium.


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## samirdaniels (Jan 3, 2010)

Join this facebook group to support the bidding for 2020 CAPE TOWN!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=259422953222


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## renco (Dec 5, 2005)

Johannesburg


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## Mr. Fitz (Nov 17, 2009)

Durban for me.


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## ryebreadraz (Sep 4, 2008)

I detest the IOC's need for legacy, which sometimes runs counterproductive to a responsible financial model. On that basis, I'd like it to be Durban because they have the stadium already. The IOC won't care about that, but I do.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

So do Abuja and Harare.


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## Snorky33 (Oct 23, 2009)

:wtf:Jo'burg oh please that crime infested slum give me a break...SA on one hand is damned with a city like Jo'burg and on the other hand is blessed with a city like Cape Town...one of the world's most beautiful cities.


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## geoone (Nov 12, 2009)

The first African Olympics should be in Sub-Saharan Africa, since to me, that's what I consider to be the "real" Africa, not Morocco or Tunis. North Africa is really part of the Muslim realm, & when the IOC is finally ready to go to that part of the world, they'll most likely go to Istanbul, Turkey for that, since it's the most liberal, secular & cosmopolitan of the Middle Eastern/Muslim cities/countries.

But back to Africa; obviously the only choice in Sub-Saharan Africa is South Africa. Which of the South African cities should be the bidder is still debatable, but obviously there's only 3 realistic choices here - Cape Town, Durban & Johannesburg. And while altitude may be a challenge for a Johannesburg bid, it's elevation is still considerably lower than Mexico City's. Besides, if the athletes were able to perform outdoor endurance sports in cesspool Beijing, surely almost anywhere else shouldn't be that difficult (tongue in cheek reference here).

But in the grand scheme of things, I think no matter which of the 3 South African cities is finally picked in the end to bid (when South Africa decides to), the IOC would go along with any one of them, since an African Olympics would be far more about having the Games on that continent for the very first time than about virtually anything else.


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

Snorky33 said:


> :wtf:J*o'burg oh please that crime infested slum* give me a break...SA on one hand is damned with a city like Jo'burg and on the other hand is blessed with a city like Cape Town...one of the world's most beautiful cities.


Over-reaction, much? 

A crime-infested slum would hardly be given the go-ahead by FIFA to host so many World Cup games. It certainly has its dodgy parts, and these are more hardcore than the average city's, but it's far from a slum on the whole.


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## yorubalife (Jul 2, 2009)

What about Bloemfontein atleast it should bid or maybe my home town Welkom it needs a bit of Infrastructure :banana: lol


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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

yorubalife said:


> What about Bloemfontein atleast it should bid or maybe my home town Welkom it needs a bit of Infrastructure :banana: lol


HEHE! Boerewors Eet Olimpiesespel... 5 Golds from the Free State!!! :cheers:


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## Andrew_za (Feb 3, 2009)

About that poll; which cities fall under "other"?
Personally, I think it would be between the "big 3" in terms of who could pull it off.

By the way, this is the *Cape Town Stadium* now


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

I really highly doubt any other city apart from Cape Town, Durban or Joburg could pull it off.


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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

^^ No other city would be able to... they're just too small and Pretoria, our 4th largest city, has shown their lack of capacity through their "just on par" preparation for the World Cup. 

That said... people need to stop thinking Johannesburg can host it. People keep bringing up Beijing's pollution (but they shut down almost every industry for the duration) or Mexico City's altitude, but as was stated before, the IOC said another MEX situation was not advised. So Johannesburg is more-than-likely out. 

Any South African race would be a Cape Town/Durban one. Who is ready is debatable and has been argued over and over in the SA forums... most arguments come down to city pride, but most of the debated points are:


Urban Integration & Urban District Quality
Public Transit & Urban Connectivity
Touristic Appeal and Safety
Scenic Beauty & Proximity of Attractions
City's International Acclaim
Sport Venue Readiness
Competency of City & Provincial Governments
Accommodation Options and Location
Climate
Political Will from National Government


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## kerouac1848 (Jun 9, 2009)

> The first African Olympics should be in Sub-Saharan Africa, since to me, that's what I consider to be the "real" Africa, not Morocco or Tunis. North Africa is really part of the Muslim realm, & when the IOC is finally ready to go to that part of the world, they'll most likely go to Istanbul, Turkey for that, since it's the most liberal, secular & cosmopolitan of the Middle Eastern/Muslim cities/countries.


