As the host nation, South Africa will receive a seeding in the 2010 World Cup — but it will not be the kind of favourable draw that emanated from the weekend’s match-up for next year’s Confederations Cup.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by Jerome Valcke at a specially convened and frank media briefing at which the Fifa secretary general conceded the Confederations Cup draw in which Bafana Bafana were presented with an inviting opportunity of qualifying for the semifinals had emerged as ”freakishly” in favour of South Africa
Although current world top-ranked team Spain are in South Africa’s section, the Group A segment that also includes New Zealand and Iraq contains only one side among the top 58 teams in the world
The opposite Group B segment, which includes fancied teams like South American champions Brazil and World Cup holders Italy, is in direct contrast with four competitive countries all among the 24 leading teams in the Fifa rankings — and, further favouring Bafana, is the fact that two teams from each group will go through to the semifinals.
”Nothing like this will happen at the World Cup,” said the Fifa secretary general, ”with the eight groups of four teams all reasonably well-balanced.”
Valcke said the one certainty that Fifa had regarding the 2010 World Cup is that ”it will be staged in South Africa”.
”But,” he added, ”whether this means that we will put our legs up, smoke a cigar and open a bottle of champagne, certainly not.
”As the first World Cup to be staged in Africa,” said Valcke, ‘we are moving into unchartered areas in many respects and there are bound to be many challenges and problems to overcome along the way.
”Still, in the end, we believe the stadiums will be ready, the estimated 500 000 spectators from outside the country will arrive and there will be no problems that we will not be able to overcome.” — Sapa