Whale Cottage Portfolio Blog

Never in the history of World Cup soccer has a “player” made world TV and newspaper headlines as has Paul the psychic octopus.   We nominate him for the Golden Ball Award for being the most on-the-ball player of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, having correctly predicted Germany’s four wins and two losses.  

Paul lives in an aquarium in Oberhausen in Germany, but is British-born.  He started duty in the UEFA Cup final in 2008, but made an error when he predicted that Germany would win against Spain.   He was a little known player then, especially due to his incorrect prediction.  But since the start of the 2010 World Cup he has been spot-on with the results of each match, predicting Germany’s wins over Australia, Ghana, England and Argentina, and its losses against Serbia and Spain.  

All eyes will be on Paul as he predicts Germany to take 3rd place against Uruguay in Port Elizabeth today.   He has also bravely stepped out of his league in predicting the winner of the World Cup Final to be Spain, in its match against Netherlands tomorrow.

Poor Paul is being heavily taxed, in that he is now being asked to predict all sorts of other things, such as whether German coach Joachim Loew will renew his contract.

Paul has become such a talked-about VIP that he has his own Twitter page now (@PPsychicOctopus), and boy can he Tweet non-stop, usually putting some “biped” down when he/she make comments he does not like, and just in general, when he feels like it.  He is a cheeky opinionated chap!   He attracted 422 followers in just 2 days, and is hoping for 1000 by tomorrow.  He picks up almost every mention about himself on Twitter, and then replies to it. He has been featured on CNN, ZDF, BBC and SkyNews, and made the front page of the Cape Times and Germany’s Bild, and no doubt many more international and local newspapers.

While I am having fun, I am awarding some other unofficial 2010 World Cup awards:

Goldie Locks Award: goes to Diego Forlan of Uruguay, who has beautiful blond hair kept in place with a blue aliceband, and has the most beautiful blue eyes, for sure the most beautiful soccer player in the World Cup (on the other hand, Wayne Rooney has already been selected by the media as the ‘ugliest’ player of the soccer tournament)

Golden Trend Award:  Cristiano Ronaldo receives this award, for his black nailpolished toes, as seen on German TV station ZDF yesterday

Golden Coach Award:  superstitious German coach Joachim Loew wearing his beautiful blue jersey at every match in which Germany played, and refusing to wash it to not break the luck of his team, that is until it lost against Spain this week.    He was by far the best looking coach of all teams.

Golden Moneybags Award without a doubt goes to FIFA and its President Sepp Blatter, for taking all its money out of South Africa, untaxed as per its contract with the South African government, especially all the MATCH booking monies.  Ticket sales will have largely been received by credit card in Switzerland anyway.

Golden Service Award goes to the 25 000 or so volunteers at 10 stadiums and at the Fan Parks in Host Cities, as well as at airports and FIFA-designated hotels, who worked for a pittance of R 100 per day, irrespective of how long their working hours were.   Volunteers were specifically forced to sign away their rights to protection under South Africa’s labour legislation, such is the power of FIFA!   Volunteers were not even allowed to receive a copy of their 4-page contract.  Volunteers were the machine that made the running of the World Cup smooth and largely incident-free, in offering Spectator Services, Language Support, Transportation, Accreditation, Hospitality, IT and Telecommunications, and many more services to make the World Cup happen.   The ridiculously low “stipend” has to be taxed, at least 30 % being deducted, even for the meal allowance when it was first paid into the bank, while FIFA patted itself on the back for its 25 % increase in its media and marketing income for this World Cup, and announcing that millions of dollars will be paid to Football Associations and its executive.

Golden Aches Award goes to the World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC), for forcing its 25 000 volunteers around the country to spend half of their R 120 daily meal allowance at a McDonald’s close by, for the past 40 days.  The Green Point branch, which is right at the Stadium, made a fortune from the Cape Town LOC for daily vouchers to the value of R 60 - it could easily be R2 million - out of a blind loyalty to the fast food company’s sponsorship of the World Cup.

