The 2010 Soccer World Cup is an opportunity to create a new image for Africa, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told President Thabo Mbeki on Friday.
The two leaders met at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where Mbeki hosted Merkel for talks as part of her official state visit to South Africa.
”You’ll be in the centre of everybody’s interest all over the world, billions of people will have their eyes on your country and that is something we have experienced as well,” she said through a translator at a media conference after the meeting.
”For billions of people the world over this would open up an opportunity for gaining a new image, also of your country and also of Africa at large,” she added.
Mbeki said South Africa welcomed assistance from Germany, who hosted the previous World Cup.
”We are fortunate that we are hosting the Fifa Soccer World Cup after Germany because this enables us to draw on your own experience to make sure this tournament is organised in a proper and successful way,” he said.
He said the two countries were already working together in various fields, including cooperation between the security forces, building stadiums and how the host country could best interact with soccer world body Fifa.
”Wherever we can, we would like to help you, we would like to give our contribution to this, because we think it is a wonderful experience. We would like for your country to also experience that this World Cup can be a wonderful experience,” Merkel said.
During her two-day visit she was due to visit the South African Football Association’s headquarters in Johannesburg for a briefing on the preparations for the World Cup and visit Soccer City where the final of the 2010 Cup is to be played. — Sapa