13 January 2010
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) calls on the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) 2010 Local Organising Committee to make a strategic intervention by making sure that World Cup tickets are available at a reasonable price to all South Africans and other African states, especially the workers and the poor.
We have noted with serious concerns the revelations by the 2010 World Cup LOC Chief Executive Danny Jordaan that Bafana Bafana and other qualified African states tickets are not selling well as the deadline of 22 January 2010 approaches. We strongly believe that the low purchases of the tickets are a manifestation of the sharpening class realities in our country and beyond our boarders, wherein the ordinary people can’t even afford basic necessities such as bread, milk and a decent meal.
The high and excessive tickets costs of the World Cup and the area of purchase – the FNB bank will deprive the vast majority of workers and the poor of Africa from rallying behind their national teams.
We call on 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee to make World Cup tickets affordable to the poor and re-consider selling tickets at Post Offices as opposed to the capitalist Banks, which are not located where the main supporters of football are residing.
In our country and Africa, the workers and the poor are not only the bed-rock, main supporters and the reproducers of football stars, but they use football as a cathedral to promote peace, friendship and solidarity given the brutal role of Capitalism on Africa’s under-development and ravaging wars.
The FIFA 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee has a responsibility and a duty to make sure that the majority of Africa’s workers and the poor have an opportunity to watch their stars of ‘kitchen girls’ and ‘garden boys’ shine on the field of play as part of FIFA’s commitment of bringing this prestigious sport showpiece to Africa for the first time.
It will be a tragedy and a farce if the World Cup just benefits football bigwigs at the expense of the workers and the poor!
We wish all the participating teams in the African Nations Cup (ANC) currently underway in Angola all the best.
Contact:
Castro Ngobese
Numsa National Spokesperson – 083 979 5266
Source
Numsa Press Releases