Golden Handcuff Award goes to the S A Police Services for safeguarding South Africa and the soccer fans, and for taking over the security services when Stallion Security staff striked in Cape Town and in Durban at the start of the World Cup.   They were patient, dedicated and worked in the pouring rain in Cape Town at three of the matches, and in cold winter conditions for the other five matches, as well as on non-match days, checking bags and other belongings, keeping everyone inside the Stadium safe.

Golden Key Award goes to FIFA and the LOC, for forbidding its volunteers to criticise the two bodies whilst they were on duty, as per the volunteer contract.   What they did not understand was the power of word-of-mouth, aggrieved volunteers talking to each other and posting comments on the Cape Town Volunteers blog  www.ctvolunteers2010.wordpress.com.    E-mails were sent to other volunteers, and one even approached the Weekend Argus about the McDonald’s forced-diet, that uniforms were not supplied to all volunteers in the 5 weeks of them doing duty, prejudicing some in not working inside the stadiums and therefore not seeing all the matches, and that transport problems meant that volunteers stood in the rain and cold waiting for transportation to take them home after matches.

Golden “Gees” Award goes to all South Africans, who become ‘Proudly South African’ in the past month, becoming soccer fans (who was it that said that ‘White’ South Africans do not support soccer and do not watch local matches?) in addition to loving rugby; who went to watch the Stormers and the Blue Bulls play at Orlando Stadium in Soweto (I mean, have you ever?!) and loved the “gees” there just a short while prior to the start of the World Cup; for walking the Fan Walk  (153 000 in Cape Town last Saturday alone) and calling for the Fan Walk to become a permanent feature, locals requesting Capetonians to walk it once a month; for the loyal support for Bafana Bafana, a team we scorned and mocked prior to the World Cup, but who did us proud; and made us proud Africans, supporting BaGhana BaGhana when this was the last African team left in the tournament.

Golden Liquid Award goes to the beer producers and all the staff at pubs and restaurants around the country who made sure that soccer fans remained liquid, either to celebrate or commiserate their teams’ performance!   Vaughn Johnson’s Wine Shop sold 10 000 beer cans in the 4 hours prior to the England versus Algeria match in Cape Town, he says.

Golden Balls-Up Award goes to ACSA Durban for damaging the image of the country when flights bringing German and Spain fans to Durban on Tuesday after the match had finished, due to a congestion of aeroplanes at the new King Shaka airport in the city, reportedly due to private jets clogging up the parking bays and refusing to move their planes, the FIFA one being one of them!  Not surprisingly FIFA and the LOC have distanced themselves from any responsibility for this mess-up.     

Golden Fans Award goes to all the wonderful soccer fans, both local and international, that became infected with the “gees” of the World Cup, who got to endure the vuvuzelas and even bought their own, for dressing up in wigs, painting their faces, and proudly wearing their country’s flags - I can see a whole new fashion trend in proudly-South African colours.   They brought their dollars, pounds and Euros, and bought beers, ate at restaurants (manly pizzas, burgers and steaks), stayed at good value guest houses and did some sightseeing locally.    They showed up FIFA’s MATCH by making their own accommodation bookings (at non-MATCH guest houses) and by buying their own match tickets, instead of falling for MATCH packages.

Golden Rip-Off Award goes to MATCH, the hospitality and ticketing agency of FIFA, which conned the accommodation industry for a second World Cup, promising good accommodation returns, forcing establishments to give 80 % of their rooms, promising not to cancel rooms as it did in Germany four years before, and for adding an unjustified 30 % commission to accommodation rates, giving South Africa an unfortunate image of “rip-off pricing” in the European and English media, thereby keeping soccer fans away from the country.   As if this was not bad enough, the unfortunate accommodation establishments that signed with MATCH received the majority of their rooms back, just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup.

Golden City Award goes to Cape Town, which to date has had the highest number of goals scored (22) of all stadiums, and has achieved the highest occupancy of stadium seats, said Cape Town Stadium Venue Manager Terral Cullen at a Volunteer Farewell Lunch earlier this week.  The Stadium was moved a few meters and a new one built, for the benefit of the view from it onto Table Mountain.   Ironically it was not the mountain that became the focus of the world media, but it was the Stadium itself that formed the backdrop for report after report about our beautiful city and the matches that were taking place.  Even the sport commentators would refer to the beauty of the city during their match commentary.   President Zuma claimed it as the best World Cup city, and FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke said the Cape Town Stadium had the best pitch and was the most perfect stadium, so much so that the Olympic Committee has requested Cape Town to bid for the 2020 Olympic Games.  What an accolade!   Sepp Blatter has taken IOC President Rogge around Cape Town, and personally has recommended the city.  We know that what President Blatter wants, he gets!

