|
Blatter claims victory
24/11/2007 08:48 - (SA)
Robert Millward
Durban - With South Africa set to stage the qualifying draw for the 2010 World Cup, Fifa president Sepp Blatter is claiming a personal victory.
He said: "I am very happy to be here in Durban, South Africa - (in) my continent."
Blatter's reference to Africa being his continent was nothing to do with his birthplace. He is 100% Swiss. But the FIFA leader claimed credit for making sure Africa finally got to host soccer's biggest championship.
Blatter was launching the official poster of the 2010 World Cup, which appeared to depict Barcelona's Cameroon star Samuel Eto'o, his head and neck cleverly designed in the shape of the African continent, heading and looking up at a ball.
"This face expresses hope and hope is looking towards the ball," Blatter said on Friday, two days before the draw. "This (ball) is the globe, the world. Africa is presenting something to the world and I hope that the world will receive this message," he added.
Blatter believed soccer was an antidote to Africa's long fight against disease, famine and poverty and centuries of slavery and racial discrimination.
Africa 'gets back what is has given'
He said: "To give to this continent a face, a human face, the human face of football and also to say that, on this continent, there is no one dominating color. They are all different colors and all of them are united in the World Cup in Africa and united by this face."
In terms of soccer, the 2010 World Cup was getting back what Africa had given over the past two decades, when Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal made their marks at soccer's biggest championship by beating some of the main contenders.
Instead of the stars of African soccer going to other parts of the world to show off their skills every four years, the big names from Europe, South America, Central and North America and Asia would be on their way to Africa in three years' time.
The qualifying rounds had already started in many parts of the world, notably South America, where Brazil and Argentina were already among the front runners.
But Sunday's draw involved the big contenders from Europe, which would have 13 of the 32 finalists, while the likes of the United States, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Australia would also know their routes to the World Cup.
The draw took place before 3 000 invited guests in Durban's International Conference Centre, as a continent which was often seen as the future of the game finally gets its first big Fifa event.
The biggest matchup of the South African soccer season - Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates - had even been moved from the Johannesburg township of Soweto to more relaxed Durban to coincide with the draw.
- AP
|
