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After years of
doubt, soul searching and criticism, South Africa stands on the
threshold of a unique World Cup that looks likely to confound the
pessimists.

This country has
had to endure acres of negative foreign news reports and plenty of self
doubt in the six years since it won the right to host Africa’s first
World Cup.

With less than a
month to kick-off, most of those reports are discredited and although
there are still plenty of areas of concern to test the nerves of
organisers, ranging from violent crime to transport, the omens look
good.

For years media reported that FIFA had a “Plan B” to move the tournament if South Africa failed to be ready in time.

Instead, Africa’s biggest economy has done better than many nations preparing for either the World Cup or Olympics.

The 10 stadiums
were ready early and six of them – five built from scratch and one
extensively expanded and rebuilt — are magnificent arenas standing
comparison with any in the world.

From Johannesburg’s
90,000-capacity Soccer City, Africa’s biggest stadium, to Durban’s
arch-spanned arena and Cape Town’s bath-shaped bowl — both fronting
the ocean — the soccer fields are more than sports venues.

The grandiose projects affirm the confidence and ability of an often troubled country 16 years after the end of apartheid.

This event, more
than in almost any other country, has huge symbolic importance for a
nation torn by racial conflict for centuries which hopes the World Cup
will unite still wary blacks and whites in patriotic fervour.

Hosting the world’s
most-watched sporting event also has the potential to give an enormous
boost to South Africa’s image and its ability to attract investment and
millions of extra tourists to a country blessed with myriad attractions.

“New course” Danny
Jordaan, boss of the local organising committee, says that after years
of dire predictions that Africa would fail, the world will be
“spellbound” on June 11.

The tournament
would be a defining moment comparable to the end of apartheid. It would
mark “the pinnacle of the strides we have made over the last 16 years
and will chart a new course in our country’s history,” he told Reuters.

President Jacob
Zuma said the World Cup “is the single greatest opportunity we have
ever had to showcase our diversity and potential to the world. We must
rise and tell the story of a continent which is alive with
possibilities.” None of this means success is a foregone conclusion,
and a big failure under the international spotlight could do deep
damage to future tourism and investment.

One of the biggest
worries has been South Africa’s notorious crime — it has 50 murders a
day — which has undoubtedly deterred some European fans, although the
cost of this long-haul tournament during a world recession has probably
put off more.

Estimates of foreign visitor numbers have recently dropped from 450,000 to 370,000 or fewer.

The murder of white
supremacist Eugene Terre’blanche by two black farm workers fuelled more
alarmist reporting topped by the British tabloid Daily Star’s bizarre
assertion that machete-wielding gangs were roaming the streets.

Officials from Zuma
and Jordaan down have recited a well-rehearsed mantra that South Africa
has a long history of successfully hosting almost 150 international
events and will create a cocoon for the fans with a $174-million
security plan including 41,000 specially deployed police.

Most experts
believe this is likely to work, unless fans stray from well-guarded
areas into some of the frighteningly dangerous quarters of
Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria. They also believe terrorism is
unlikely, although it cannot entirely be discounted.

Foreign numbers

The drop in likely
foreign visitors has deflated a long-running cause of concern — lack
of accommodation capacity — but there are still worries that fans will
not find enough transport to get between matches, particularly by road.

If the tournament
is likely to be a big boost for South Africa, it is unlikely to do the
same favour for FIFA’s image in this country, damaged by what are seen
as heavy-handed actions to enforce strict rights protection for its
commercial partners and mistakes on ticketing.

FIFA has
acknowledged its error in long ignoring advice that the internet sales
system for tickets was unsuitable for Africa, where many fans do not
have access to computers.

Over-the-counter
sales were belatedly introduced a month ago, causing both a rush for
seats and the long-hoped-for jump in excitement among fans. Some
200,000 of the 2.7 million tickets remained unsold at the last count
and there are likely to be far fewer fans from other parts of Africa
than once hoped.

Perhaps the biggest
question over the World Cup will have to be answered after the final on
July 11 — was it worth spending more than $5 billion to stage it in a
country which still has an army of poor and some of the biggest wealth
disparities in the world?

Many domestic
critics say no, including township dwellers involved in a series of
violent protests recently against the delay in spreading the benefits
of black rule more widely.

However, World Cup
supporters say the tournament will not only boost foreign investment
but leave a lasting legacy of roads and major infrastructure, while
Jordaan passionately argues that Africa must not be deprived of its
favourite sport.

“Football is a
giver of hope and life and we must never argue that we must deny
Africans the fundamental pleasure and joy that football
generates…football is the one expression where Africans can compete
equally with anyone in the world.”