World Cup News

More interesting snippets from South Africa's newspapers:

Ticket sales slow: There are only five days left to submit applications for Soccer World Cup tickets in this current phase 3 and locals are being encouraged to make applications before the end of this week. South Africans have submitted more than half of the 800 000 applications so far. Only a million of the 3.1 million tickets have been allocated so far. The German, English and Dutch federations have not yet sold their full allocations. South Africans have a culture of waiting....and buying late, but officials are still worried about sales, particularly the low sales of tickets for matches involving African teams and South Africa's Bafana Bafana (which means "our boys" in Zulu).

Stab vests: A British company, Protektorvest, is cashing in on safety fears around the world cup, marketing stab-proof vests to soccer fans heading to South Africa. The SA national police commissioner is quoted as saying that "South Africa has hosted numerous big sporting events...and there were no incidents...So people must be careful not to be mislead by companies using scare strategies." It seems a bit extreme to us South Africans who live, work, shop and go to school here every day (without stab vests!), but visitors coming to SA for the World Cup will need to do whatever makes them feel more comfortable.

Maradona: The Argentinian soccer coach and legend is coming to South Africa tomorrow for a five-day tour. He has just completed a two-month ban, imposed by Fifa for an outburst against some journalists for underestimating Argentina's ability to qualify for the World Cup.

Beware of crocodiles!: It is reported that a young South African couple from the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal are in jail charged with the gruesome murder of a relative whom they allegedly first buried in a shallow grave and then dug up and fed to crocodiles in a river near Richards Bay. Crocodiles, hippos and (strangely enough) sharks are common in the rivers which flow into the Indian Ocean along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline north of Durban, so be careful if you fancy a swim, especially at night. Africa is not for sissies!