I see what you're saying, but Islam spreads quite a bit into Sub-Saharan Africa too (Mali, Senegal, Sudan, Northern Nigeria, etc). Also many Africans, especially liberators from colonialism, see/saw Egypt as the birthplace of African civilisation and culture along with Nubia (where a quarter of its ancient kingdom is based in modern Egypt).
Turkey is not culturally a Middle Eastern state (it is Turkic) and historically has been loathed by Arabs. Istanbul is also considered a European city geographically (although technically it bridges two regions) and historically.

Anyway, I don't think any city in North Africa will be ready before any in SA tbh.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

annman said:


> ^^ No other city would be able to... they're just too small and Pretoria, our 4th largest city, has shown their lack of capacity through their "just on par" preparation for the World Cup.
> 
> That said... people need to stop thinking Johannesburg can host it. People keep bringing up Beijing's pollution (but they shut down almost every industry for the duration) or Mexico City's altitude, but as was stated before, the IOC said another MEX situation was not advised. So Johannesburg is more-than-likely out.
> 
> ...


A bid is a very expensive process. Send in the city that , given it meets a technical benchmark, has the best change of winning.

Munich/Berlin and not Leipzig
Rio and not Brasilia/Sao Paulo
London and not Birmingham/Manchester
Sydney/Melbourne and not Brisbane/Perth
Paris ..not Lille


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## Mr. Fitz (Nov 17, 2009)

Rustenburg could do it too right? They have the stadium, a lot of other things to do yeah but it's surely a start.


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## annman (Aug 9, 2007)

Mr. Fitz said:


> Rustenburg could do it too right? They have the stadium, a lot of other things to do yeah but it's surely a start.


Nope. Not a chance in hell they could; they won't be ready for another 50 years!  To put it into perspective, they're about the size of Cork, the only major tourist attractions being quite distant (Sun City & Pilanesberg Nature Reserve) and the city is not a tourist centre itself of any sort, it's more of a large mining and agricultural service town (albeit growing rapidly), has minimal accommodation and no proximal access to an international airport. It's not particularly attractive either... Not by relative comparison to other SA cities of a small size; eg. George; Pietermaritzburg; East London etc.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Given the scale of the event, its no certainty that Jhb or CT could do it.


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## geoone (Nov 12, 2009)

Turkey is not culturally a Middle Eastern state (it is Turkic) and historically has been loathed by Arabs. [/QUOTE said:


> Nonetheless, Turkey is still Muslim, like most of the Middle East.
> 
> The only North African city that I would give any sort of credence to is Cairo, but I think there's still too many issues there at the moment.
> 
> ...


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## kerouac1848 (Jun 9, 2009)

> Nonetheless, Turkey is still Muslim, like most of the Middle East.


So is Bosnia and Albania. Are they now Middle Eastern too? What about Indonesia, the largest Islamic nation?

Anyway, the fact is that Istanbul is still a European city, like Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Whether Turkey and Russia are European I don't know, but their principle cities are. Thus, if Istanbul wins the rights to a Olympic games it would probably be considered another European one.




> The only North African city that I would give any sort of credence to is Cairo, but I think there's still too many issues there at the moment.


I'd probably add Casablanca. It is large enough (about the size of Madrid) but much less crowded than Cairo, has cooler weather (summer highs of 27c in August), similar levels of infrastructure and has a time zone closer to US. Plenty of issues still though



> And we all know that Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan & Mali (which in a way both of those, geographically speaking, straddles both North & the rest of Africa) ain't gonna be hosting no Olympics anyway when the time comes for Africa.


Yes, but the point is that you made it seem that a country cannot be considered a part of 'real' Africa if it is Islamic, but that is clearly nonsense when you look at how deep Islam's roots sink into the continent.