Golden Card Award goes to the World Cup referees who loved the red and yellow ones, waving them at players at great regularity, and influencing outcomes of matches as a result - Klose and Mueller’s red and yellow cards were examples for the German team.

Golden Flop Award goes to all soccer players who collapsed every time another player bumped into them - from a distance many of them looked like primadonnas, hoping for a free kick whenever they flopped onto the grass

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is likely to be the most successful ever organised by FIFA, says brand consultant Dr Nikolaus Ebert, CEO of Brandovation and a 2010 World Cup analyst.   In the 2010 Scorecard, which is an analysis of the World Cup preparations, South Africa had exceeded all expectations prior to kick-off, ahead of Germany’s scorecard in the same period four years ago, reports the Weekend Argus.

“South Africa shocked the world, and showed everybody that the country can host a successful tournament.  The World Cup is a catalyst for national reconciliation and locals have come together to prove all disbelievers wrong” said Eberl.   “We are pretty certain that South Africa will host the best World Cup ever held”, he added.

Celebrating the advent of the World Cup, as South Africa did at midday last Wednesday, was a world-first celebration prior to a World Cup.  The world witnessed an euphoric and loyal South African nation taking to the streets, blowing their vuvuzelas and hooting their cars.  “The celebrations on Wednesday were totally unprecedented.  Never before have the host country’s fans ever celebrated before kick-off.  We were shocked at what unfolded throughout the country”, said Eberl.

Referring to the 2006 World Cup, he noted that the German nation was “anxious, moody and were very unhappy with the national team’s performance”.   Only after the group stages did the German nation get behind their team.

“Fifa have now become to believe that the host team can get very far in the tournament.  They have witnessed the entire country backing Bafana Bafana and now they have extra faith in the team” added Eberl.  “Fifa have so much belief in Bafana (Bafana) because (coach) Carlos (Alberto Parreira) has led them to a 13-game unbeaten streak”.  

Eberl believes that the World Cup will unify South Africans “for the rest of their lives”. “Thirty one days of national euphoria are more than enough to change the behaviour of all South Africans.  Over the course of the World Cup South Africans will grow even closer and it will have lasting effects well after the World Cup”, said Eberl.

But Bafana Bafana trainer Parreira was unhappy about all the media and fan focus on his team, two days ahead of their first match, and disallowed them from participating in an open-bus parade. ”I have never seen something like this in my life” he is reported to have said.

According to Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan, the World Cup is the most lucrative tournament ever, reports the Sunday Times.   “Fifa decided to pay a bonus to its 208 members.  Previously there was talk that this World Cup could leave Fifa financially bankrupt, but the international broadcast rights alone have been a major source of income” he is reported to have said.   FIFA announced that it was paying R1,8 million to the S A Football Association, and that each of its 208 member associations would receive $250 000.   FIFA generated $1 billion in income last year, and holds the same amount in reserves.  Its income from television and marketing rights is $3,2 billion for this World Cup, a 30 % increase on that of 2006. 

Pravin Gordhan, the Minister of Finance, wrote euphorically in Business Report “Yes we can!  This is the best advertisement ever for South Africa” yesterday.  He praised the benefit the World Cup would have in future, and how South Africa exceeded the expectations of sceptics, who said the the country could not do it.  The R30 billion spent on infrastructure was a catalyst for development, he said.   Broadcast technology had also been improved, he said, as had 40 000 more police officers been trained.  “What is certain is that the World Cup will be the best possible advertisement for South Africa and the region, showcasing the endless variety and opportunities on offer”, he is quoted as saying.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio:  www.whalecottage.com

The boom projection of foreign attendance of the World Cup of 483 000 has been revised to a still-optimistic 373 000 by Grant Thornton, the tourism consultancy that created the original projection about 3 years ago, a drop of 23 %, reports SA Tourism Update.

