South Africa has given Zambia the mandate to host four countries that will qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
Director-general of Zambia’s Local Organising Committee of the 2011 All-Africa Games (Coja), David Diangamo told the Parliamentary Committee on Sport, Youth and Child Affairs in Lusaka yesterday that South Africa believes that the giving of four slots to Zambia was the best way of helping the country benefit from the tournament.
He said the four countries would be staying in Zambia and would be flying to South Africa to play their respective games and return afterwards.
Diangamo said South Africa had also offered to purchase big televisions to be put at Lusaka’s Independence Stadium and other stadiums to enable fans that would not afford to travel to South Africa, enjoy the matches on television.
“I am happy to report to this house that South Africa has given four slots to Zambia to host countries that will qualify for the 2010 World Cup,” said Diangamo, who was in South Africa, attending the Supreme Sports Council for Sport in Africa meeting.
Diangamo said the onus was now on Zambia to speed up the rehabilitation of Independence Stadium and other stadiums.
He said Coja would do everything possible in ensuring that sports infrastructure were built and rehabilitated for not only the 2011 All-Africa Games but for the 2010 World Cup.
where will they sleep and train in between matches ??? i suppose Diangamo has this aspect of such a mammoth task covered too !!!
Well done, there is always something to aim for, Now there is something concrete. I know we can put on a good show and welcome these countries to Africa.
Good to hear that Zambia has been offered to holst teams that will be participating in 2010 world cup.I pray that Zambia rise up to the challenge and offer up to standard hospitality.
This will build the country´s profile.Let us talk less but work because 2010 is just around the corner.Please do something about our international airport.It really below standard.Please do something about our airport.
First impression is important.From 1964, nothing has changed at the airport.It is shameful and we expect tourists to come to our Country.
#3 good points there. we need to work on Lsk Intl Airport. Also, plans must be made to have L/stone airport upgraded.
Good news and lets hope this WC 2010 thingy will go to full fruition.
One thing that concerns me, is these countries have to fly to SA for games and then back, will they not be disgruntled whilst there opposition might simply have to take a bus.
It would be better if Zambia could organise a warm-up mini tournament. We would benefit much more in my opinion from the media coverage.
This is positive news and makes me so proud to be Zambian.Hopefully,a big team will be among the four that will camp in Zambia.This will bring alot of media attention which in turn will boost tourism.
It`s now up to govt to speed up the construction and rehabilitation of stadia and other facilities so that we might have a positive spotlight as hosts.
Alot of business opportunies will open up and the wise will take advatage.
Ubufiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Can Diangamo tell us who told him this? Where will they stay, train and the like? 1 and a half hours of flying before a match, guys lets be serious and treat nonsense as such!
The biggest problem is lack of proper planning. The orgaining committee (COJA)tasked with 2011 games should contantly inform the nation on what has been achieved so far. All we hear is, the government will to this and that. All we want are the results. Take for instance independence studium. The grandstand was pulled down and work has stopped. Reason, persistent rains. These lame excuses will not help. I wish the the COJA guys could read the LUSAKA TIMES and see what people say.
kaya
SA ‘gave’ us this mandate so as to help them and also benefit us, so we have more onus to put on contractors. All well and good, but i would like to see if we can ‘take initiative’ and host mini tournament just before the world cup, no doubt SA has one planned. I don’t want to say bite off more than you can chew, but the authorities should think about it.
Certainly not, is this some kind of joke? Zed will not be ready for this, not for another 200 years or so. I can imagine kaponyas beating and stripping foreign women in public for dressing like they’re used to back home, Amafontini would expect all foreign women to wear chitenges covering all outlets for fresh air in the blazing african heat, I’d vote for Botswana or Namibia.
Zambia has alot of homework to do. You should do good panning otherwise I do not see us making it.
SA gave Zambia as a challenge 4 Zed to prepare for All Africa games. I would suggest they stay in Livingstone. But the roads there have to be worked on.
Livingstone Chabe! Oh wait we have to build a studim first!! Oh no time is running out!!! This is when we will see how Zed jumps on this opportuity.
Thats what they always say,then later on you just wonder what has happened no implementation,remember they were saying of building a complex near mandevu community for 2011 all africa games ask me whats the story today ZZZZZZzzzz!
Mfumu has spoken, so listen up people
A one bagga sweet talk dat.
Through the president of SA I thank all SA citizens for choosing Zambia to host 4 teams. However, the idea of installing giant TVs in lusaka and maybe ndola and kitwe isn’t a brilliant one. Those TVs should be installed in rural provincial HQs, namely Mongu, Solwezi, Chipata, Kasama, Mansa. I say so coz pipo in Lusaka, L/stone, Ndola, and Kitwe have TV sets and relatively near SA. And most of them can afford air and coach tickets. Thats the problem we have in Zambia and Africa. Let rural citizens also have an opportunity to watch this important event. Most rural citizens can afford to travel to their provincial HQs and bennefit also. Please, support them by asking SA to change the venues…
…of these giant TVs. Lets not bunch all the goodies in big cities where most residents can afford and already own such (TV) gadgets. Therefore, I am appealing to all Zambian to ask SA to change the venues to the deprived but equally Zambian citizens. I am pretty sure SA will install TVs even in the remotest part of SA. So, they will have no problem in understanding the need to instal these giant screens in rural Zambia. And during this time can zesco behave as not to loadshed in those towns.