> South Africa is really Africa's only main viable option.


For 2020 definitely.


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## Indian Rockstars (Aug 19, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> The World Cup involves the entire country, so crime is even more a factor for the WC.
> 
> For the Olympic Games, events are within one city, so it would be even safer than the WC.
> 
> ...


Yep, they are....anyways i voted for Cape Town as of my personal experience i believe Cape Town will be a amazing destination for Olympics ....its a great place to be in...!!!!

All the very best...!!!


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

Cape Town and South Africa is an lovely place.
Cape Town is Safer then Rio de Janerio and even south africa Townships are safer then rio slums.
I highy think that tokyo will be our toughest bidder but i will be close. but if we lost the 2020 bid then Cape Town goverment will try for the 2024 games.
Cape Town 2024. I love Cape Town. i was thinking before i moved to cape town 2036 but now 2024. Tokyo 2020
The only thing that us Cape Town needs to work on is Transport to get the Games.


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

Cape Town Should thave the Olympics in January/February and Paralympics in February/March. best times in Cape Town.


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## antriksh_sfo (Jan 10, 2009)

Matthew Lowry said:


> Cape Town and South Africa is an lovely place.
> Cape Town is Safer then Rio de Janerio and even south africa Townships are safer then rio slums.
> I highy think that tokyo will be our toughest bidder but i will be close. but if we lost the 2020 bid then Cape Town goverment will try for the 2024 games.
> Cape Town 2024. I love Cape Town. i was thinking before i moved to cape town 2036 but now 2024. Tokyo 2020
> The only thing that us Cape Town needs to work on is Transport to get the Games.


+ 1 for Rio Safety standards.
Well, Rio is a trendsetter.
If Rio can, then by 2028 even Sudan/Yemen can host.:lol:

Don't you worry, Rio is going to be an embarassment for IOC poor judgement.


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

antriksh_sfo said:


> + 1 for Rio Safety standards.
> Well, Rio is a trendsetter.
> If Rio can, then by 2028 even Sudan/Yemen can host.:lol:
> 
> Don't you worry, Rio is going to be an embarassment for IOC poor judgement.


Sudan and yemen will never host the games.

As much that i love india. delhi is not even ready to host the commonwealth games In 125 days time. When im 95 in 2080 that when the 1st indian olympics will be in like in Mumbia.


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## Lydon (Sep 7, 2007)

Your posts only continue to build on how naive and clueless you truly are :lol:

Really...stop while you're this far behind!


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## antriksh_sfo (Jan 10, 2009)

Matthew Lowry said:


> Sudan and yemen will never host the games.
> 
> As much that i love india. delhi is not even ready to host the commonwealth games In 125 days time. When im 95 in 2080 that when the 1st indian olympics will be in like in Mumbia.


Wait a minute.
I do not see a stupid list till 2080.:lol::lol:
Is that really u?


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## Indian Rockstars (Aug 19, 2009)

antriksh_sfo said:


> Wait a minute.
> I do not see a stupid list till 2080.:lol::lol:
> Is that really u?


Bhai ruk ja...yeh discussion kaafi ugly ho jayega for nothing....Delhi kyu badnaam ho yaar...please ab is discussion ko yahi rokde...its not worth anything...

@ Matthew ...i don't really care what you think about India & New Delhi....i am a part of commonwealth games 2010 and i am pretty sure that this will be best CWG .......things are shaping up very well....

anyways i don't want people to form negative image of India..

lets stop this discussion about Delhi or Cape Town.....

Antariksh bro .....stop the discussion...


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## Melb_aviator (Aug 28, 2007)

TEBC said:


> OIC could let Cape Town host it in October, just like Sydney did.


Sydney hosted it in September. I think starting in Oct these days would not be looked at favourably by the IOC. I think Durban would be a great choice. Better weather and a chance to really push the city to the forefront.

Cape Town is a good city too and Jo'burg would also probably host a good games, but I can see Durban as the best option to really make their mark on the world stage.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Melb_aviator said:


> Sydney hosted it in September. I think starting in Oct these days would not be looked at favourably by the IOC. I think Durban would be a great choice. Better weather and a chance to really push the city to the forefront.
> 
> Cape Town is a good city too and Jo'burg would also probably host a good games, but I can see Durban as the best option to really make their mark on the world stage.