The Grant Thornton estimate contradicts the FIFA estimates that the number of international soccer fans attending matches in South Africa has dropped by almost half, from 500 000 to 220000, reports The Times.

Based on the original optimistic international soccer fan attendance, the hospitality industry saw $-signs , and actively renovated their establishments, and put excessive price tags onto their properties.  Private home owners did quick renovations of their properties in the major cities, and planned to travel overseas during the World Cup period, spending their rental income, only to find the rental market being almost non-existent for the World Cup, given the over-supply of accommodation.

MATCH, the accommodation and ticketing agency for FIFA, also greedily added a 30 % surcharge onto the accommodation it contracted, and will have added similar commission rates to transport, flight and ticket prices, giving South Africa a dreadful label of “rip-off” pricing in the international media.  It is the fear of the excessive costs as well as the soccer fans’ fear of the perceived crime risk, that has kept soccer fans away in the main, report the international media.

Grant Thornton only revised its international attendance projections in the last month, when it became clear that MATCH could not sell all its contracted rooms, and gave them back to establishments, and that more than two-thirds of the tickets sold to date are to South Africans.  Even World Cup sponsors and football associations have not been able to sell all their tickets, and have returned them to MATCH.  

One wonders why it took Grant Thornton such a long time to revise the estimates, as its first estimate set the expectations for the hospitality industry.   The tourism consultancy now blames the credit crunch (which has been around for 2 years) and the distance of our country from the qualifying nations as the main reasons for the poor international bookings.  It also says that accredited Tour Operators also did poorly in selling packages.   Such Tour Operators had to pay $ 30 000 for a licence fee per country in which they were looking to sell packages, reports The Daily Maverick.

MATCH cancelled 1,3 million room nights out of the 1,9 million it had originally contracted, reports SA Tourism Update.    Many of the rooms released were in Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and in smaller local country towns (e.g. Plettenberg Bay, Hermanus).  The Protea Hotel Group has had 60 % of its rooms returned, in Cape Town, Durban and smaller towns, having originally been forced to allocate 80 % of their rooms to MATCH.  The Kruger National Park had 25 000 room nights returned.

Grant Thornton is trying to put a positive spin on the tourism benefit of the World Cup, by claiming that the average length of stay now is 18 days as opposed to 14 days as estimated originally, and that the average spend per trip would be R 30 200 as opposed to the originally estimated R 22 000.  On average, international soccer fans will watch 5 World Cup  matches, as opposed to the 3 previously estimated.

Attendance by African soccer fans has fallen to an estimate of 11 000, in what was meant to be an “African World Cup”, reports Business Report.    High ticket prices and lack of access to credit cards and the internet in other African countries has been blamed on the poor support from this continent.   It had originally been estimated that 48 000 African soccer fans would attend the World Cup, which still would not have been a satisfactory attendance level.

Grant Thornton in 2007 estimated the impact of the World Cup on the economy of R21,3 billion, with 159000 new jobs created.   International consultants Morgan Stanley published an estimate two months ago, of 350000 international fans attending and the local economy benefit being R15 billion.  The government has spent R33 billion on the tournament, for the building of stadiums and upgrading its infrastructure around the country to date, reports The Times. 

Grant Thornton now says that no new jobs appear to have been created due to the World Cup, but that it has prevented job losses, reports Business Report.   An estimated 2,5% – 3,5 % growth in the GDP of South Africa has been drastically reduced to 0,54 %.   Many fans have chosen to book via the internet, and are booking at B&B’s and guest houses, rather than hotels, and therefore are not booking via the “official MATCH-hosted channels”, says  Business Report.

FIFA President Sapp Blatter will be staying in the 5-star Michelangelo Towers during the World Cup, while the rest of his FIFA entourage of 200 will be accommodated at the Michelangelo Hotel next door, reports The Times.   Herr President’s requirements are a minibar stocked with South African wines, which is a good boost for the local wine industry, but the ice cubes in his fridge must be made from Evian water.  He will be protected by 5 bodyguards.   While sponsors’ products are meant to be used, which would mean that Blatter would have to drink Coca Cola’s Bonaqua, he is breaking protocol by drinking imported San Pellegrino mineral water.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The countdown to the last 100 days to the largest sports event ever to be hosted by South Africa starts today.   FIFA has given South Africa 8/10 for its readiness to host the World Cup, with only 100 days left for it to become 10/10, reports the Cape Argus.

