South Africa will host the football World Cup five years from now. But, looking at what Germany has achieved a full year before it hosts the 2006 event, we have to meet a number of challenges urgently.
The Germans have been preparing for the tournament for the past four years and that was evident during the Confederations Cup, when several new stadiums and support systems were road-tested.
Being granted the 2006 World Cup has helped that country develop its infrastructure and also unite a once-divided nation. There are a lot of new buildings in the former East Germany and the economy there is being improved to be on a par with the former West Germany.
Of the 16 federal states, 12 were given the right to host World Cup matches. These states had to meet strict guidelines in order to get the go-ahead from world football’s governing body. The Germans had initially wanted to have all 16 states host matches but Fifa refused, citing logistical problems.
During the Confederations Cup five of the stadiums that had been renovated to meet Fifa standards (Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Hanover, Cologne and Leipzig) were given a trial run.
The revamped stadiums are truly high-tech in terms of electronics, comfort, information systems and the quality of the pitches. In some cases, up to â,¬100-million (nearly R1-billion) has been spent just on renovations.
The stadiums need to seat at least 40 000 people to meet Fifa’s criteria. The round of 16, quarterfinals, semi-finals and final require a minimum of 60 000 seats.
During the World Cup, the stadiums will be run by Fifa and ones that have their own sponsors, such as the Allianz Arena, will have to change their names — in this case to the Munich stadium. South African stadiums, such as FNB and Durban’s Absa ground, should take note.
The stadiums also need to have a minimum of 800 seats dedicated to the media for the group stages and 1 800 to 2 000 for the next round of matches. As if having to accommodate these numbers of free-loading journalists is not enough, big lounges for VIPs must also be provided.
The 700 000 tickets sold for the Confederations Cup ranged from â,¬17 to â,¬99 but — as will happen at the World Cup — they entitled the holder to use the public transport system in the given city for free on match day. In other words, your match ticket served as your bus, tram and train ticket as well.
One difference was that tickets for the Confederations Cup were on sale through the usual channels in Germany. For the next year’s World Cup an Internet ”lottery”, open to the whole world, was held. There is no separate allocation of tickets for the host nation, so South African fans must face up to the fact that they will be competing on the Internet for tickets for 2010 — and at prices geared towards the European pocket. If â,¬17 (about R150) was the cheapest for this year’s Confederations Cup, South Africans should start their savings schemes now.
Another thing South Africans will have to come to terms with is that ticket costs are calculated according to where you will be sitting.
The German public is not viewing next year’s tournament as a chance to make huge profits: the aim is merely to break even on what has been invested. Organisers see their reward in the fact that the country will be left with 12 wonderful stadiums, overhauled transport systems and new infrastructure — and the chance to showcase their country to a captive world audience for a month.
The vice-president of the local organising committee, Theo Zwanzinger, said he envisaged revenue of â,¬430-million and an expenditure of the same amount going out.
Projected income is calculated on three amounts: â,¬200-million raised from ticket sales based on the assumption that 90% of stadiums will be filled to capacity; â,¬60-million from the six official sponsors; and a guaranteed â,¬170-million from Fifa.
The major costs are: running the stadiums, expected to be â,¬120-million; personnel and material, â,¬100-million; and transportation costs of around â,¬80-million. No public finance was used by the organising committee.
The government’s involvement is merely ensuring that all the guarantees given during the bid are met.
An investment of â,¬1,5-billion was required for the construction and modernisation of the 12 stadiums. Several further billions have been spent on security by the federal government of Germany, while tourism is set to bring in â,¬3-billion as 3,2-million visitors are expected to attend.
Fifa reserved 35 000 rooms for 2006, three years before the tournament so as to ensure prices would remain fair and realistic. The German organising committee is working closely with the accommodation and tourism industry to ensure all visitors to Germany are offered appropriate accommodation at fair and consistent prices. Prices for hotel accommodation are expected to be between â,¬50 and â,¬200.
In the tourism area the federal government has provided and financed a programme to support travel operators from all 16 states, as they want visitors not only to enjoy the football matches but also see Germany as a tourist destination in the future.
The Confederations Cup, which attracted a lot of tourists to Germany, is now over and the next test for Germany’s preparations is the final draw on December 9 in Leipzig. This venue was chosen due to its historical relevance in that it was the starting point, in 1990, for a peaceful revolution towards a unified Germany.
Once the tournament itself begins, Fifa — and its official sponsors — takes over. In the stadiums the only food sold will be that of the sponsors (so develop a liking for Big Macs). No food or beverages are allowed into a stadium without Fifa approval. Anyone wearing clothing conflicting with that of an official sponsor will be required to remove it or not be allowed into the stadium. If your T-shirt, for example, bears a non-official-sponsor logo, you will be required to wear it inside-out.
Outside the Fifa-controlled areas, however, fans going to Germany for the 2006 World Cup should expect a lot of pampering and help from the ”football fan embassies”, which will advise all fans were the cheapest accommodation is, how to get to the stadiums, where to go to eat — and any other information required. There will also be guides for international fans.
One of the biggest areas in which South Africa can learn from Germany is in the public transport system. There are three main modes of transport within the big cities: buses, trains and trams. All run on time and are well maintained. South Africa needs to resolve this issue urgently, as our current systems are nowhere near what is needed.
The industry that has so far benefited most from Germany hosting the World Cup is the construction sector. Many jobs, even if they are not full-time ones, have been created in building or renovating stadiums and building roads.
The tourism and hospitality industries are expected to create more jobs before and during the tournament — and the Germans hope some of these can be retained after the World Cup as a result of the country’s increased appeal as a tourist destination.
Ntuthuko Maphumulo was a guest of the Goethe Institute