Two days after revealing FIFA’s backup plan for South Africa 2010 on BBC television, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has come out insisting that the 2010 World Cup would be staged in South Africa. “It will take place in South Africa … I have no doubts,” he said, adding, “The plan B is South Africa, plan C is South Africa.”
Well, plan D, apparently, was the one announced on Monday. Blatter said the contingency plan was only prudent in the case of a major crisis. “It would be a bad organizer who did not have a reserve for a crisis. It is necessary to know there are countries able to put on the World Cup … without two or three years for preparation,” he said. The U.S., Japan, Spain and Mexico were named as possible alternatives. Each of these countries has hosted the tournament. Conspicuous by its absence from the list was another African country, despite the fact that it’s Africa’s turn to host the tournament under FIFA’s rotation system.
That, obviously, comes down to the fact that South Africa is the only African country with the economic infrastructure in place to host such a massive event. That said, media reports claim the country is struggling with its preparations, which include the building or renovation of no less than 10 stadiums, as well as the implementation of public transportation systems in major cities.