| FootballFan said: Pehaps but Football isnt hugley popluar in South africa and that the next destination for the World cup. Maybe they are attempting to boost the sports popularity. America must have the World cup in 2016! |
"By 2003-04 there were 1,8 million registered players and corporate sponsorships reached more than R640 million. Without question, football in the ‘new' South Africa is a powerful economic, cultural, and political force." Source
"Football - or soccer, as we call it - is the most widely played sport in South Africa, with its traditional support base in the black community. For many South Africans the country's proudest sporting moment came when we won the African Nations Cup on home turf in 1996." Source
"Association Football in South Africa (commonly referred to as soccer), is the country's most popular participation sport, and is especially popular among the Black population." Source
"Football in Africa is followed passionately from Morocco on down to South Africa. You'll know when an important football match is being played in Africa because the country you are visiting will literally come to a standstill." Source (=> a friend of mine from Ghana recently confirmed this statement; he said, whenever Ghana's national team plays a match, the country literally comes to a complete standstill)
So no, the FIFA are not attempting at all to boost the popularity of football/soccer in South Africa. There's no need, as it is obviously already the most popular sport, not only in S.A., but in most (if not all) other African countries. The FIFA were just giving the continent what it already deserved and was eagerly awaiting for a long time - the opportunity to host a Football World Cup.
