Two examples from South Africa of people getting ahead of themselves:
Some South Africans, including Local Organizing Committee chair Irvin Khoza, fear that South Africans are not catching World Cup fever. This strikes me as a pretty groundless concern. I was in South Africa during the Confederations Cup and saw plenty of spirit and came to the conclusion that the country is going to do just fine as World Cup hosts. But what does Khoza want from South Africans at this stage, some ten months before the tournament opens? The typical South African can be both excited about the prospects of 2010 and can go on with their lives in the interim. The country is dealing with a recession, food prices have reached record highs, people have other things going on (including the just-completed track and field world championships and the ongoing successes of Springbok rugby) and probably see no need publicly to wave the flag for the World Cup. When Khoza says “Every street, every corner, you must feel it. You must feel that the show is in town” he may be right, but surely that feeling is necessary during the actual events, and not ten months prior. And as Derek Carstens, the LOC marketing manager points out, resources are finite and timing matters, and he plans to begin the real rollout for the event in December. This is a non-story from all I can tell.
Meanwhile, members of the ANC have begun calling for Jacob Zuma to become a two-term president of both his party and the country. While this is to be expected, is it not a bit early to be talking about a second five-year term for Zuma, who has yet to complete his fourth month as the country’s president?