True but before it makes its "mark" its goes up against Rome, Istanbul etc.

Can it win? Its possible, but I don't think Brasilia or Sao Paulo would have won 2016, in the same way Brisbane, Birmingham, Manchester, Leipzig, etc


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## Coolidge (Jan 20, 2009)

Ultimately Durban is the front-runner for South Africa's proposed 2020 bid, and let's face it; the city has done their homework. They're hosting the IOC's 123rd assembly, which includes the announcement of the Winter Olympics, next year. Durban already has a brand new stadium for athletics, and have a plethora of other sports complexes withing walking distance of the main stadium (not to mention a warm-up track next door. In terms of IOC preferences for a (northern hemisphere) summer, Durban's winter climate suits the organisers. Additionally, the brand new KSI Airport will be able to handle international traffic amicably.

One major indicator for South Africa's readiness to host in a decade will be none other than the world's largest sporting event, beginning in ten days time. If all goes well during this event, it will prove that SA are ready to handle it. The IOC President Jacques Rogge recently stated that SA's bid for the world cup was a great example of how a bid should be conducted, adding "I would hope the (African) candidate will come as soon as possible, but that would be at the earliest, if the city is successful, for the 2020 Games."

Also take into consideration factors such as sustainability: Research has showed that major events like the Olympics aren't exactly the cash cow that people hope. The major capital outlays for these events don't always achieve break-even. Durban's already built the Moses Mabhida Stadium, and so capital outlays on something as big as that have already been financed. Cape Town, however, did not choose to incorporate an athletics track into the design of their new stadium, which means that finance for yet another one will need to be acquired, on top of paying for the one just built. Winning the Olympics for Cape Town might be signing residents' rates bills away.

If Durban do bid for 2020, the bid comittee would need to focus their attentions towards improving and streamlining public transport, which is already part of the medium-term planning of the city. Of course, with existing rail infrastructure already in place, this is not an improbable task. The benefits of an event like this will be far-reaching: public expenditure towards core sectors of the city will improve infrastructure and help accelerate urban redevelopment plans. Of course, the private sector will also jump at the opportunities for investments.

I'm also going to throw out a political consideration here: Cape Town is DA-run, while Durban's municipality is presently ANC-controlled. When domestic voting occurs, Durban might also edge out Cape Town for political reasons; as presumably the LOC will be ANC-dominated...

However, politics aside, objectively Durban has the better credentials.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Coolidge said:


> Ultimately Durban is the front-runner for South Africa's proposed 2020 bid, and let's face it; the city has done their homework. They're hosting the IOC's 123rd assembly, which includes the announcement of the Winter Olympics, next year. Durban has already got a brand new stadium for the athletics, and have a plethora of other sports complexes withing walking distance of the main stadium (not to mention a warm-up track next door. In terms of IOC preferences for a (northern hemisphere) summer, Durban's winter climate suits the organisers. Additionally, the brand new KSI Airport will be able to handle international traffic amicably.
> 
> One major indicator for South Africa's readiness to host in a decade will be none other than the world's largest sporting event, beginning in ten days time. If all goes well during this event, it will prove that SA are ready to handle it. The IOC President Jacques Rogge recently stated that SA's bid for the world cup was a great example of how a bid should be conducted, adding "I would hope the (African) candidate will come as soon as possible, but that would be at the earliest, if the city is successful, for the 2020 Games."
> 
> ...


The IOC race is not a "friendly lets be nice and hand it to Africa" race. Rio won not only due to being from South America but because it has an international profile.

By current statistics, Cape Town has *double the amount of hotel rooms within 50km*, so closer to the IOC benchmkark of 40,000 rooms.










It has a larger airport.

A new International Aquatic Centre has just been approved, the entire velodrome precinct will be transformed by 2014. *Close to 70% of venues would be in place by 2013.
*
Its international profile in IOC circles as a previous bidder is a strength when bidding again.

