Competition is fierce among South Africa’s neighbours to attract business around the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the Saturday Star newspaper reported.
Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe are all vying for a share of the World Cup pie by seeking to attract qualifying teams to train in their countries in the run-up to the tournament, the Johannesburg paper reported.
The potential tourism revenue of the World Cup has also not gone unnoticed in the region, prompting governments to step up plans for a single travel visa for the region.
Botswana’s Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Minister Kitso Mokaila said he was optimistic that his country would benefit from tourism. Botswana has established a task force to come up with a plan to woo qualifying teams to train in the country.
Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe are also looking at ways to improve sports training and tourism facilities.
Fifa has given Swaziland R10-million ($1,4-million) towards the upgrade of its only national stadium, Somholo, and the country also expects to have a new international airport by 2010.
Cash-strapped Zimbabwe also has plans to build a world-class soccer stadium.
Like South Africa, which has hired former Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to whip its Bafana Bafana side into shape, countries in the region are keen to boost the performance of their teams.
The 14-country Southern African Development Community plans to launch a new under-17 football tournament in 2007.
Meanwhile, in Cape Town, a bid by an environmental group to halt construction of a new 68 000-seater stadium in Green Point received a setback on Friday when it failed to get an urgent High Court hearing.
The Cape Town Environmental Protection Association will make a fresh bid on Monday to obtain an urgent interdict staying the partial demolition of the current Green Point stadium, the first phase in the building of the $2,9-billion arena. ‒ Sapa-DPA