Africa’s dreams of its first soccer World Cup were shattered this week as South Africa lost its bid to host the 2006 event by just one vote
Mail & Guardian reporters and Sapa
The First World trampled Africa’s hopes of staging its first soccer World Cup this week as Germany beat South Africa in a nail-biting finish in Zurich for the host of the 2006 version of the world’s premier sports showcase.
The 24-member Federation of International Football Association (Fifa) committee played it safe and opted for the security offered by the Germans, who hosted the tournament in 1974.
South Africa was pipped by 12 votes to 11 after the joker in the pack, Charles Dempsey from New Zealand, abstained at the last minute during the third and final round of voting. Dempsey had voted for England in the first two rounds, and was expected to back South Africa once England was out of the race, having pledged his support for South Africa on television. Had Dempsey cast his vote for South Africa it would have been a tie, with Fifa president Sepp Blatter having the casting vote. Blatter had previously signalled his support for South Africa.
Sources in Zurich said there were rumours Dempsey had pulled out because his granddaughter worked for European football’s governing body, Uefa.
South African bid committee president Irvin Khoza lashed out at Dempsey, accusing him of betraying the South African people. “I do not see how a man can vote in the first two rounds and then not vote in the third and final round. Fifa should investigate this,” he said.
Germany pulled off its victory after a frantic night of lobbying – an effort which secured the backing of the four Asian votes up for grabs. Its final presentation on Wednesday was particularly slick, featuring footage of a child smashing the Berlin Wall with a football.
In a televised address to the nation, President Thabo Mbeki expressed disappointment at South Africa’s failure, saying it was “a tragic day for Africa”.
Mbeki said the Fifa decision was a setback to Africa’s efforts to achieve the recognition it deserved. He said South Africa’s bid was sound but the executive of soccer’s world body, Fifa, obviously had a different view.
Mbeki’s predecessor, Nelson Mandela, was more upbeat. “We have done so well that I think we should rejoice instead of regretting,” he told a party hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
Every country had an equal chance to bid for the event, he said. “The fact that we have lost cannot be blamed on anybody. Although our chaps had clearly done an excellent job, there were certain finishing touches that we have not used.”
In Zurich, Minister of Sport and Recreation Ngconde Balfour openly wept while bid committee CEO Danny Jordaan battled to hold back the tears. They did, however, congratulate their German counterparts.
South Africa’s financial markets weakened on the news, after having strengthened earlier in the week on expectations that South Africa would win the bid. The rand fell to R6,7965 against the dollar from R6,7850, while on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange the benchmark all-share index slipped 33,80 points to 7E747 from the level the exchange was at about 10 minutes before the Zurich announcement.
South Africa’s agreement with Brazil in terms of which the South American country withdrew its bid at the 11th hour and pledged all three South American votes to South Africa – in exchange for Africa backing Brazil in 2010 – now falls away. South Africa will be free to bid again in four years’ time.
For millions of South Africa it was the second bitter disappointment in two years, with the country having failed in 1998 to secure the 2004 Olympics for Cape Town. But the grief this time was all the deeper because of the closeness of the result and the widespread confident expectation that the South African bid would succeed.
Across the country, partygoers who had gathered to celebrate the Fifa decision mourned, and champagne bottles remained corked.
In Kimberley, a muffled “No!” greeted the card showing “Deutschland” in one of the diamond town’s most popular township taverns, the Fountain Inn. Before the announcement was made, more and more men dribbled into the bar, their eyes glued to the TV, some hissing excitedly through their teeth.
Patrons were stunned, disbelieving, as they stared into the bottom of their glasses as though looking for reasons for the defeat. DJ Booker T, not one to let the crowds wallow in misery, was soon blasting out a song: Stimela’s Tell Me, Tell Me, Where Did We Go Wrong?
“The majority of people on the panel are Europeans – they are afraid of adventure,” philosophised Booker T. “Germany were rated number one on their presentation, but I thought we’d get it out of sympathy.”
Steve Maphalane was one of many finishing his drink and leaving in disgust.
“The world doesn’t have Africa at heart. Couldn’t they have given this to Madiba as a retirement present? After so many years of the World Cup and not once giving it to Africa, I think it’s the wrong decision.”
Across town at the Pan Pan Caf, customers took little interest in the announcement on TV. “I knew this was going to happen,” said owner Andr de Villiers. “I know what the infrastructure’s like in Germany – we are not going to get anywhere near as good as that in six years. The Germans have a better culture, they know how to treat tourists. Here the people feel that everyone owes them a favour.”
“Get a life!” said customer Melanie Moore. “Who cares about soccer? We don’t have the fans to fill stadiums anyway. Why don’t people support arts and culture more? At least you can’t rig a play!”
In Cape Town, a disappointed fan from Mitchells Plain on the Cape Flats exclaimed: “It’s Hansie. I’m telling you: Blame Hansie.”
“It’s shattering. I feel that Fifa has betrayed not only South Africa, but the whole African continent,” David Meuyu said.
At a party at the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg, the news took time to filter though the crowd. The mood was pierced like a badly baked souffle. Under-23 national coach Ephrahim “Shakes” Mashaba sobbed with shock. A reveller slouched on the concrete stage, not believing his first serious anticlimax of the millennium.
A talk show host on Radio 702, Gareth Cliff, referred to Dempsey as “that bastard New Zealander” from that nation of “sheep-shaggers”. Cliff called on South African criminals to kill Dempsey if the Kiwi had backed out because of South Africa’s crime rate.
Meanwhile, Durban mayor Obed Mlaba labelled the decision “international racism” while South African bid committee member Selwyn Nathan described the announcement in Zurich as a further proof of “the gulf between Africa and Europe”.