The benefits of venues will not be restricted to one part of the City but can be hosted within a compact area aligned with rail lines offering good penetration throughout the city.

If one was to compare Cape Town's compact concept to Rio, all clusters would literally be around the Barra cluster.











It will never be a Cape Town policy to provide the majority of Olympic facilities in ONE area of the city or ONE zone. Previously disadvantaged areas would benefit too.
Athlone Stadium, world cup training venue, would host football prelims, Philippi too. Belhar already has the facilities in one precinct to host Modern Pentathlon at the University. Khayelistha, the hall used for the FIFA Tropy Tour would host boxing, and expand temporarily as its been designed to.

Beach Volleyball will use dramatic Camps Bay beach which HAS hosted FIVB events, cycling bmx and track wil go to an existing velodrome which has hosted international UCI events, Hartleyvale has hosted International FIH events etc. One could even host Mountain Bike events within the City Centre bowl, as per the Cape Epic. The marathon routes would wind around the most scenic setting along Chapman's peak, along with Road Cycling.

Urban developments plans for the massive Culemborg and Wingfield precinct are already on the cards. Wingfield in particular, different to 1997, is now adjacent to the fastest growing business and residential node in Cape Town, Culemborg, major potential for a media village to provide housing close to the City, and even the Athlone Towers site, also available.

Its likely that the entire BRT system will be accelerated by 2020 if Cape Town was awarded the Games, spreading the benefits across the City.

Yes we need an Olympic Stadium, and it will cost money, lots of it, but Cape Town like London will NOT build a 80k or even a 50k athletics stadium. Athletics simply does not outside of the Olympic Games require such large capacities. If one was to be built it would only be temporarily expanded for the Games.

The "cost" argument as shown before based only on the main stadium is a failed one. The ability to raise finance locally and internationally is linked to the profile of the city, and is required to fund the $2 billion USD OCOG budget.

I think Durban has an amazing stadium and an excellent compact concept but I don't believe its "credentials" are ahead of Cape Town simply because its been making noise and is hosting the IOC meeting.

This is not a local race, its a high stakes international race. Sydney to Rio, won on merit, and a good overall package, not based on its Olympic stadium.


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## ZABoy (Jun 23, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> The IOC race is not a "friendly lets be nice and hand it to Africa" race. Rio won not only due to being from South America but because it has an international profile.
> 
> By current statistics, Cape Town has *double the amount of hotel rooms within 50km*, so closer to the IOC benchmkark of 40,000 rooms.
> 
> ...


Mo, Can we really afford to build another state of the art stadium, after the four billion rands we spent on the elegant Cape Town Stadium? I doubt if the rate payers will be happy


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

ZABoy said:


> Mo, Can we really afford to build another state of the art stadium, after the four billion rands we spent on the elegant Cape Town Stadium? I doubt if the rate payers will be happy


Like London, it would simply replace the old Green Point Athletics Stadium which seated about 18,000 for athletics. Anything higher than that would need to be temporary.

There are no athletics events which require anything above 25k outside of the Olympic Games or CWFG or a World Champs.

Cape Town needs a 20k athletics venue with or without the Games, just like it needs a new international aquatics, now approved for Newlands, with or without the Olympic Games or Fina World Champs.

That said, the Olympic Games require 32 venues not 1


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## Lost Cosmonaut (Feb 10, 2005)

Orania.


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## Mo Rush (Nov 13, 2004)

Going on venues and sports profile, its Jhb which is leaps and bounds ahead.

Every major final for cricket, rugby, and football world cups.

Most venues in place, or could be accommodated. Soccer City is just over 10km from Ellis Park, and has the huge Nasrec site for indoor sports. Sandton for more indoor sports, the Dome etc etc.

Its main stadium is already the ideal legacy mode capacity of about 30,000 and can be expanded to 80,000.

It has the population based surrounding it to support ticket sales, and once linked with Pretoria by rail offers accommodation for Africa.

As the commerce centre of Africa, it will attract large domestic and international sponsors, and along with the aggressive approach to BRT, Gautrain etc. would be well connected.