This is an appeal to all Zambians. THANKS
Upgrade our infrastructure first before you host the countries.
SA, thank you in advance. I hope you will honour what I have just read.
While Zimbos are looking down on Zed, SA has shown that they are willing to be partners in development – by them being able to share the big 2010 event with Zed.
SA na Zed ni Ziiiiiiiiii! Mwabeleka balombe baku SA(You have worked you gentle-persons from SA)
Ok ..tell us where exactly are other teams going to be staying? Tebufi fye bane.
How come with only some 20 or so Months to go, we don’t don’t know exactly which particular visitors are coming?
Don’t you think SA is cleverly up to something? Don’t you just find it interesting to note how the South Africans proudly advertise our Vic Falls as though it were theirs?
“Come to South Africa and Visit the Victoria Falls”.
When you’re at Johannesburg airport, you even not that Livingstone flight are made and treated separately from Zambia (Ndola or Lusaka) just to ensure that the unsuspecting tourists think the Vic falls is in South Africa.
Kaya!!!
Imwe ma Zed bloggers, this is a step in the right direction, those countries coming to Zed in 2010 will bring forex and boost confidence in the local soccer teams and players. Zim ana itaya he should have benefited more from 2010. Diangamo has said this and he is chairing a 2011 committe, I know with a plan in mind this will definately make “Zambia in the Sun” and the real africa it known to be.
So these teams will lodge and train in Zambia or South Africa and play games in south africa. Does not make sense. I just hope one of them will be Zambia if they qualify to the world cup.
You mean as a country we cant put up our own big screens? do we have to wait for RSA. Where is the commitment if we cant even say to SA that thank you for the 4 slots so we will meet you half way by atleast puttung up the screens. SA has so much on their plate we need to help out not to milk out
Its really a shame that as a country, we can not even manage to buy the giant screens. Are we still living in the 1960? Botwana has, whenever parliament was in session, the big screen would be put outside so that people could watch the deliberations. Wake up zambia, develop the rural areas. Its only ba Kk who tried to develop the rural areas. remember a factory in each of the rural places.
I do not know who the Minister of Tourism/Sport/Roads, But I think most young Zambians are smarter than them. Look at the infrustrature in Livingstone (our very own tourists capital) and other tourist attraction sites in the country, they are all in bad conditions. The Zimba – Livingstone road is very bad and yet not sign of work on it. They should have Built a modern Stadium in Livingstone. Zambia should take advantage of the WC 2010. Ba Levy should put these guys to task. Wake up Gov!!!!
Levy is a wrong guy to host the Zim elections issue. He cheated his way to statehouse in 2001 and we cannot turn a blind eye to a wrong act. How can it be okay for Mwanawasa to cheat his way to statehouse, but wrong for mugabe to do the same? Who does not know that the maize that mugabe paid for is still in Zambia as a way to boost morgan at mdc so that voters are hungry and vote for his party? Shame on double standards. Cheating is cheating world over.
This is an opportunuty come true for Zambian in terms of Tourism-promotion,Business Contacts, Football players contacts with international scouts, peopleple to people friendship and corporation and international relations with those countries whose National teams shall be hosted here, in Zambia.In other words the selection of Zambia to host four teams during world cup 2010 is a welcome developemnt and will have spill over effects in most sectors of the economy such as trade,tourist, air transportation excetra.This however calls for adquate preparation for the event.There is need for a multi-stakeholder comittee from respective sectors to see how thy can spear-head this course..Cont
The idea is to make maximum befit out of this arrangement. Governement should also not be left out, but play aleading role by for instance availing loans to lodge owners in affected towns, mending pot-holes on roads, tourist promoting-programmes through ZNTB,renovations and cleaning of stadia in would be horst towns e.tc
Thats a very welcome development especially to the economy of the country. i hope Zambians will take advantage of this development to promote the tourism industry.
Well, I am assuming it will be four teams all in the same WC group. Facilities don’t have to be like Nou camp in Barcelona, these countries will know they are coming to Africa and therefore shouldn’t expect what they have in europe. As long as they can feel comfortable and have adequate facilities, decent training ground, good accommodation… then it will be fine. There were allot of complaints from CAN in Ghana. Zed actually had the best hotel in Kumasi, Egypt the worst, then moved into Zeds. Apart from the pitches, among the things the shroud Camerounian coach complained about was the lack of privacy in the training ground where thousands of people would watch.
Yes you will host your friends, meantime you won’t qualify to participate in the world cup- games. Shame!!