It makes and breaks heroes, hearts and history. The Beautiful Game is under the floodlights once again and the world is watching, and talking.
Come June 11, and 736 players from 32 nations will descend on South Africa to be a part of the biggest sporting extravaganza of 2010. The football World Cup comes to Africa for the first time and the buzz around the event is already at fever pitch.
We may not be there, but we’re watching...
India might not be great at playing football, but when it comes to watching it, there are more takers than you can imagine. “Football viewership in India has been on the rise in the last few years, thanks to the popularity of European clubs,” says Anirban Das Blah, CEO, Kwan Entertainment, a celebrity management company.
As Sanjay Gangopadhaya, marketing director , Nike India, points out, “The football World Cup has always been a special event for Indians and the fan following is immense.” Over 110 million viewers are expected to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup in India — almost double the 60 million or so viewers the 2006 edition of the World Cup attracted.
ESPN Star Sports and Doordarshan, which will broadcast the matches in India, already have a lot of advertisers queueing up. They include leading brands such as Nokia, Samsung, Castrol, Sony and Vodafone. ESPN expects to garner more revenues from 2010 FIFA World Cup than any other non-cricketing event.
Globally, of course, India accounts for a very small percentage of the estimated one billion dollars that FIFA will earn from its showpiece event. The figure of Rs 1.5 crore that Indian broadcasters will make in advertising revenue on each match day is also nothing compared to the over Rs 180 crore per day of television advertising revenue the World Cup is expected to generate all over the world.
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Nevertheless, the fan following is already large enough for Nike and other sports-goods brands to launch a range of merchandise (see page 2).
Is the distance a factor?
Reports suggest that despite a sales drive aimed at local fans in South Africa, around 200,000 of the final batch of 500,000 match tickets — that is, around 10 per cent of the total — are lying unsold, a mere 27 days before the tournament gets underway. “I have no doubt that all of the matches will be sold out,” Danny Jordaan, World Cup Organising Committee CEO, said at a press conference in Durban this week. “I am certain that this World Cup will be a sell-out and those remaining tickets will be bought.” In 2006, the number of international fans who travelled to Germany was far greater. But that is because Europe is a more accessible destination than South Africa, say tour operators.
In India, however, tour operators report a considerable rise in the number of people travelling to South Africa. The initial response was a bit lukewarm, they admit, but travel bookings for the World Cup have now picked up. About 2,000 people from Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and Kerala have booked packages, and the number is likely to go up as the draws approach. But, according to a Cox & Kings India spokesperson, “South Africa is a popular destination in the summer season, irrespective of the World Cup happening there.”
Players to watch out for
But despite all the marketing blitzkrieg, all eyes will be on the players.The World Cup has always brought the best out of the players. Here are some who we think will be talked about.
LIONEL MESSI, Argentina
He has been called a ‘Playstation player’, someone who is virtually unstoppable. With 46 goals for his club Barcelona in 2009-10, Messi goes to South Africa as the undisputed ‘best player’ in the world. Often hailed as the new Maradona, he hasn’t delivered on the international stage for Argentina, by his own admission. Well, no better stage than the World Cup to dispel all doubts (if there are any) about the best player in the world.
CRISTIANO RONALDO, Portugal
Real Madrid paid a record £ 80 million to acquire Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, and while he has won everything at the club level, a World Cup medal is missing from his collection. Ronaldo is a complete footballer. He can score, it seems, with his left foot, right foot, free kicks, headers, and has pace to burn, which often leaves defenders on their backsides. But like Messi, he too has failed to replicate his club form for Portugal. Even so he is a player who can single- handedly win matches. Now the world waits to see if Ronaldo can conjure the magic in South Africa.
FERNANDO TORRES, Spain
Spain have an embarassment of riches in their squad. But it’s the Liverpool striker Fernando Torres who they will be looking to lead them to glory. Torres has had an injury-ravaged season but remains the deadliest marksman in the world. Deceptively quick, he is the traditional centre forward who lives to score goals. He scored in the 2008 Euro Ch ampionships final to help Spain win the trophy. His partnership with David Villa will give sleepless nights to defenders. But doubts remain over his fitness. If he remains fit, he is a contender for the Golden Boot award.
ARJEN ROBBEN, Netherlands
Robben looks 60 but plays like a 16-year old. A quintessential left foot winger, he is often underrated by many. This season, however, he has been in scintillating form for his club Bayern Munich and has helped them win the league title as well as reach the Champions League final. Netherlands are perennial underachievers but in Robben they possess a player who can take them places.