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## Coolidge (Jan 20, 2009)

Mo Rush said:


> The IOC race is not a "friendly lets be nice and hand it to Africa" race. Rio won not only due to being from South America but because it has an international profile.
> 
> By current statistics, Cape Town has *double the amount of hotel rooms within 50km*, so closer to the IOC benchmkark of 40,000 rooms.


Nobody ever once mentioned that the IOC had a _Hand it to Africa_ policy. Read the article(s) and you'll appreciate that the point being made is that it is a great opportunity for Africa to host the games for the first time.

Regarding accomodation: If you have a look at the IOC's criteria for awarding the games, you'll understand that 40'000 beds as a benchmark includes hosting of media, etc, who are usually housed in a media village. Secondly, the 5-point weighting criteria takes an 80-20 weight on awarding points for accomodation. There is very little bias in weighting between apartments and hotels. Durban, being the top domestic tourism venue in SA, has the majority of it's accomodation in the form of apartments (i.e. holiday houses and holiday flats), as people prefer to own their holiday venues rather than rent hotel rooms. If anything, the weighting between accomodation types is usurped by the weighting of rates: Cape Town's hotel room rates are significantly higher than Durban's.

A number of parallells between Rio and Durban's accomodation proposals can be made: Rio proposed to use cruise ships and apartments, as well as a media village cluster totalling 9100 rooms. The use of apartments (think of the accomodation in Umhlanga and Ballito) as well as the increase in hotels at the new airport and Durban Point in the next few years, and even the use of cruise ships if necessary, would easily put Durban in the same basket as Rio when they were awarded the games.



> It has a larger airport


The airport weighting is only 5% of the 5-point infrastructure weighting, and KSIA, coupled with Joburg's capacity, is excessively sufficient.



> Close to 70% of venues would be in place by 2013.
> 
> ...
> 
> ...


A failed one? So, let me get this straight: "70% of the venues will be in place by 2013", oh... but that excludes the *main attraction*, the 60000-seater athletics stadium which no doubt will require billions in additional funding - temporary seating or not - on top of the new football stadium's finances? Building yet another stadium is not a smart idea financially. 

The trend of recouping costs after the games is becoming so important nowadays that London have already made plans to recycle their basketball stadium and sell it to Rio after 2012. And yet you're suggesting that the ability to raise finance is the big issue? Trust me, it's not the ability to raise money that's the problem, it's the strain of repaying it (and adding to the existing debt of the new football stadium for that matter) that will shackle the city for another decade post 2020. Even London are weighing up the value of leasing the stadium to West Ham post-2012 to ensure it doesn't sit as a white elephant. In January 2010 Jacques Rogge, when questioned about spiriling costs in host-cities, specifically said the IOC did not want white elephants.


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## Snorky33 (Oct 23, 2009)

*Cape Town* wow just look at it's location


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## dysan1 (Dec 12, 2004)

MO please state the source of those accomodation statistics as they conflict very strongly with the fedhasa figures and paint an overly glowing far ahead image of Cape Town in the accomodation stakes which is not in tune with the reality


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## Alinghi (Mar 8, 2010)

Cape Town or Durban for me :cheers:


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## EduardSA (Apr 28, 2008)

Although I am from Cape Town, I pick the city because it has the most potential of actually winning an olympic bid. 

It has the infrastructure, most of the venues are in place, it has the greatest ability to bring and support a big number of tourists (it was the first city that was sold out for the 2010 world cup), it vibrant, friendly and party-central, and most of all it's beautiful and world-renowned. 

Granted the weather is mediterranean and different from the rest of SA, meaning its winter is more cold and wet, but if the games are in september like for the Sydney games, the weather will definitely not be problem.

SO VOTE CAPE TOWN! 

However since Cape Town and the Western Cape are governed by an opposition party (the DA), I'm afraid for that reason alone Cape Town will not get the bid.


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

Cape Town is more advance then sochi is
+Gay friendly
Lonely plant ranks Cape Town the 9th best places to vist.
Rio de Janerio is only 17th.


