South Africa is discovering one of the joys of hosting the 2010 World Cup — dealing with soccer’s world governing body, FIFA. City councilors in Cape Town have condemned as “absolutely ridiculous” a draft of the temporary bylaw that FIFA imposes on host cities during the tournament to regulate street trading, traffic, advertising and public behavior and movement.
Host cities entered into agreements with FIFA to enact legislation that would make FIFA’s rules enforceable. But councilors on Cape Town’s planning committee condemned the bylaws as “frightening,” with one councilor saying that the city could not submit to FIFA’s “imperial attitude.”
Councilor Frank Raymond, who is also a lawyer, said the bylaw was unconstitutional and that the city would be the “laughing stock of the world” if it presented the bylaw for public comment. The regulations were “vague” and “embarrassing.” Meanwhile the city’s 2010 director Teral Cullen said Cape Town was behind other host cities in starting the public participation process to have the bylaw approved by the December deadline. “But the committee,” reported the newspaper, “was unfazed by the deadline pressures, referring the bylaw back for an external legal opinion on its constitutionality.”