The success of the tournament will obviously also give South Africa and the rest of the continent an image makeover. This is what will obviously be key to sustainable social and economic upliftment in the longer term for the continent.
There will also be unexpected financial benefits for our soccer, I believe. Up until now, South Africa has been inviting the great teams of the world, both clubs and national teams, to play in tournaments such as The Nelson Mandela Challenge and Vodacom Challenge. However after the world cup these dynamics will shift somewhat. When the whole world sees our fabulous infrastructure, awesome sunny weather and stunning sports stadia it will be them calling us, not us calling them in the future.
Source:
The 2010 Fifa World Cup could trigger a sport tourism boom
Soccerwires
April 9, 2001
