FIFA WORLD CUP 2010

The FIFA WORLD CUP is a competition which has been organised every year since its creation in 1930(except 1942 and 1946 because of World War II). It is one of the most important sporting events in the world. This is because the entire world is allowed to participate whether in the knock out stages or in the main competition. There are 32 teams, all from the different continents which are contesting for that famous trophy. This year’s world cup competition was decided to be organised by South Africa. However, one the most important barriers there is the crime rate. The level of crimes in South Africa has been rising rapidly. In 2008, statistics showed that the number of murders was 14180 and this figure increased to 18148 in 2009. This is no doubt one of the main reasons why tourists are not willing to attend the world cup. According to experts, of the 450000 people expected to come for the world cup, only 300000 will be coming. There are three solutions that can be brought up to try reducing the level of crimes in that country.

The three solutions could be:

1. Following simple rules

One of the most important threats to tourists is certainly muggings and robbery. If serious care is not taken, one could easily fall victim from these crimes. However, this can be minimised by following a simple rule. When the plane of the tourists is landing, the members of the authority could perhaps instruct the latter “not to wear expensive items on the roads”. Therefore the robbers will not be tempted to steal or attack the tourists to get what they want.


2. Not going out too late at night

This would be probably the most important advice to tourists. It is usually at night that the criminals act the most. Conversely, tourists can go out at night but only if they are in groups (perhaps 4-7 people).


3. Deploying a larger police force

This actually is what has been done. 55000 additional police have been hired. However, this is still not enough to remove the fear of becoming a victim for both tourists and residents. For e.g. in the famously poor area of Soweto and Soccer city, where there is one of the most beautiful stadiums in South Africa, the presence of the police force is not felt. To remedy to this situation, the government could perhaps deploy more police forces in the regions where the crime rate is high.

To conclude, I would say that if these three advices are followed, the level of crimes should decrease during the World Cup. However, this is only a short-term action plan that would help control the crime rate. After the World Cup, the government of South Africa should perhaps try implementing more measures against crime to decrease the latter in the long-run. Thus as a result, more and more tourists would come to that country which would boost even more its economy.