With a few days left before the kick off the first ever World Cup on African soil, reality is now dawning on many African soccer fans that the dream of an African World might remain just that. If they had been asked a few years back, many soccer supporters on the continent would have declared their participation in the world’s biggest single sport spectacle right in South Africa. Now, complicated visa requirements, the cost of travelling and inaccessibility of tickets will now exclude some of the continent’s most fervent followers of the game, who will have to now be content watching on television from home. Unfortunately for others in power deficit countries like Zimbabwe, they might even be excluded from watching the games even on TV.
Poor choices in terms of modes of selling tickets meant that many Africans, with limited access to the internet, could not buy tickets to the games. Furthermore, the SA government has maintained some strict visa requirements, including requiring one to have a given sum of money in their bank account, thus including more would be cheerleaders from the showcase. To add insult, the authorities even chose a non-African in Shakira to sing the theme song for the World Cup. This has been heavily criticised by many analysts, considering Africa vast musical talent.
Many will now hope for a good showing by Africa’s six representatives to give them something to cheer about the tournament.
No comments:
Post a Comment