Share

Danny expects 'biggest' draw

Johannesburg - World Cup organizing head Danny Jordaan expects Friday's World Cup draw, which will take place in Cape Town, to be the the biggest one yet.

With over a 1000 journalists at the event which is going to be broadcast to over 200 countries across the globe, Jordaan is confident that Cape Town will put on a show that will dazzle the world.

"We've clearly said that this will be the biggest draw in terms of numbers in terms of worldwide audience, with 200 countries worldwide that are going to take the feed from this hall almost a 1000 journalists and the technical staff involved for the broadcast, so it is going to be a big draw show," he said.

"It is going to be a great show, already people have been commenting about the stadium and the city."

The LOC CEO said he was excited by the prospect of having some of the most powerful footballing nations under one roof.

"Secondly we have some of the most powerful nations in football that will sit in that hall, of course special interest in the group of Bafana Bafana and we are looking forward to a great and wonderful show and that will kick-off the World Cup in South Africa," he added.

Jordaan feels that the interest in the tournament will increase significantly once the groups for the showpiece are decided.

"We will have the groups, we'll have the fixtures and we'll know the teams that will come to Cape Town to play the Group 1 matches and then the Capetonians can look specifically to the team that will be playing in Greenpoint and buy the tickets accordingly for the fixtures that will now be known.

"I think that will raise the level of interest, excitement and awareness in the country very close to the kind of environment and the atmosphere and excitement that we need for kick-off on the 11th of June next year."

The former chief executive of SAFA anticipates that superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will arouse interest like never before.

"You are going to have all your players here, you will have Ronaldo here. Carlos Quieroz was here the other day, the former Bafana coach and he was very happy to be back, very happy to bring Ronaldo and his team believing that they have got a good chance," he said.

"On Monday Carlos Parreira was here, he is punting Brazil to win the World Cup. He said he has got work to do with Bafana Bafana. Bafana Bafana will certainly be there in the next round and later rounds, everybody is promising.

"The English of course believe that England will be in the final. There are a number of high quality teams, you can never bet against Italy, the Germans are always a good bet for the World Cup and then Maradona has promised us a lot with his Argentinian team, they have one of the most talented players in world football in Lionel Messi, so now we are dealing with the issues of the passion the emotion and the excitement of the World Cup."

Jordaan went on to praise the facilities that are at the disposal of the world media ensuring that the draw would be reported on around the globe.

"People will sit in front of the television and they will see a spectacular show, they will see the ability already, I have listened to the journalists working inside the draw hall, the working environment and the working tools that they have at their disposal has never been there in any previous final draw show.

"The fact that they are sitting in the hall and are able to watch the show and write their reports is a unique and special dimension of this draw because already you have seen Table Mountain, the stadiums the hotels, the winelands, I won't advertise too much for Cape Town, we want the fans to go to other cities, but Cape Town clearly will be one of the favourites for many of the fans that will be coming here," he concluded. 
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2250 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE