How to transfer FIFA World Cup tickets

If you bought a World Cup ticket for your girlfriend who is now an ex-girlfriend, or got a little over excited when the World Cup ticket sales started and have ended up with one too many, you may be able to get a refund or give the extra one to someone else.

To qualify for a ticket transfer you need to have bought your World Cup tickets online via www.FIFA.com or via official paper ticket application forms. If you bought them as part of Authorized Travel Packages or Official Hospitality Packages you should contact the Hospitality Agents directly for all customer service issues.

If you qualify to transfer your ticket, you can do it in two ways: a ticket transfer to someone you know or a ticket resale, where you will receive a refund if your ticket is resold.

Guest ticket transfer

If you want to transfer a ticket from one guest to another you need to submit a transfer request online within the “View your application” menu item of www.FIFA.com/2010 or at a FIFA Ticketing Centre within South Africa. You will also need to give a ‘valid reason’ for transferring the ticket. This can be done from now up until three days before the match that you have tickets for.

Valid reasons for guest ticket transfers include things like a guest being ill or unable to obtain a valid visa to travel to South Africa. Documentation may be required to establish the grounds for the valid reason, and FIFA retains the right to refuse a transfer if the supporting documents are not supplied upon request.

Unfortunately you can’t transfer your own ticket, however if you can’t attend a match you can submit it for possible resale.

Ticket Resales

You need to go through authorized sales channels to resell your ticket, and do it before you have printed out a hard ticket. You will only get a refund if your ticket is resold, and there is no guarantee that this will happen. If your Tickets are resold, you’ll receive a refund no later than 4 weeks after the final match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, less a 10% administration fee.

You will also have the opportunity to give tickets that you cannot use to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Ticket Fund, which is a programme designed to allocate tickets for worthy social and development initiatives within South Africa. Read more on FIFA.com.

If you’re coming to Cape Town and haven’t organised your accommodation yet make sure you check out our gourmet backpackers, Highstead House, with private rooms for R600/ night.

Where to collect your FIFA 2010 World Cup tickets

So you’re booked your flight and your accommodation, mapped out all your favourite tourist attractions and are pretty much packed and ready to roll. But wait, something is missing… you still need to collect your actual FIFA World Cup tickets!

To make sure that collecting your tickets is as quick and easy as possible FIFA Ticket Terminals will be set up at OR Tambo Airport, Johannesburg, King Shaka Airport, Durban and the Cape Town Airport from 7 June 2010 to 11 July 2010 from 7am to 9pm. The Self Service Ticket Terminal will be assisted by a volunteer should any queries arise and the Helpdesk Ticket Terminal will be manned by a member of staff.

If you’d like to collect your tickets ahead of time, or are flying in at the crack of dawn or late at night, you can also collect your tickets from any of the FIFA Ticketing Centres (FTCs). The Cape Town FTC is located at The Spearhead, 42 Hans Strijdom Avenue, Foreshore, Cape Town. It is open 7 days a week, from 9am to 6pm, and will be open for longer on days prior to matches at the Cape Town Stadium.

Source: www.fifa.com ; Image sourced from: travelblog.portfoliocollection.com

Where to watch the World Cup in Cape Town

68 000 lucky football fans will watch each of the games at the Cape Town Stadium live, starting with Uruguay versus France at 20:30 on Friday, 11 June 2010 and ending with a semi-final on Tuesday, 6 July 2010.

If you’ve managed to secure a seat in the Stadium, make sure that you leave plenty of time to get there, and enjoy the festivities along the Fan Walk on your way. The Fan Walk route is 2,2 km long and runs from the Cape Town Station on Adderley Street, to the FIFA Fan Fest on the Grand Parade, along Waterkant Street, across the new pedestrian bridge at Buitengracht, along Somerset Road ending up right outside the Stadium.

There will be police, security, information points, toilets and refreshments en route, as well as a number of restaurants and cafes if you want to stop for a bite to eat or rest your weary legs.