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

Cape Town is more advance then sochi is
+Gay friendly
Lonely plant ranks Cape Town the 9th best places to vist.
Rio de Janerio is only 17th.


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## swifty78 (Nov 10, 2002)

What has gay friendly got to do with anything?


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## RobH (Mar 9, 2007)

Well, as long as there isn't outright or state sponsored discrimination, probably very little. I'm not quite sure of the relevent. If we were discussing Uganda 2024 it would be a topic of discussion, but we're not.


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## TheoG (Mar 20, 2010)

Matthew Lowry said:


> Cape Town is more advance then sochi is
> +Gay friendly
> Lonely plant ranks Cape Town the 9th best places to vist.
> Rio de Janerio is only 17th.


a) have you ever been to Sochi? No? Well don't make assumptions about it
b) what does being gay friendly have to do with the south African Olympic bid process
c) what do Sochi and rio de janeiro have to do with the south African bid process
d) isn't 'lonely plant' something to do with gardening


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

Yes ive been to sochi its like living in the 1970s. Cape Town is safe the only crime ive seen in cape town it a robbing done by a money.
Cape Town will get the Olympics in 2024. A little more work needs to be done on the Transports systems.

TheooG im a city planner ive been nealy around the world like Rio, Sochi, Vancouver, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Reno, London, Amesterdam, Berlin, Athens and Istanbul and lots more even Baku.

2020 Tokyo, Japan
2024 Cape Town, South Africa
2028 Brisbane, Australia
2032 Los Angeles, USA
2036 Rome, Italy
2040 Bangkok, Thailand
2044 Athens, Greece


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## TheoG (Mar 20, 2010)

Matthew Lowry said:


> Yes ive been to sochi its like living in the 1970s. Cape Town is safe the only crime ive seen in cape town it a robbing done by a money.


Hence the point of the winter olympics, to make it a bit nicer, if that needs doing, which I sort of doubt looking at pictures of it.
And anyway, how can you be robbed by money? Maybe some work on English, or indeed typing properly, might be of good use.



Matthew Lowry said:


> Cape Town will get the Olympics in 2024. A little more work needs to be done on the Transports systems.


Transport work which, as I've read on another forum, should be finished around 2012. And if it's a little more work, then why would it take 14 years?



Matthew Lowry said:


> TheooG im a city planner ive been nealy around the world like Rio, Sochi, Vancouver, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Reno, London, Amesterdam, Berlin, Athens and Istanbul and lots more even Baku.


I thought you were a secretary for a member of the IOC? Or was it a guy who sold hotel rooms in Cape Town? Or do you just like losing your job a lot?



Matthew Lowry said:


> 2020 Tokyo, Japan
> 2024 Cape Town, South Africa
> 2028 Brisbane, Australia
> 2032 Los Angeles, USA
> ...


Again with the lists, they're not even slightly realistic. Athens? Bangkok? Brisbane?


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## olaf (Nov 11, 2007)

Cape Town 2020
Paris 2024
Mumbay 2028
Toronto 2032
Saint Petersburg 2036
Guadalajara 2040
Prague 2044
Brisbane 2048
Madrid 2052
Bangkok 2056


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

I meant a monkey thoregot to put in a K.
My Girl Friend is a secretary for a high rank member of the IOC.
And for you OLAF
Brisbane and Bangkok will get the Games sooner
Mumbai, Saint Petersburg, Guadalajara and Prague will never get the games.
For me India host should be Delhi. Russia Moscow. Mexico back to Mexico city.
Toronto is hosting the Pan American Games in 2015. They should host a Commonwealth games before they put in a bid for the Olympics.


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## 863552 (Jan 27, 2010)

^

SHUT THE **** UP YOU ANAL RETARD AND GTFO OFF THIS FORUM!

YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS A DREAM SHE DOESN'T EXIST WHO'D WANT TO GO NEAR A HOMOCIDAL RETARD LIKE YOU!?

**** OFF. rant over*


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## Ron2K (Dec 28, 2007)

Hey, calm down folks. 

