The survey included 722 tourists, interviewed in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria and investigated perceptions of the various elements of the South African experience, including roads, accommodation, stadia, policing and safety, amongst others.

“Post World Cup press has been very positive about the success of the tournament and its implications for tourism and foreign investment. It is very pleasing to see our survey confirming this view” states Beatrice Kubheka, Managing Director of African Response. “African Response has been tracking the perceptions of readiness leading up to the 2010 World Cup since 2006 and witnessed doubt slowly becoming confidence the closer we got. But having 92% of visitors saying that they would recommend South Africa as a destination is more than we bargained for and is great news for our future.”

Those whose stay lasted between a week and two had a slightly higher tendency to recommend SA – at 94%. However, propensity to recommend SA to friends or family was as high as 92% amongst those tourists who were staying in the country for over a month.

Asked if they themselves would return, an overwhelming 96% of visitors said there is a possibility that they would and the remainder (4%) said that they would prefer to visit somewhere they have never been before.

Respondents were asked to rate a number of elements contributing to the overall experience they had in South Africa. Our  stadium were undoubtedly rated the highest with 87% of respondents rating their perception and experience at the stadiums as “excellent” or “very good.” Tourists interviewed in Joburg gave the highest rating at 91% – no doubt a result of the impressive Soccer City, while those interviewed in Durban and Cape Town gave the stadia 84% and 78% respectively.

Press release issued by research agency African Response.

In total Webb handed out 14 yellow cards and one red card.

According to the referee this was necessary to keep control over both teams. The 2010 world cup final between The Netherlands and Spain in Soccer City, Johannesburg, has been called one of the most aggressive matches of the entire tournament.

In an interview with the Telegraph newspaper, Webb explained his decisions as follows:

No, there have not been terror attacks. No, British football fans have not been subjected to a blood bath. No, there have not been sprees of hooliganism. No, there was no need for anti-stab vests. No, there have not been devastating earth quakes or Tsunamis. No, there have not been scores of bandits who pillaged, murdered and raped their way through city centres.

Yes, there have been incidents of crime – but honestly, that not was no different during previous world cups. Everywhere in the world, especially during large gatherings of people with lots of money, there are opportunists that take advantage of others.

The past few weeks in South Africa have been …. indescribable.  I get goose bumps only thinking about it. The sense of unity and humanity among South Africans has been mind-blowing. Watching Bafana at Cape Town’s Grand Parade kicking France’s butt was one of the highlights of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. How amazing was it to see South Africans from all walks of life, shades, colours, ages, and professions standing side by side and flying into each others arms when Bafana scored one goal after the other! How amazing was it to walk the Fan Walk together with so many different people who had one single objective: to celebrate the fact that South Africa  indeed proved to be incredibly capable of hosting an event like the world cup.

Of course the world cup will not put an full stop to serious problems like inequality, poverty, joblessness, homelessness, poor education and inadequate health. Neither will the world cup put an  end to the threat of xenophobic violence, which persists every day. But it can contribute to change in the long run.

The football world cup for starters has triggered a tsunami of positive publicity for this wonderful, beautiful and complex country that deserves all the chances it can get to make the wrongs of both the past and the present right. This is in sharp contrast with the previous months and years. For some reason quite a few especially Western media seemed to be seeking a reason to put South Africa down. It was as if they were waiting for this country to fall flat on its face. This did not happen. On the contrary.

This stream of positive news will contribute to a changed perception of South Africa, which could lead to more foreign investment. If this happens, this will lead to more jobs, more income for the government and thus more room to spend on social infrastructure such as schools, clinics and houses. This will be beneficial to many of the problems stated above. Poverty and joblessness are two key ingredients of most problems that South Africa faces.

Due to this wave of positive publicity, one can also expect a growth of tourism. While The Netherlands and Spain are preparing for their big showdown on July 11 2010, thousands and thousands of people around the world regret the fact that they did not come over to South Africa. I know so, because I get emails on a daily basis. The essence of those messages: “We were so stupid. Sorry we did not believe you. We now realise that South Africa has a lot to offer. We want to come down next year or the year after.”