A whirlwind visit by the FIFA and Local Organising Committee top executives and 120 local and international journalists of all ten the World Cup host cities has focused attention on the status of the preparations for the event.

1.  The Cape Town Stadium is completed, and two test events which have taken place in the stadium went off reasonably smoothly.  FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke heaped praise on Cape Town for its stadium yesterday, and he said that the city stadium pitch should be the benchmark for all stadiums.   Valcke also said that “Cape Town will be the perfect place to be during the World Cup.”   He lauded the Cape Town Stadium, and said that it would attract many thousands of soccer fans, even after the completion of the World Cup. 

   The pitch at Mombela Stadium in Nelspruit is currently a sandpit, but will be ready for the June start. 

2.  The roads in most host cities and highways leading to them, have been significantly improved, and should be completed by April.  The roads in Cape Town in particular will be transformed, with the N1 and the N2 both having more lanes, and previous traffic blockages such as Hospital Bend on the N2 will be something of the past soon.   Even in the city centre, the roads and pavements have been radically improved in Green Point, close to the Cape Town Stadium, making it a pleasure to drive past the Stadium to get to the Waterfront, and to walk in the area.

    The roads around the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg and the Mombela Stadium in Nelspruit are still in a poor condition.

3.   Bookings seem to have slowed down to a trickle as far as accommodation is concerned, and this is FIFA’s current largest challenge, in that international media are reporting negatively about the “rip-off” pricing in South Africa and the level of crime.   These two factors appear to be the major deterrents to soccer fans attending the matches.   Accommodation in a leading suburb like Camps Bay in Cape Town, a 10 minute drive from Cape Town Stadium, is about 50 % booked for the World Cup.   MATCH, FIFA’s accommodation agency, has been severely criticised for creating the image of “rip-off pricing”,  by adding 30 % commission to all its package components, including accommodation, tickets, flight tickets, and transport.

4.   FIFA’s is expanding the number of low cost tickets it is making available to South Africa, and denies lowering the price of its category 3 and 4 ticket prices offered to South Africans.   But tickets are not selling as they should, meaning that the estimate of 450000 international soccer fans attending the World Cup will not be achieved, meaning more locals will make up the viewership, but will not be using the hospitality facilities which have been pitched at international soccer fans.   More tickets could be made available at lower prices closer to the start of the World Cup.

5.   Excitement in South Africa about the World Cup remains low, and in fact appears to have reduced in interest since the Final Draw of 4 December.   This follows the news that the international soccer fans will not be attending as expected, and that top international trainers are expressing their resistamce and restentment to FIFA for choosing South Africa and maybe even Africa as the host country for the first time ever.

6.   What was meant to be an African World Cup, stressed to be such by FIFA President Sepp Blatter over and over again, appears to be a South African World Cup.  Due to a reduced demand of accommodation, MATCH is not using accommodation in neighbouring countries or in Mauritius, as previously threatened.  Worst of all is that ticket sales to soccer fans in African countries are extremely low (about 2 %), due to the difficulty in making bookings via the internet in African countries, and the low ownership of credit cards on this continent.

7.   What is missing is a campaign of support, to enthuse South Africans to be positive about the World Cup, and to be friendly and generous to soccer fans.  In Germany an advertising campaign was launched in the last few months prior to the start of the World Cup 2006, with the slogan :”Die Welt zu Gast bei Freunden” (The world at home with friends), to encourage the generally stiff Germans to reach out and welcome soccer fans from around the world.   The campaign was particularly successful in uniting East and West Germans at the time. Plans to teach locals foreign languages such as Spanish and French, and to guide them in regard to cultural differences,  have not been followed through.   Volunteers have been interviewed but not appointed.  Some of them will be appointed for their foreign language skills, and for their knowledge of their city.   But time is running thin, to train them as to how to deal with the calibre of such an event.