WAYNE ROONEY, England
England haven’t won the World Cup since 1966 and would be looking to end the 44-year drought. For that they need Wayne Rooney to be in top form. The 24-year old who announced his arrival in style at the 2004 Euro Championships, has come of age in 2009-10, scoring 34 goals for Manchester United.
| GETTING THERE FLIGHTS Round-trip fares to Johannesburg and Cape Town start from around Rs 40,000 (including taxes) PACKAGES Emirates, the official travel partner for FIFA, offers 7-day packages that include accommodation (with breakfast), flights and match tickets For Group Stage matches, package prices start from Rs 135,000 per person |
For semi-finals and finals, package prices start from Rs 300,000 per person
Details: ww.emirates.com
Call: +91-992008966
Tickets can be directly booked on the official FIFA site www.fifa.com/worldcup
| African odyssey It is more than an African dream. It goes beyond the realms of football. The biggest sporting showpiece in the world, watched by more people than any other event, will be hosted by an African nation for the first time. More than ever before, this is a World Cup hosted not by politicians or officials, but by an entire population; not by a few, but by many. The local people have watched six new stadiums being built in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) and Nelspruit, towering structures rising from the African soil. The message emanating from all South Africans is that they are ready, ready for an unforgettable African festival of football. |
It will be the grandest stage yet for the world’s greatest footballers to showcase their skills, but for South Africa, the festival goes beyond football. It is an investment in the people, not just of South Africa but of the African continent.
The psychological impact of South Africa hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup will go far beyond the 30 days of the tournament and the 64 matches. The truth is that football is Africa’s favourite sport and the World Cup has become a rallying point for pride and self-confidence.
I was one of the television commentators for the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. It was one of the most emotional sporting events I have ever been part of. Having spent the best part of 10 years living and working in South Africa, to see rugby supporters of all races backing the Springboks was an indelible message flagged to the watching world that so much could be achieved through sport. President Nelson Mandela donned the Springbok Number 6 jersey and presented the World Cup Trophy to South Africa’s captain, Francois Pienaar, after the Boks had beaten the New Zealand All Blacks in a dramatic final in Johannesburg.
Now the 2010 FIFA World Cup can further boost the country’s psyche with the sponsorship investment of some of the world’s leading companies such as Nokia, Vodafone and Samsung, and of course, the millions of dollars paid by television broadcasters around the globe.
This is South Africa’s great opportunity to justify the faith and confidence placed in the country to stage the world’s biggest sporting event. The entire image of the country could be significantly changed in the space of 30 days if it can manage to convince the rest of the world that crime is under control, that it is dealing with its AIDS problems, that the masses of unemployed are being considered, that the country is a wonderful place in which to invest and explore. South Africa needs investment and it needs tourism, which is why the 2010 FIFA World Cup is so crucial to its future prosperity and its place among the world’s leading countries.
Prize money is a staggering $420 million with the winners taking $30 million, the runner-up $24 million and the semi-finalists $20 million each. Italy are the defending champions and must be considered one of the favourites, but Spain, the 2008 UEFA European Champions, are the hot team in form, with 10 wins in its 10 World Cup qualifiers. They have their goalkeeping captain, Iker Casillas, midfield maestro Xav Hernandez and two sublimely gifted strikers, David Villa and Fernando Torres. Spain have never won the World Cup and are being tipped to break their duck.
Argentina, world champions in 1978 and 1986, have Diego Maradona as their coach. In Lionel Messi they have the player widely regarded as the greatest in the world.
Three-time world champions Germany will rely heavily on their silky playmaker, Michael Ballack, to ensure the German machine runs smoothly. They last won in Italia 1990.
England are talking up their chances, but they will rely too heavily on Manchester United’s dynamo, Wayne Rooney. Manager Fabio Capello does not have enough talent at his disposal for England to be serious contenders.
Which leaves Brazil, five-time world champions, as favourites once again. Under their manager, Dunga, who played in three World Cups, and skippered Brazil to victory in USA 1994, they have the wonderful Kaka, the team’s inspiration and a former World Footballer of the Year.
The stage is set for the greatest Football World Cup of all time. Africa’s pride is at stake, but South Africa has the spirit, and it is this spirit — an uninhibited sense of joy and festivity, wrapped in African smiles — that will hopefully ensure that the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be a complete success.
ALAN WILKINS
is a TV broadcaster for ESPN Star Sports.