Well, I told them so. And it feels good to rub that in. As someone who truly believes in South Africa’s potential, without ignoring its various problems and challenges, I applaud this change of perception. It was about time. Ke Nako.

My friends are certainly not the only ones. So with herds of ‘new tourists’ that will flock to this magnificent country, tourism (one of the most important contributors to the GDP) will certainly grow. This again means again more jobs, more revenue for the government, less people living in poverty. If you do not live in poverty, there is no reason to resort to criminal activities. If you do not live in poverty, your kids have a chance to go to school which means it is easier for them to get a job and to escape their situation.

All in all, who ever wins the 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa and South Africans are the true winners of this tournament. Well done South Africa. I raise my glass to you. I am proud. Proud at you. Proud at the people you harbour. Proud at the humanity and unity you have shown. Proud at the fact that you made people from abroad believe in you. Proud at the South Africans who have gained new faith in their country.

I am however, first and foremost, proud to be able to live here.

Spokesman Nicolas Maingot said this figure included only the number of people who had watched games at the various stadiums around the country and excluded football fans at the various FIFA Fan Fests and Public Viewing Areas.

The only other World Cups to have been attended by three million spectators were the tournament in 1994 in the United States and in 2006 in Germany.

Attendance at Fan Fests in South Africa and abroad reached five million on Tuesday night after the semi-final between the Netherlands and Uruguay.

Fifa said 49,134 people attended the Fan Fest in Cape Town on Tuesday night to watch the Dutch beat the South Americans 3-2. There were more than 62,000 people at the game at Cape Town Stadium.

So far, about 1.7 million people had used World Cup facilities in Cape Town to watch games in the tournament.

Source: Times Live

Despite the chill in the air, 49 000 people gathered at the FIFA Fan Fest to watch the match between The Netherlands and Uruguay and over 200 000 fotball fans flocked to the central city. According to the municipality, Cape Town’s very last Fan Walk attracted w whooping 149 000 fans who wanted to say: “I was heeeere!” This is close to Saturday’s record of 153 000.

As Netherlands beat Uruguay 3-2 and secured their place in the Football World Cup final at Soccer City on Sunday 11 July, fans partied through the night with no significant incidents reported.

Last night’s figures show that over 1.7 million fans have visited the Cape Town Stadium, FIFA Fan Fest™, four fan jols, and fan walk during the World Cup. Despite this high tally, no major incidents have been reported.

In total 507 332 spectators have watched the football games of the 2010 World Cup at the Cape Town stadium, 580 900 soccer fans have walked the cape Town fan walks, 477 000 people have converged on the FIFA Fan Fest at the Grand Parade, 135 878 have caught the MyCiTi shuttle service and 140 545 people have watched the games at the City’s four fan jols.

The electrifying match was not free of controversy, as the English were denied one goal by the Uruguayan linesman Mauricio Espinosa, who failed to see who a shot from Frank Lampard had rebounded down from the cross bar and had crossed the line.

In the meantime, Ghanaians are celebrating the victory of their team the Black Stars.  The sole African country that made it passed the world cup’s group phase managed to beat the USA with a smashing 2-1. Ghana will meet Uruguay in the quarter finals of the FIFA tournament next week Friday in Johannesburg’s Soccer City.

Man of the Match Andre Ayew, who scored Ghana’s second goal in extra time, was quoted by the press saying: “We did if for Africa. We knew we had the whole continent behind us and we did not want to disappoint.”

