World Cup Fan Fest could have Sunderland jumping
England’s unexpectedly poor 0-0 draw with Algeria is still naturally all everyone talks about. Our hotel concierge tells us not to despair as when Italy won the tournament in 2006 they drew their three opening games – this at least gives us hope and is another example of the warmth, friendliness and caring nature of our South African hosts.
We spend our morning attending a presentation from Cape Town’s 2010 organising committee. They share with us their experiences right from being awarded the 2010 World Cup, planning the necessary city improvements and building work, through to running the event itself for the duration of the tournament.
Over 450,000 people have travelled to Cape Town for the World Cup, with England fans in particular using the stunning coastal location as their base for the tournament.
The Cape Town officials are hugely impressive and it’s rather overwhelming to hear the sheer amount of work that has to be undertaken as a Host City. Of course, added to the improvements to the city infrastructure, Cape Town had to contend with constructing a brand new stadium, something we in Sunderland are fortunate not to have to do. The Stadium of Light, a modern stadium with a 49,000 capacity, already meets FIFA’s criteria .
After arriving back in Johannesburg we attend the Stanton Fan Fest site, where Australia v Ghana is being shown live in a giant screen. The Fan Fests are a unique concept to the FIFA World Cup and offer an opportunity for thousands of fans to watch games in an open air environment. There are bars, food, entertainment, camping facilities and a real carnival atmosphere – for the recent South Africa v Uruguay match almost 20,000 fans packed this park to cheer on the home nation. Sunderland’s 2018 bid has identified two major Fan Fest sites – Herrington Country Park and Fulwell Quarry.
Herrington offers a capacity of over 50,000 and would provide a perfect base for football fans travelling from all over the world. Plans for the site include live music, camping, giant screens and a variety of entertainment.
After another series of meetings with members of the South African bid team we headed off to what was to be the highlight of our visit – the magnificent Soccer City, venue for the opening game of the tournament and of course the final.
World Cup legends Brazil took on Ivory Coast and the stadium was a sea of colour. Built on an existing stadium site but extensively modernised and refurbished the ground is a stunning backdrop for this hotly-anticipated clash. We sat alongside a group who had travelled from the Ivory Coast and so for the next 90 minutes we became honorary members of their small but vocal band. A game full of incident saw Brazil score three goals; fortunately though we did get to celebrate one at the other end with our new friends.
That’s the joy of the FIFA World Cup, no matter where you are from, everyone is your friend.
