More FIFA Security Concerns: Protests in South Africa

(Disclaimer: I did most of this post on a phone.  Hopefully that's not too apparent in the writing.  If so, my apologies.  I just wanted to get a post up a little earlier than I did yesterday.)

Another international soccer tournament in Africa, another security concern.  Last fall, FIFA had to deal with threats from the separatist group MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) for the U-17 World Cup in Nigeria.  Fortunately, that tournament went off without a hitch.  Then in January, the Angolan FA and CAF had their tournament overshadowed by tragedy when FLEC (Front for the Liberation of the Exclave of Cabinda) rebels opened fire on the Togolese team bus.  Now, FIFA officials have to confront the possibility that violent protests in South Africa will have a serious impact on the World Cup.

Though apartheid has been gone for 16 years now, its effects are still being felt, with recent riots over inadequate housing serving as evidence of just that.  The squalid conditions in the slums surrounding the major cities of South Africa have led to countless protests and violent uprisings throughout the decade, and World Cup preparations over the past couple of years have only exacerbated the displeasure of those living without basic utilities or safe, sturdy homes.  The billions of rands that have been spent on stadiums, tourism amenities, and infrastructure improvements have hardly trickled down to the millions living in poverty in South Africa, and it's that soccer-focused spending that has so many upset with the government.  It's to the point that protesters are threatening to cause problems in June to disrupt World Cup proceedings.

As if the high crime rate wasn't deterring enough for foreign fans, these new issues could hamper ticket sales even further.  And to go along with the tepid international response, there isn't exactly a universal excitement about the tournament within South Africa's borders.  In the video below, Bob Ley talks with some South Africans in the aforementioned slums who express a distinct disconnect with the World Cup that is about to played in their country.  Hardly the national pride and unity that all those involved in bringing the bid to South Africa had hoped for.



(Just an aside: I'm glad that Bob Ley has been one of the key figures in ESPN's coverage of international soccer of late. He's knowledgeable and adds credibility in the eyes of the average sports fan, hopefully making them more receptive to tons of soccer talk come June.)

All of these issues don't really come as much of a surprise; Sepp and company knew what they were getting into when they decided to bring the World Cup to a developing nation for the first time since Mexico 1986. It's a little late to start second guessing the host selection, but FIFA could give themselves some PR insurance if they go beyond spending millions on security and engage in some serious philanthropic and community development endeavors (which I'm sure they're already doing to some extent). Nevertheless, any good press will be wiped away with one serious incident in June.  All of these red flags make me seriously question the ticket distribution and pricing once again; if you really want to convince foreign customers to make the trek to South Africa in spite of all these security concerns, you have to be a little bit smarter with how you price the tickets.  Otherwise, you're stuck in a situation like this one where prices are being slashed in what essentially amounts to a desperation move to fill all of the stadiums.

The issue in South Africa lies between the government and the governed, something that isn't FIFA's fault but something they probably should have considered more way back when this bid was still being voted on. With these problems in South Africa, I'm sure questions and concerns will start to swirl with regards to Brazil 2014. While some of the issues are the same, there appears to be (at least to this outside observer) a better rapport between Brazilians and their government thanks to ambitious efforts to lower poverty rates and support low income families.  It'd be wishful thinking, however, to believe that when new roads and hotels and stadiums start sprouting up in the South America's biggest nation that the folks in the favelas won't feel the least bit displeased with the government that's funding that expansion.  There's also the potential media firestorm that could come if slum tenants are forcibly relocated because of construction.

Who knows, maybe Brazil is just soccer-mad enough to overlook what their South African counterparts are so riled up about.  At this point, the hosts are chosen and all we can do is sit back and hope that all of these angry shouts remain just that: shouts, not violent actions.  January's Africa Cup of Nations will be remembered by many for the tragedy off the field, not the actual games, and it'd be a shame if the world's biggest sporting event suffered a similar fate.  There aren't separatist rebels, but there are angry citizens disgusted with their government, and I'm sure they realize that the World Cup provides them with a grand stage to tell their story to the world, lobby for support, and pressure their elected officials.

The Confederations Cup went smoothly, so let's hope that the World Cup can do the same.  At the same time, though, (and at the risk of sounding a little political) let's hope that those not seeing any of the improvements that have come with hosting the tournament get a little help along the way.  I'm really hoping that those two outcomes can coexist.