It's safe to say that South Africa will be a very different country when the 2010 World Cup kicks-off in exactly two years' time, writes SASoccer365's Craig Urquhart.

The signs are there for everyone to see: bulldozers and tunnel-boring machines tearing into the earth and cranes towering over stadiums and other 2010-related construction projects in all nine host cities.

The Airports Company of SA this week announced that the three major airports which are undergoing major renovations will be ready by 2010.

Furthermore, hundreds of millions of dollars have already been pumped into World Cup-related development programmes around the continent and our national football team is showing real signs of promise for the first time in years.

But let's not gloss over our problems: the crippling crime problem, the national power shortages and, the recent wave of xenophobia.

The refugee camps which are housing thousands of displaced refugees are symbolic of the challenges that lie ahead. South Africans need to embrace themselves (and their neighbours) if this mega-event has any chance of changing our mindset.

It happened in Germany after an entire country, from east to west, united for a common goal. The 2010 World Cup is Africa's best chance of demonstrating its extraordinary unity and diversity.

Let's not blow this golden opportunity.

  • Email Craig at sports@metropolis.co.za with all your comments.

  • 'Inside 2010' will appear weekly on iafrica.com, so log on next week for more inside info ahead of SA's biggest tournament to date.

  • Urquhart is a former FIFA World Cup Media Officer and the current editor of Project2010.
    Print this page
    Send this article to a friend
    RSS
       Digg
    de.li.cious
    facebook