Let the games begin

One place I won’t be going in South Africa is a meeting of the protocol sections of the South African foreign ministry and the World Cup local organizing committee. Given where one could be and what one could be doing instead this might not seem much of a loss, but the conversations would be intriguing.

Take the subject of seating arrangements at the opening game of the tournament, between South Africa and Mexico, on June 11th. The flagship stadium Soccer City in Johannesburg might have a capacity of 90,000 but it has just 120 spaces for the global political A-list, known as VVIPs, and 600 for common-or-garden VIPs, half of which are reserved for the FIFA elite. Competition for the remaining seats is fierce. South Africa will have three heads of state present (Zuma, Mbeki and Mandela) and Zuma will have all three of his wives too. Zuma’s largesse has been extended to all 52 other African heads of state, at first inviting those who showed up for his own presidential inauguration and then asking the rest for good measure. Winnie Mandela has six spaces but wants more. US vice president Joe Biden is said to be bringing an entourage of 300, and that’s before we start thinking about South Africa’s own political and economic elites, heads of state from the rest of the world and representatives of international institutions.

Space issues aside, and there is talk of erecting additional temporary stands, there will be some complex legal and practical choreographies to sort out. Keep an eye out for where Mugabe, if he comes, is sitting on this occasion. If Sudan’s head of state, President Al-Bashir comes, look out to see if the arrest warrant issued by the international criminal court is acted upon. Take note too of how close to the centre of power FIFA president Joseph Blatter, and his predecessor Joao Havelange, are seated—and who is sitting next to who.



While the elites fight it out for the nice leather chairs and the free buffets, others in South Africa are fighting for a little of what is left. Regulars at the sports department of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), including local commentators, presenters and analysts, are up in arms after finding themselves sidelined by a huge influx of foreign stars, many of whom are being paid at up to ten times the local rate. Some South African musicians, angered by the largely foreign lineup of the opening concert planned for June 10th, have called for people to ignore it. Issues remain around the taxi industry, who stand to lose business from new bus routes, and street traders continue to challenge their exclusion from any urban spaces.

The kvetching and complaining, the hype and the politics, at home and around the world, is going down to the wire—a stance I am as guilty of as any. I can’t promise that on this trip through the World Cup I won’t continue; a journey through the unreality zones of dressed-up city centres, media bubbles and commercial excess would not be complete without a healthy dose of cynicism. But as I finally pack my bags and try and believe the FIFA call centre that my tickets really will come out of the machine at the other end, I fell my skin shedding. Let the protest continue, let us take a look behind the set dressings, but let the games begin too. My head is light, and my feet are itchy to walk to the stadiums and join the throng.

It’s time to play.