The Cape Quarter is situated right in the centre of the Fan Walk and is an ideal place to enjoy the World Cup celebrations. The Piazza and the Square will be transformed into festive party zones with an array of live entertainment and plasma screens to watch the games.

If you didn’t manage to get tickets, make your way to one of the many restaurants or bars showing the matches on big screens, or secure a spot at the Grand Parade to experience the electric atmosphere and watch the games amidst roaring crowds of fanatical supporters.

The Grand Parade, with a capacity of 28 000, is the official FIFA fan festival for the duration of the World Cup. Entry will be free of charge and all 64 matches will be broadcasted live. Food and drinks will be available and additional entertainment will be provided between matches.

If you haven’t arranged your accommodation for your stay in Cape Town yet, check out our Gourmet Backpackers, with private rooms for R600/ night.

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Is the Oranje sweet enough in 2010?

Oranje is the nickname that was given to the Dutch football team in recognition of their “Total Football” method of play in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. During this tournament the Netherlands adopted a method of play in which any player can take over the role of another, producing a performance that ran like “clockwork oranje”. Given that the Dutch have never won the tournament this nick name is somewhat misleading, come to think of it they have been infamous underachievers at previous World Cup tournaments. The Oranje made it to two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978, but lost both finals to their respective host nations West Germany and Argentina.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Gio for short) is the man that has been selected to lead the Oranje in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  A brief glance over his career induces a sense of awe in the reader, in my opinion this man is one of the truly great, no nonsense sort of players in the game today.

Gio has played club football in Scotland (Rangers), England (Arsenal), Spain (Barcalona) and his homeland the Netherlands (RKC Waalwijk and Feyenoord). He started his international career against Brazil way back in 1996. Since then he has earned 96 international caps, played for his country in two World Cups (1998 and 2006), as well as three European Championships (2000, 2004, and 2008).

At 35, Gio is one of the oldest captains/players in world football. His wisdom and leadership ability is reflected in a quote from an interview in 2009:

“We’ve always produced outstanding players, but for whatever reason, we’ve only once come up with one truly great team.”

Gio understands that the greatest obstacle the Oranje face is getting 11 supremely talented players functioning as one unit. As captain he is perfectly placed to instill a teamwork approach within the Oranje. Gio has never captained Holland in a World Cup, is he the man who will he unite his team and kiss the golden trophy in July 2010?

Sources: wikepedia, playnumber10.com, fifa.com, giovanbronckhorst.wimsicl.com

Image sourced from: http://giovanbronckhorst.wimsicl.com/

My South Africa Essentials App ideal for World Cup visitors

This free iPhone App is a must have for all visitors traveling to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup. It’s the perfect way to be immersed in all the action, navigate your way around each of the host cities and stay in touch with friends and families back home.  Download it here.

iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users can use it to look up World Cup information, such as the latest updates about their favourite teams. It will also give them access to detailed city guides, interactive maps and travel advice. And to put the cherry on the cake, users can share information via mySouthAfrica.tv where they can upload pictures, videos, postcards and stories to capture the essence of their trip to South Africa.

William Prince, global manager, e-marketing, South African Tourism said, “This new iPhone application allows South African Tourism to offer rich, engaging content that is very specific to the users and presented in a new and dynamic way. The content is fresh, accurate and appropriate for those travelling to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and allows the users to share all their stories and experiences straight from the iPhone.”

Sources: Bizcommunity.com , Apple.com

Accommodation for FIFA 2010 World Cup Volunteers

Volunteers from all over the country (and world) will be moving to the host cities to proudly support and promote South Africa to the visitors during the tournament. These volunteers have to make their own way to the host city as well as find accommodation for the duration of their stay. Highstead Houses offers ideal accommodation (that won’t break the bank) for volunteers coming to work in Cape Town. They offer discounted rates for volunteers so make sure that you check out their accommodation offers before you book anywhere else.

More about the FIFA 2010 World Cup Volunteer Programme:

After a successful FIFA Confederations Cup 2009, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa (OC) started the drive to recruit 15 000 volunteers for the 2010 showpiece tournament in July 2009. Applications closed in August and the interviewing process took place over January and February 2010.