8.   What will give the marketing of the World Cup a much-needed boost will be the attendance of the World Cup by VIP’s : those that appear likely to attend include President Obama; Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder; top businessperson Lakshmi Mittal; Businessperson and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich;  Charlize Theron, who assisted with the Final Draw in December; Victoria Beckham, who is said to have rented an apartment in Camps Bay rather than join the England team in Rustenburg; rapper Akon and possibly Lady Gaga;  Franz Beckenbauer, previous German star soccer player and trainer, will spend the first five days of the World Cup on the MS Noordam outside Durban, reports The Times.

Cape Town celebrates the 100-day countdown with a demonstration of the Diski Dance at Cape Town Stadium, organised by Cape Town Tourism.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Ticket sales for the 2010 World Cup are not going as hoped, and increasingly international criticism is being expressed about the costs of attending this premier world sporting event, in respect of ticket prices, the costs of flying to and within South Africa, and the accommodation costs.

German soccer hero and ex-trainer, and FIFA Exco Member Franz Beckenbauer has spoken out about the high ticket prices for the 2010 World Cup, reports the Cape Argus.   Beckenbauer says that few soccer fans can afford the high ticket prices, he allegedly told SkyNews. Of the 21 000 tickets available to follow the German team in playing Australia, Serbia and Ghana in Group D, only 6 700 have been sold, he said.   Travel costs are also deemed to be very expensive.

The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk) in the United Kingdom reported this week with a headline ”World Cup scramble for Africa fizzles out”, and reflected that fewer German and Dutch tickets have been sold relative to supply.   However, England fans are expected to take up the full allocation of tickets.  To date, 22 479 tickets have been sold to English fans. The article states:”…predictions from the South African organising committee and tourist chiefs that between 40 000 and 50 000 England fans would descend on South Africa as part of a contingent of 450 000 tourists now look over-optimistic. 

Kevin Miles, from the England Football Supporters’ Federation, says it bluntly: “It’s a calculation about the World Cup experience you can get for your restricted funds and a combination of expensive flights, rip-off hotel rates, difficult internal transport, uncertainty about safety and the fact that it is winter.  They all combine to make it a much less attractive proposition”.   The base rate of a tour package from the UK is R 42 000, the Guardian article says.

The Sunday Times yesterday reported that a base package for an England fan flying to and from South Africa, 14 nights accommodation at a 3-star establishment, a ticket for a match each in Rustenburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and travel between soccer match venues will cost R 60 000 as sold by MATCH-accredited tour operators.   A Brazil fan will pay R 90 000 for a return flight, transfers locally, 12 nights’ accommodation and tickets for the first 3 Brazil matches, while a Mexico fan will pay R 105 000 for a 15-day trip, including the return flight, internal transfers, accommodation, and a ticket for the first three Mexico matches.  International soccer fans say that they will not come to South Africa for the World Cup to be ripped off!

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called on the FIFA Local Organising Committee to lower the price of tickets.   The Local Organising Committee has countered this request by stating that South Africans are eligible to buy special low-price Category 4 tickets, at R 140 each.   In 2006 the cheapest tickets in Germany were priced at about R 600 each.   FIFA set the dollar/Rand exchange rate at R 7, to avoid price fluctuations - the Rand is not trading far from this level at the moment.

The Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, and the FIFA Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan, have cautioned the industry against overpricing.  Yet they have not reprimanded MATCH for its excessive rates for accommodation, transport, and ticket prices, in taking a 30 % commission on top of the already high accommodation costs, as well as commission on all other parts of the packages.  The fact that FIFA CEO Sepp Blatter’s nephew is a shareholder in MATCH clearly compromises them!

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The world’s eyes will be on Cape Town tomorrow, when the FIFA Final Draw takes place at 19h30 in the Cape Town International Convention Centre.   More than 700 million TV viewers in more than 200 countries are expected to watch the Final Draw, which is hugely important as it determines which of the 32 teams play against each other, and where these matches will take place.

A huge upsurge in ticket sales is expected after tomorrow’s Final Draw, when soccer fans choose which matches they book tickets for and which teams they want to see play.  A new wave of ticket sales starts on Saturday, with low-priced tickets at R 140 still available to South Africans.

