The 2010 Fifa World Cup: Perceptions Of Its Sport And Development Legacy Potential

ABSTRACT

Sport mega-events are a contemporary phenomenon which embody and unify global

processes in an increasingly globalised world. Whilst the sport industry has grown

exponentially as a result of global market forces envisaging extensive economic

opportunities, hosting a mega-event has also been economically attractive for cities

and countries. In aiming to be globally competitive and world-class, mega-events

derive from an economic-growth centred model of urban development, whereby

benefits will “trickle-down” to the poor and marginalised (Pillay and Bass, 2008).

The 2010 FIFA World Cup typifies such an event as it encompasses historical, geopolitical,

economic and socio-cultural processes that have intensified and been

intensified by, globalisation. South Africa’s bid for the 2010 FIFA World Cup however, has differed from other mega-event bids. Official World Cup discourses boast that the World Cup will

produce lasting socio-economic impacts to South Africa and indeed the rest of Africa.

FIFA and the South African government have labelled the 2010 World Cup an

“African World Cup” with promises of stimulating pan-African economic and sociocultural

opportunities. There is significant emphasis on providing social benefits to

underprivileged populations. One of the anticipated social legacies is the

development of sport structures and increased participation of sport in disadvantaged

areas where barriers to sport are most entrenched.

The aim of the research project was to determine whether a sport and development

legacy is in fact materialising in both South Africa and Zambia as a result of South

Africa hosting the World Cup. I employed a qualitative research design and

conducted 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews with representatives from a wide

variety of sport and development related organisations in Cape Town and Lusaka. I

regarded this cross-section of people as best positioned to provide evidence of a

legacy. Findings demonstrate that the official World Cup discourses generated by FIFA and

the South African government pledging benefits continent-wide, have infiltrated

everyday discourse of people in townships in Lusaka and Cape Town. There is

however a discrepancy between this rhetoric and the reality. Respondents from smallscale,

community-based sports structures rarely perceive themselves or their

organisations to benefit from World Cup opportunities due to a lack of access to

information and resources. Despite limited tangible gains or involvement, a sense of

pride in South Africa, and indeed Africa, is evident. This alone is contributing to the

support of the World Cup rather than visible positive changes in disadvantaged

communities. In contrast to these organisations, representatives from larger, wealthier

sport for development NGOs record increased funding and activities. This research

has therefore exposed a dual system of sports delivery present in South Africa and

Zambia. Whilst sport for development NGOs thrive, community sports structures

struggle to the point of being near dysfunctional or even non-existent. Given the

problematic history of donor-driven, Northern-based development programmes, we

must be wary of perpetuating the marginalisation of local voices.

This thesis suggests that pitfalls of globalisation at large are reproduced in globalised

sport. It substantiates existing literature that doubts the potential of the World Cup to generate development among poorer populations.