With 32 teams participating, an expected influx of 450 000 visitors and 64 matches across nine host cities in ten stadiums, the volunteers will play a vital role in assisting the OC to deliver a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“The volunteer programme is an excellent way to get involved in South Africa and Africa’s once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event,” said 2010 World Cup organising committee chief executive Dr Danny Jordaan.

“From ushering people to their seats, to assisting the media and foreign language speakers, welcoming people at the airport and driving guests around, it is the volunteers that actually make the tournament happen,” said Jordaan.

In total volunteers are required in 16 functional areas – accreditation, marketing, media, protocol services, spectator services, transportation, administration, environmental services, welcome and information services, information technology and telecommunication, language support, rights protection programme, logistic services, hospitality and ushering services and volunteer management.

Click for more info on the FIFA 2010 World Cup Volunteer Programme

Sources: FIFA.com and SA Good News

Is Cape Town ready for the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup?

With less than a week to go until the official ‘100 days countdown to the FIFA World Cup’ kicks off on 2 March 2010, let’s take a look at how Cape Town is doing in terms of preparing for the major influx of fans.

The excitement is definitely mounting right across the country, but as most Capetonians will agree, the intense energy in Cape Town is a clear indication that we are ready for 2010 and beyond.

In preparation for the big event, South Africa has been in overdrive for the last 4 years. South Africans have seen extensive road works, massive stadium upgrades, new stadiums built, and an overhauling of public transport systems in the lead up to the tournament.

The World Cup will be staged at ten venues in nine South African cities: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg and Pretoria. Johannesburg will be home to two World Cup stadiums, Soccer City and Ellis Park.

Judging from the successful Final Draw on 4 December 2009, the Mother City is raring to go for the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup. With eight matches being played in Cape Town, the Mother City plans to be the best hostess the Cup has ever seen. Matches in the city include England vs. Algeria, Italy vs. Paraguay, and Quarter-Final and Semi-Final matches.

The brand new Cape Town stadium was officially opened to the public on Saturday, 23 January 2010 when it held an inaugural soccer festival. Built to host the Cape Town leg of the FIFA 2010 World Cup, feedback seems to show that the stadium in Green Point had past its first test run. A total of 20,000 spectators attended the Cape Town derby between two top local teams Santos and Ajax Cape Town, which ended goalless at the end of regulation time, with Santos winning 6-5 in a penalty shootout.

The Sunday Argus reports that gates opened at 2pm and fans swarmed in, posing for photos with characters in African costume and blowing vuvuzelas. At the designated parking areas, police carried out security checks, conducted vehicle searches and used sniffer dogs. The queues moved quickly, with the large crowd outside thinning out within half-an-hour as people went inside.

Speaking before the game, Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato said: “What a wonderful moment. What a beautiful stadium.” He also thanked Premier Helen Zille and the public for their support in making the stadium, and the day, a reality. Zille said: “Ke Nako. Our time has come. “This is the most beautiful stadium, in the most beautiful city, with the most beautiful people in the world.” By kick-off most of the seats on the first deck of the stadium were full and a roar of excitement went up as the first game on the stadium’s new pitch got under way. This game was the first of three “dry runs” at Cape Town Stadium ahead of the World Cup.

There are numerous exciting campaigns kicking off next week with only 100 days to go until kick-off so keep an eye out to make sure you get in the spirit for the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup in South Africa.

Sources:
Cape Town Magazine
The Voice of the Cape

This is your captain speaking: Aaron Mokoena of Bafana Bafana

Football fever has certainly taken South Africa by storm, so to get in the mood (and to brush up my football knowledge) I thought that leading up the to the start of the FIFA 2010 World Cup I would write a profile of each team captain. What better place to start with the captain and chief of the host nation. I introduce you to Aaron Mokoena.