More than 5 000 media, FIFA officials, team coaches and VIP’s will attend the Final Draw at the Convention Centre.  Charlize Theron, Oscar actress and originally from South Africa, is one of the presenters, while David Beckham, Pele, Archbishop Tutu, Past President FW de Klerk, Franz Beckenbauer and President Zuma will also be present. 

The Executive Producer for the Final Draw, South African George Mazarakis, says that it would be the best FIFA Final Draw ever.    He said that “the event would showcase not only South Africa’s ability to deliver a successful World Cup, but that it would also celebrate Africa’s humanity, reports the Cape Argus.   “The final draw is more than just a TV show, it’s a celebration of football and Africa” he said.

A stage of 40 meters wide, and 8 meters tall, which took 5 000 hours to build, will be filmed by 18 cameras.   The set was almost predominantly made in Cape Town.  More than 3 000 locals are involved in the production.  Entertainers performing at the Final Draw are the Soweto Gospel Choir, Angelique Kidjo and Johnny Clegg. 

The weather forecast looks favourable for tomorrow, with lovely blue skies, ensuring good scenery shots for Cape Town.   This is Cape Town’s biggest international marketing event ever, only to be capped by the semi-final for the 2010 World Cup in July.

At the mountain end of Long Street a stage will be set up, on which local bands will perform, and large TV screens will broadcast the Final Draw.   More than 15 000 Fan Fest revellers are expected to enjoy the celebration, at which Freshlyground, Jimmy Dludlu, Coda and other musicians will play.

Access into and out of the city tomorrow is expected to be a nightmare, with numerous road closures near the Convention Centre, and around Long Street.   On Sunday evening 100 000 Capetonians came to see the switching on of the Christmas Lights, and this caused traffic anarchy in the city center.  No traffic police were visible on that evening, and pedestrians took over the street lanes, which clogged up all vehicle movement.

The FIFA VIP’s have been entertained this week, with a lunch yesterday on Signal Hill, with a spectacular view onto the new Cape Town Stadium, and a 5-jet formation flyover put on for them.   A dinner party was hosted by Premier Helen Zille in her official residence, and the FIFA executive committee is meeting on Robben Island today.   Journalists will be treated to a media gathering at Maiden’s Cove between Camps Bay and Clifton, and one hopes that the weather gods will switch off the southeaster on that day!

Disappointingly, very little FIFA World Cup branding is visible in the city - a huge banner is visible on the Westin Grand Hotel, at which FIFA President Sepp Blatter is staying with his entourage.  Eight Adidas footballs have been set up near the Caltex garage at the entrance to the Waterfront, and tiny VISA flags are visible in the Waterfront.   The lamp pole banners on Buitengracht Street are boring, and one can barely see the FIFA 2010 World Cup logo on them. 

Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions estimates that 480 000 foreign soccer fans will attend the 2010 World Cup, and will generate R 8,5 billion for South Africa, generating a benefit of R 11,5 billion for the country’s economy.    The consultancy expects 50 % of the tickets to be sold to locals, and the balance to international soccer fans.  About 18 000 journalists are expecetd  next year and 26 million soccer fans will view the World Cup on TV.   The largest number of international tickets have been sold to the USA (360 565), the UK (481 184), Germany (25 060) and Australia (17 848), reports the Cape Argus.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio www.whalecottage.com

Cape Town is in  a frenzy to beautify itself before the world’s media and the FIFA big brass come to Cape Town for the FIFA Final draw on 4 December, which will be held in the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Roadworks are hastily being completed on Buitengracht Street, near the Convention Centre, to make Cape Town look at its best for the very important event in the FIFA 2010 World Cup programme.

For the first time, the driving and advertising exclusion zone has been announced, simply by an ad in the Cape Argus, outlining the ‘Final Draw Controlled Access and Exclusion Zones’.

