The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will be a major breakthrough as it will be the first time that the jamboree will be hosted on the African continent. As the 2006 World Cup comes to an end on Sunday in Berlin, attention will now be focused on South Africa, which will become the 16th nation to host the tournament.The country's elites spent the week in Germany learning from the German experience, and they now boast that they are ready for the challenge. That is the confidence that surrounded South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki on Friday in Berlin as he officially unveiled the long-awaited logo at a ceremony attended by world dignitaries, including United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, FIFA president Sepp Blater, CAF president Issa Hayatou, president of the 2006 World Cup organizing committee, Franz Beckenbauer, and the mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit.
Fifa World Cup Logo 2010
©2006 FIFA
The ceremony, which was described by FIFA as the "biggest single football party ever," was hosted at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with free entry to all fans to watch African live performances.
"We come from a country where football is not simply a game but an enduring passion ... We come from a place where our hearts beat in unison as we celebrate a shared destiny and love for the beautiful game," Mbeki said.
Mbeki said 2010 would be not just a South African legacy, but also most importantly an African legacy. Mbeki also joked that he hopes the tournament will be not only the best ever, but also one in which the Cup is won by an African team for the very first time.
"It is a challenge we will win with flying colors," he said. "We said we will host in 2010 the most successful FIFA World Cup and we will keep that promise."
The slogan for the 2010 tournament is "Win with Africa in Africa." Mbeki compared Africa's hosting of the World Cup to the end of Apartheid in South Africa and called the tournament "a beacon of hope" for Africa. He also said it would end Western hegemony in the game, which drew wild applause from anxious fans.
"Africa is ready, Africa's time has come, Africa is calling. Come to Africa in 2010," he said.
FIFA's president, Blatter, was also very positive about the tournament.
"I am optimistic for Africa. The whole world trusts you. The whole FIFA family, they say 'yes' to South Africa. We trust South Africa."
Comparing South Africa 2010 to Germany 2006, Blatter joked, "Of course, it will not be like this World Cup in Germany. There will be a lot of drums and a lot of music."
Annan surprisingly admitted that football is now more universal than the United Nations, with FIFA having 207 members compared to 192 in the U.N.
"The World Cup is an event which illustrates the benefit of cross-pollinization between peoples and countries. More and more national teams now welcome coaches from other countries. More and more players represent clubs away from home between World Cups. They all bring new ways of thinking and playing. Everybody wins. Everybody wins by that cross-pollinization," Annan said.
The logo itself is an African map, with the stripes of the South African flag (blue, green, red, yellow, black, and white) blowing across it like the wind, and a player doing a magnificent scissor kick. Below, in the lower right corner, is written "FIFA World Cup -- South Africa 2010."
With the logo now launched, it goes without saying that the road to South Africa 2010 has begun.