“Mbazo” as he is known, is the youngest player ever to have represented South Africa. He made his international debut in 1999 against Botswana and currently holds the position of South Africa’s most capped international player. He grew up in the bustling city of Johannesburg and started his professional football career in South Africa playing for Jomo Cosmos and Ajax Cape Town.  In 1998 Mokoena left  South African shores for Europe, signing for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.   Since then Mbazo has represented several European clubs including Ajax Amsterdam, Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth, where he is currently contracted.

Mokoena is often compared to the previous (and somewhat inspirational) Bafana Bafana captain Lucas Radebe for his formidable tackling and his status as a regular Premier League performer.

Strengths

• Tackling
• Versatility – comfortable in midfield and defense.
• Work rate
• Leadership

Career high

• Captaining South Africa to 4^th place in the 2009 Confederations Cup

Mokoena’s experience and leadership will be crucial as he tries to inspire Bafana Bafana to reach the performance levels shown in the Confederations Cup in 2009.

Sources:

ESPN Soccernet, Wikipedia

Watch the World Cup Football in 3D

ESPN are planning to launch their 3D network just in time for the FIFA World Cup. What’s even more exciting is that the first event to be broadcasted in 3D will be the opening game of the tournament, between South Africa and Mexico at the Johannesburg Ellis Park Stadium on 11 June 2010.

ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer says, “ESPN’s commitment to 3D is a win for fans and our business partners… ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan’s viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing.”

This means that avid football fans around the world will be able to put on their 3D glasses and turn their living rooms into a virtual football field, taking the game to a whole new level!

Image source: www.tvsnob.com

All about Bafana Bafana – the South African football team

The South African national football team, Bafana Bafana (The boys), is the host team for the 19th FIFA World Cup in June 2010. However, they currently only rank 85th in the world, and having qualified by virtue of being the host nation, look like they are in for a challenging World Cup.

However, FIFA is quietly confident about Bafana’s chances, and according to their site: “Recent years have brought ample disappointments, but Bafana Bafana have also shown, albeit in patches, that – given motivation and purpose – they can be a potent threat.”

A unified South African football team, soon dubbed Bafana Bafana by its fans, entered world football in 1992, two years before the first democratic elections in South Africa. The team stormed in to the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in 1996 and went on the win the tournament by beating Tunisia 2-0.

Since then Bafana has qualified for two World Cups (France 1998 and Japan/Korea 2002) but has failed to make it past the group stages in either.

Last year it made it through to the semi-finals in the Confederations Cup where the team lost to Brazil, which went on to win the tournament. Bafana then subsequently lost to Spain (3-2) in the third-place play-offs, pushing the game into extra time.

Commentators say that although the team played well, they struggled to convert clever moves into goals.

The run up to the 2010 World Cup has seen some controversy over the replacement of Brazilian coach, Joel Santana by fellow Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira – who Santana had originally replaced in 2008. The South African Football Association (SAFA) are adamant that sticking with the Brazilian style of playing is going to bring success.

2009 also saw the controversial return of 32-year-old Benni McCarthy to the national squad as striker. Previously, according to reports, Benni had exiled himself from the South African team by prioritising Blackburn Rover games, where he plays in the England Premiership. Fans were relieved to see Benni looking slimmer and in better shape than before.

Benni is still the top goal scorer for Bafana, with 32 goals in 77 games, while captain Aaron Makoena also of Portsmouth is the most capped Bafana player, with 94 caps in his career.

Bafana’s last match ended in a 0-0 draw in a friendly against Jamaica in Bloemfontein on 17 November 2009. Upcoming games include a friendly against Chile in Santiago on 3 March 2010 and another friendly against Jamaica in Kingston on 17 March.

In March Parreira will also be taking his team to Brazil for a pre-tournament training camp.

And then, on 11 June 2010, Bafana Bafana kick off the 2010 FIFA World Cup in a match against Mexico in Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium. Bafana isn’t playing in Cape Town in the group rounds unfortunately, but we hope to see their signature green and yellow kit in the Cape Town Stadium after group stage.

Sources:

Wikipedia , The Times , Fifa , South Africa.info

Image: My Sport’s Blog