The block of streets between Ross Street, 2 streets parallel to Buitengracht Street in Green Point/De Waterkant and Parliament Street, and Buitensingel Street/N1/N2 entrances to Buitengracht Street, now has restrictions placed upon it until 12 December, in terms of the City of Cape Town’s 2010 By-law.   No advertising linked to the World Cup may appear in this zone in the period specified, without formal FIFA permission, and businesses may also not “change their normal business operation without approval from the City of Cape Town”, says the ad!   The ad warns that access into the zone on 4 December may be restricted.

On the day of the Final Draw, a public viewing area will be established at the top of Long Street, and restaurants in the area are stocking up on supplies for thirsty soccer fans, fearing lack of access for deliveries on the big day.   It is expected that 20 000 visitors will attend the Final Draw party in Long Street.   A section of Long Street will be cordoned off on 3 December already, reports the Cape Argus.

The FIFA Final Draw will randomly select which teams play against each other in which locations, influencing where the teams are based during the World Cup period, and is the precursor to accommodation bookings and other arrangements for the big soccer event.

At the Final Draw FIFA President Sepp Blatter is also expected to announce the location of the Fan Fest venues for 2010.

The 32 teams that have qualified for the 2010 World Cup are:   Portugal, France (a controversial match, for which a replay is being demanded by the Irish), Slovenia, Greece, Algeria, Uruguay, Japan, the Netherlands, North Korea, Australia, South Korea, the USA, Brazil, Ghana, England, Paraguay, Spain, Denmark, Ivory Coast, Chile, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Serbia, Argentina, Switzerland, Honduras, Slovakia, Nigeria, Cameroon, New Zealand and South Africa.

The Japanese team is setting up its base camp at Fancourt in George, while the German team is said to be considering Val de Vie, between Paarl and Franschhoek.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

The new Cape Town Stadium has been completed and handed over by the building contractors to the City of Cape Town, reports the Cape Argus.

The R 4,5 billion stadium has had all its seats installed, the grass pitch has been grown from seeds planted 2 weeks ago, the outer facade has been recleaned and painted after the storms over the past ten days dirtied some of the exterior, and the signage erected, all in time for the roofwetting party.

The stadium allows spectators a good view onto the pitch.   Spectators will not be more than 190 meters away from the soccer action.  Two special VIP boxes are contained in the stadium - one for FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and the other one is speculated to be for President Jacob Zuma.

The stadium construction commenced two years ago.  Three events will be held at the Cape Town Stadium in the first half of next year, to test it before the 2010 World Cup. 

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio www.whalecottage.com

USA President Barack Obama and FIFA President Sepp Blatter meet in the White House today, and Blatter will be extending his personal invitation for Obama to attend the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 

Obama’s acceptance of the invitation, to which he has hinted at already, will be a huge marketing boost for South Africa, and for the 2010 World Cup.

“I know there are people around the president who are football fans, and that they will make everything possible in his agenda that the president be at the opening of the World Cup or the final,” Blatter said to Associated Press.

Whale Cottage Portfolio www.whalecottage.com

The Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, has acknowledged the concerns the small accommodation sector has regarding the MATCH rates and the cancellation policy for the 2010 World Cup.   

Business Report reported as follows on 8 July:

“Onerous conditions imposed by Match, the Fifa agency tasked with securing 55000 rooms for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, remained a problem for small hotel operators, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said this week. 

The minister said that with more than a 100 000 graded rooms in SA, the country had more than enough accommodation for next year’s tournament, but many small operators were reluctant to sign over their stock to Match as they were unhappy with the contract conditions. 

“The industry has raised concerns about the price level offered by Match as well as its escape clause,” Van Schalkwyk said in an interview. 

“Many feel they can do better by holding on to their rooms. While we will continue to work with Fifa and Match to secure enough rooms, it is a free market, and we as government cannot interfere.” 

Addressing Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s concerns about the lack of available rooms in Bloemfontein, the minister said it was not a shortage of hotel rooms but rather a transport problem. 

“We realised that we could not approach private sector players to build hotels where there would be no demand beyond 2010. 

“So we had to come up with a way of transporting fans to the host cities, and the focus is on making sure we have the transport infrastructure in place for next year.”

The Whale Cottage Portfolio has expressed its concerns about MATCH and its unsuitable contract as far as Small Accommodation establishments go from the time that MATCH started doing industry presentations more than two years ago.

Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com