Fifa president Sepp Blatter said Thursday that “Africa can be proud of having organised the World Cup” as the four-week tournament entered its final few days.
“Africa can be proud, South Africa even more so and African football can also be proud,” Blatter told a news conference.
“We are almost at the end, but I am a satisfied president. I will tell you more on Monday once the 63rd and 64th games [Saturday’s third-place play-off and Sunday’s final] have been played and the trophy has been presented to the new champions.”
Spain and Holland, who have never won the World Cup, meet in the final on Sunday at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
Fair play
Blatter said he believed the tournament had been a fair-play success with the number of yellow and red cards handed out dramatically down on the 2006 tournament.
After 62 of the 64 games, there have been 229 bookings and 16 sendings off compared to the 307 yellow cards and 28 red which were brandished in Germany four years ago.
“I must remark on the fair-play of the players. I congratulate the teams and the coaches as the statistics show that there have been fewer injuries. This shows that players respect their opponents when they go in for a tackle,” said Blatter. – AFP