Sports Minister unapologetic for lashing out at South Africa's
detractors on 2010 World Cup
Logo for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.
(FIFA.com)
THE NATIONAL Minister of Sport, Makhenkesi Stofile, yesterday
said he remains unapologetic about branding people who doubted South Africa's
capability of hosting the 2010 soccer World Cup as 'racist' and 'Afro-pessimistic.'
Stofile said he will not alter his views until 'those pessimistic racists
change their mentality' and accept that Africans can organise and host
a world class tournament.
'I don't care who can criticise me, but some people still think blacks
are incapable and can't deliver,' he said.
Stofile said the scorecard shows that South Africa was ahead of its preparations
for the tournament despite the fact that Fifa president Sepp Blatter reportedly
told reporters about his own reservations.
He said Fifa had set December 31 as the deadline for stadium tenders to
be finalised and three out of the five stadium tenders have been finalised.
The remaining two will be finalised by this Friday, according to Stofile.
He said people fail to understand that Germany finished some of its stadiums
the same year it was hosting the event.
'The Munich Stadium (in Germany) was only finished in April 2006, two
months before the World Cup. Nothing was ever said about that. But Africans
have to finish their stadiums two years in advance and people rush to
write us off four years in advance,' he said.
Stofile's comments a fortnight ago gave birth to a steaming debate, with
the Daily Dispatch being inundated by calls and letters from readers lambasting
the national minister for playing the 'race-card.
Stofile said: 'I have noted that there has been a lot of debate about
what I said, but I stand by it. Of course they (pessimists) are racists.
Of course they don't believe we can host this tournament. Of course they
believe Africans are lazy and incompetent.
'Believe me, all the criticism is racist and those blacks who join the
chorus are being driven by the slavery ideas of Afro-pessimism. Trust
me, I'm convinced that is the case,' he said.
He also moved swiftly to dispute any rift within the 2010 World Cup Local
Organising Committee (LOC).
A weekend newspaper last week reported that a brawl had erupted between
LOC CEO Danny Jordaan and LOC chairman Irvin Khoza over a World Cup travel
tender which was handed to a company which, according to the newspaper,
was not favoured by Khoza.
Jordaan emphatically denied that. Stofile equally denied any knowledge
of the rift.
'People will always have disagreements and Danny and Irvin are no different.
They can disagree about petty issues but I'm not aware of any fight between
them. I was with them in a board meeting last Friday and everything was
fine,' he said.
Vocal former Safa director of development Zola Dunywa had urged Stofile
to intervene and mediate between the two but Stofile yesterday insisted
there is nothing to mediate because 'there is no rift'.
Stofile blamed the South African media for most of the country's negative
reports.
'I don't want to say much on this issue. But who owns the media houses,
who makes these statements. Answer that question and then decide.'
