Morocco will rally behind South Africa as Africa’s representative for the 2010 Soccer World Cup Bid, its embassy said on Monday.
”Now that the bid competition is over, let us rally, in the true African spirit of brotherhood and solidarity, behind South Africa as our representative in the world of football,” the embassy said.
In a statement, the Pretoria-based embassy said King Mohammed VI of Morocco had sent a letter to President Thabo Mbeki after Fifa’s announcement on Saturday ”conveying his heartfelt congratulations” to South Africa.
The king stressed the ”strong historical ties built over many years” and said ”in a spirit of sportmanship, that the real winner is the whole of Africa”.
The embassy said it also extended its ”sincere and fraternal congratulations” to South Africa.
”We have no doubt in mind that it will be a successful event befitting the South African skill in organising such an international event as well as the African people’s hospitality and attachment to the beautiful game.”
The embassy also thanked those in the Fifa body who supported the Moroccan bid.
On Saturday Moroccan football officials expressed their disappointment at South Africa winning the vote saying that Fifa president Sepp Blatter had been the deciding factor, news agencies reported.
The Moroccans were seen as the main threat to the South Africa. But they were knocked out in the first round of voting as the Fifa executive voted 14-10 in favour of South Africa with no votes going to the other remaining candidate Egypt.
”Today [Fifa president Sepp] Blatter used all his weight to influence the outcome of the vote,” Said Nejjar, a member of the Morocco 2010 organising committee told the RTM radio station, news agencies reported.
”He is the master of Fifa and decides everything,” he added.
DA says it’s time to crack down on crime
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday that the government must use the next six years to ensure that crime is brought down so that visitors to South Africa for the tournament would be safe.
DA spokesperson on safety and security Roy Jankielsohn said that he would ask Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula and National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi to brief the portfolio committee on safety and security as soon as possible on their strategy towards 2010.
”Hopefully the political will to deal with crime in South Africa will improve now that we have won the bid,” Jankielsohn said.
He said the police service and other law enforcement agencies would require a major injection of resources to ensure that the World Cup was safe and secure. The DA believed government should increase funding to the departments of safety and security, and justice and correctional services; ensure a minimum of 150 000 active police officers, have all police properly trained and equipped, crack down on organised crime and increase security measures at entry points.
Jankielsohn said that the South Africans and the rest of the world must be made aware that there was a zero tolerance policy regarding crime in the country.
Government should also improve regional and local efforts to deal with cross-border crime and illegal immigration.
”… the fact that we will host the 2010 World Cup must be seen as an added incentive to crack down on crime and to invest in the SAPS,” Jankielsohn said.
Well done, we can finally sing
South Africa’s three largest political parties — the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance and the Inkatha Freedom Party — welcomed the World Cup bid win.
The ruling African National Congress said in a statement from national spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama that the ANC ”joins all South Africans in joyously celebrating the long-awaited announcement by Fifa that our country has been chosen to host the world’s most prestigious sporting event, the Soccer World Cup, in 2010.”
”The ANC takes this opportunity to congratulate our Soccer World Cup bid committee, especially Danny Jordaan and Irvin Khoza, on their patriotic commitment and unwavering determination to bring the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. To them we say: ”Well done, you have done your country proud.”
”The world could not have failed to recognise and respect the importance our country attached to this bid, as shown by the high-powered delegation, led by internationally renowned statespersons like our President Thabo Mbeki and former President Nelson Mandela.”
Official opposition Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said: ”We can finally sing. Our team has done it. They have brought home the World Cup tournament to where it belongs — our beautiful South Africa.”
”Our bid committee has done a tremendous job. All of us, indeed, have done our best to promote our country as the host. We have proved that when South Africa makes success the number one priority, we are virtually unstoppable.”
”We must now work hard to ensure a successful tournament, one that will have lasting benefits for our country, our continent, and for the game itself.”
”We are surely up to the challenge. We can promise the world a spectacular tournament that will be exciting on the pitch and safe off the pitch.”
”Congratulations are due to all who were involved, including President Thabo Mbeki and former President Nelson Mandela, and Danny Jordaan and his committee.”
Inkatha Freedom Party sport spokesperson Bonginkosi Dlamini, MP, extended the IFP’s congratulations ”to all South Africans in winning the Soccer World Cup bid for 2010”.
”South Africans should not lose this mood which is uniting all South Africans and avoid the temptation to reduce this win to a party political victory.”
”We should all build on this uniting force and use this commonality to bind us all in everything South African. We also call on all South Africans to grab the opportunities that will be created by this win in all the sectors of our economy.” – Sapa