In my opinion, it's a tough choice between Durban and Cape Town. Durban has most things that the Olympics will need in the Kings Park sporting precinct or not too far away from there (and besides, Moses Mabhida Stadium seems purposefully designed for the Olympics), plus decent all-year weather (although I personally find summers here too hot for my liking). Cape Town, on the other hand, has generally better city-wide infrastructure (we won't mention the Koeberg interchange!  ), is a better managed city in my opinion, plus has the experience of a previous bid.

Johannesburg - no. As previous posters have mentioned, the high altitude would be an issue alone.


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## swifty78 (Nov 10, 2002)

You can be anyone you wannabe on the internet remember lol.


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## slipperydog (Jul 19, 2009)

To answer the original question....ONE NEAR WATER

That doesn't give you many options, LOL


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## dande (Jan 28, 2005)

As soon as you solve huge problems of poverty, high crime rates, unemplyoment, social injustice, just to name a few. In all honesty neither of the previous host countries have solved those problems 100%.


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## SA BOY (Mar 29, 2003)

dande said:


> As soon as you solve huge problems of poverty, high crime rates, unemplyoment, social injustice, just to name a few. In all honesty neither of the previous host countries have solved those problems 100%.


oh you mean UK and US have 100% emplyment and 0% crime? wake up


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## dande (Jan 28, 2005)

No that´s not what I meant at all but you are delusional if you don´t think you have ways to go to reach their standards.


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## Rosaudio (Aug 14, 2009)

Solopop said:


> ^
> 
> SHUT THE **** UP YOU ANAL RETARD AND GTFO OFF THIS FORUM!
> 
> ...


Internet tough guy.. :lol:


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## Jim856796 (Jun 1, 2006)

South Arica has held a Rigby Union World Cup, a Cricket World Cup, and a Football World Cup.

Cape Town has a history of hosting major sporting events and has bade for a Summer olympics before.
Durban has a stadium suitable enough to be an Olympic Stadium.
Johannesburg has held the All-Africa Gmes before.

It is unknown which of these cities is the most eligible to host a Summer Olympic Games.


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## desertpunk (Oct 12, 2009)

Cape Town is such a well-developed destination city with its stunning scenery so it should be the place.


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## JYDA (Jul 14, 2008)

Marco_ said:


> Football City stadium


or maybe it's Calcio City Stadium


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## VelesHomais (Sep 1, 2004)

A good idea would be to provide street-level pictures. Most people don't have helicopters to view these stadiums from the air.


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## jotazesar (Mar 20, 2010)

eMKay said:


> This is Peter Mokaba Stadium.



THANKS I CHANGED ALREADY!! :lol:


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## Archbishop (Aug 18, 2009)

Soccer City Stadium.


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

Green point is the best.


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## ØlandDK (May 29, 2005)

Port Elizabeth Stadium


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## kiqwolf (Aug 7, 2009)

uff I go with soccer city but durban stadium is amazing


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## wotwot (Jun 13, 2010)

FOOTBALL CITY


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## PaulFCB (Apr 21, 2008)

Ellis Park first of all. Durban/Green Point honorable mention .


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## rafamlopes (Dec 31, 2008)

Soccer City and Port Elizabeth


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## Gadiri (Oct 30, 2009)

Nobody like Rustenberg stadium which this beautiful track ? :lol:


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## STFC-Doffy (May 25, 2010)

Peter Mokaba stadium for me, really like the style of the roof and the exterior.


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## JYDA (Jul 14, 2008)

Gadiri said:


> Nobody like Rustenberg stadium which this beautiful track ? :lol:


and yet it got 6 games while gorgeous mbombela and mokaba only got 4....hno:


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## KIKILLA (Apr 28, 2010)

Durban


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## metros11 (Jan 21, 2009)

Durban. It would make for a spectacular Olympic stadium as well.


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## rafamlopes (Dec 31, 2008)

^^ I just hate those temporary white seats :bash:


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## dean93 (Jun 27, 2010)

Green Point Stadium


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## xTeVe (Aug 20, 2007)

Soccer City


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## zaDic (Apr 23, 2007)

Green Point


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## White_horse (Jun 26, 2008)

rustenburg stadium is the best for me


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