• Uruguay vs. South Korea — Saturday June 26 2010 (16:00 / GMT +2)

- Winner: Uruguay

• United States vs. Ghana — Saturday June 26 2010 (20:30)

- Winner: Ghana

• England vs. Germany – Sunday June 27 2010 / 16:00/ (Freestate Stadium in Bloemfontein)
• Mexico vs. Argentina – Sunday June 27 2010 / 20:30 (Soccer City in Johannesburg)
• Netherlands vs. Slovakia – Monday June 28 2010/ 16:00 (Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban)
• Chile vs. Brazil – Monday June 28 2010 / 20:30 (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
• Japan vs. Paraguay – Tuesday June 29 2010 / 16:00 (Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria)
• Portugal vs. Spain – Tuesday June 29 2010 / 20:30 (Cape Town Stadium)

Group A

• Uruguay
• Mexico

Group B

• Argentina
• South Korea

Group C

• United States
• England

Group D

• Germany
• Ghana
  

Group E

• Netherlands
• Japan

Group F

• Paraguay
• Slovakia

Group G

• Brazil
• Portugal
  

Group H

• Spain
• Chile

The last football match South Africa’s national team, led by coach Parreira,  played ended in a 3-0 for Uruguay. According to many football fans losing was not what was painful about this particular match: it was the red card goal keeper Khune received from referee Busacca. As a result, Khune is not allowed to play during tomorrow’s game.

With Bafana’s defeat against Uruguay and Mexico’s 2-0 victory against France,  South Africa’s chances of going through to the second round of the 2010 world cup are slim.

Nevertheless, South Africans are gearing behind their team, determined to push them over the victory line. On Facebook a plethora of groups have been established in Support of Bafana Bafana, such as ‘Support Bafana Bafana Day‘.

The authorities too, have pledged their support and have asked the public to do the same.

“We must continue supporting the national team, the African teams and indeed the World Cup tournament in general as hosts,” president Jacob Zuma was quoted yesterday by the media.

“It is in our culture that when there is a visitor that we treat him or her with respect and boot out only hooligans. Let’s make our visitors feel at home. They should see in us that when you lose, you do so with a smile.”

He added: “If we lose let’s not fight, but accept that we will win next time. This is not the last World Cup,” he said, adding that his countrymen should at all times be happy.

“I remembered my grandfather in the locker room,” Mexico’s Javier Hernandez was quoted by AP after the match.  Last night, he emulated his grandfather by a scoring a World Cup goal against France in 1954. “I haven’t spoken to my family yet, they’re my main motivation. Thank God I could score. More importantly, we could win against a team we hadn’t been able to beat in a long time.”

Cuauhtemoc Blanco scored as well, leaving Mexico victorious.

Mexico plays Uruguay next, which won against Bafana Bafana with 3-0. One of the goals during this game, probably the most controversial ones during the 2010 World Cup, was scored during a penalty after goal keeper Khune received a red card.

France so far has only one point, which means the team has to beat South Africa and gain a better goal difference. This also depends whether or not Mexico and Uruguay  tie their match in Tuesday’s final group games.

GROUP A (South Africa / Mexico / Uruguay / France):

• June 17 2010 @ 20:30: France vs Mexico – Polokwane

GROUP B (Argentina / Nigeria / Korea Republic / Greece)

• June 17 2010 @ 16:00 – Greece vs Nigeria – Mangaung / Bloemfontein
• June 17, 2010 @ 13:30: Argentina vs Korea Republic: Johannesburg (Soccer City)

GROUP C (England. USA / Algeria / Slovenia)

• June 18 2010 @ 16:00: Slovenia vs USA – Johannesburg (Ellis Park)
• June 18 2010 @ 20:30: England vs Algeria – Cape Town

GROUP D (Germany / Australia / Serbia  / Ghana)

• June 18 2010 @ 13:30: Germany vs Serbia – Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth
• June 19 2010 @ 16:00: Ghana vs Australia – Rustenburg

GROUP E (Netherlands / Denmark / Japan / Cameroon)

• June 19 2010 @ 16:00: Netherlands vs Japan – Durban
• June 19 2010 20:30: Cameroon vs Denmark – Pretoria

GROUP F (Italy / Paraguay / New Zealand / Slovakia)

• June 20 2010 @ 13:30: Slovakia vs Paraguay – Bloemfontein
• June 20 2010 @ 16:00: Italy vs New Zealand – Nelspruit

GROUP G: (Portugal / Cote d’Ivoire / Korea DPR / Brazil)

• June 20 2010 @ 20:30: Brazil vs Cote d’Ivoire – Johannesburg (Soccer City)