5 Tips for Planning your World Cup 2010 Trip

Start planning now! The FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa is not far away

The FIFA 2010 World Cup will take place from 11 June 2010 – 11 July 2010 and is due to be a wonderfully frantic time in South Africa. Here are 5 tips to ensure your trip to South Africa in 2010 runs smoothly.

5. Start planning now:

If you are a South African and planning a trip to catch a match in a host city near you or a foreigner planning a trip to South Africa for the World Cup in 2010, now is the time to start your planning.

With just months to go before the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa bookings for accommodation, car rental, adventure activities, and even popular restaurants are starting to fill up fast. Locals and quick fingered internationals are vying for the best South Africa has to offer by being the first to book and plan their trip far in advance.

4. Pick your city:

Football fans around the world should already be thinking about planning their travel to the World Cup to ensure they make the most out of the event and the region. South Africa has so much to offer as a travel destination and it is sure to be ‘sold out’ during the World Cup in 2010.

Plan your trip around the various host cities you’d like to visit and the games you would most like to see. Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg are among the 9 host cities in South Africa. For more about the host cities and stadiums visit our Sport and FIFA Section.

3. Plan your down time:

Once you’ve established where you’d like to base yourself for the duration of the tournament you can set about making plans for travels to the surrounding areas - in-between games of course and nearby host cities.

Don’t leave other activities such as game drives, shark cage diving, and trips up Table Mountain to last-minute planning. These activities will be booked far in advance by forward thinking travellers. Another bonus to booking early is the chance for discounted prices, many operators offer an early bird special to those booking months in advance, so be sure to do your homework on prices and availability before you arrive.

2. Make it a holiday of a lifetime:

Aside from the amazing football extravaganza taking place in 2010, South Africa has lots more to offer on the holiday front. From seaside holidays to bush retreats to safaris, South Africa has it all. Plan your best-ever football trip by combining your World Cup visit in 2010 with some of South Africa's amazing attractions.

1. Do a pre-2010 trip:

If you can afford it why not familiarise yourself with the lay of the land before 2010 with a pre-2010 trip. The Final Draw for the FIFA 2010 World Cup is taking place in Cape Town on 4 December 2009 and is the perfect time to familiarise yourself with South Africa. The Final Draw in Cape Town is bound to whet your appetite for the big show 6 months later and will provide plenty of football excitement with all the teams’ representatives coming to Cape Town to hear the final verdict for games in 2010. Read more about the Final Draw in Cape Town in our event on the Final Draw.

taken from: http://www.capetownmagazine.com/articles/Sport-a-Fifa-2010~c9/5-Tips-for-Planning-your-World-Cup-2010-Trip~1924

Zakumi - a Mascot with attitude

So what can we say about him? One thing is for sure, Zakumi will be first on the dancefloor and last off it at the biggest party in the world - the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. He wants to dance and entertain as many people as he can. He is an animator for fans, players and officials, for schoolchildren, teenagers and big kids alike!

Needless to say, he is extremely proud to be the Official Mascot and determined to be the best host for everyone visiting his beloved country. He symbolizes South Africa and the rest of the African continent through his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm-heartedness.

Zakumi is a jolly, self-confident, adventurous, spontaneous, and actually quite shrewd little fellow. He loves to perform and always follows his instinct and intuition, yet sometimes has the tendency to exaggerate a bit. You will often find him fooling about and teasing people but not in a mean way. He is warm-hearted and caring, and wants to make as many friends as possible.

He loves to play football as it is a great way to connect with others and break down language barriers. He always carries his football around which he will use to invite people to play with him.

Zakumi loves football. At one time he decided to dye his hair green as he felt it would be the perfect camouflage against the green of the football pitch; a bit like his rosette spots are when hunting in the wilderness!

He does have one striking weakness. With all his energy, he needs frequent rests. Occasionally, in-between performances on stage, he may suddenly fall asleep on the spot at the most random times! But rest assured, these are only short breaks that a leopard of his calibre needs to recharge his batteries.

Over the last years he has travelled the whole of Africa where the leopard habitat is good (pretty much everywhere from open savannahs, forests, jungles to mountainous areas, even deserts). He has therefore learned to adapt to new environments; enjoying the diversity in nature and people across the African continent

The name ‘Zakumi' is a composition of ‘ZA' standing for South Africa and ‘kumi', which translates into ‘10' in various languages across Africa.

Zakumi's main priority is to turn the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa into one huge, joyful and unforgettable party and show the thousands of international guests the warmth and spirit of the African continent.

"He wants to create a good mood for the fans and raise the excitement for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first on African soil. He is a proud South African and wants to ensure that the world will come together in South Africa," explained Lucas Radebe, South Africa's football icon and close friend of Zakumi.

Beckham dreaming of world return

After starring and scoring for England at France 1998, Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006, David Beckham has told FIFA.com that he is relishing the prospect of appearing in his fourth FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa in June and July.

The 34-year-old midfielder’s chances of being in the Three Lions’ 23-man squad were recently discussed by Fabio Capello, who said: "Of course he will be included, if he plays [for AC Milan] and is well physically,” he said. “I don't look at ages. I look at skill and Beckham has a lot. He's serious, a real professional and he's really dedicated to making the World Cup squad."

In FIFA.com’s first Interview of the Week of what promises to be a special year, one of world football’s highest-profile players speaks about the highs and lows he has experienced at FIFA World Cups, his thoughts on current FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi and his hopes for Africa’s legacy post-2010.

You can watch a video of the interview by clicking on the link on the right hand side.

FIFA.com: David, you recently helped to launch adidas’s Jabulani, the Official Match Ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in Cape Town. Have you had a chance to practice with it yet – and what do you think of it?
David Beckham: Yes, I had a chance to practise with it a few months ago. It’s always nice to see adidas’s ideas before everyone else does and I think it’s great. The movement, the accuracy, the feel, the look of the ball is perfect – it’s really for the World Cup.

With 115 caps for England over the past 13 years – what changes have you noticed in international football during that time?
There have been many changes over the years: the game has got faster, the technology has got better. You obviously see changes in the play in terms of tactics, the boots and balls, but football’s all about development and change.

Football changes lives. It changes people’s attitudes and I think this World Cup will bring exposure to certain things. To some extent it already has.

David Beckham on South Africa's 2010 legacy.

What does playing in the FIFA World Cup mean to you?
It’s the biggest footballing competition in the world, so any player who is lucky enough to be part of a World Cup knows how special it really is. I’ve been lucky to have played in three and hopefully I’ll be luckier still to play in a fourth. It really is an incredible feeling.

What are your first recollections of watching the FIFA World Cup as a boy?
My first memories are of watching Bryan Robson score goals [against France at Spain 1982] and be as brave as he was on the pitch. He was my hero and everything he did in his career, I wanted to emulate – and I’ve been lucky enough to do that.

The World Cup also been a tournament which has given you some lows. If you take a moment to consider England’s exits to Argentina in 1998, Brazil in 2002 and Portugal four years ago, which one hurt the most?
Every one. You can’t describe the feeling when you get knocked out of a competition. The expectations are so high on us as a country and as a team, so when you do get knocked out it’s so disappointing. So, every single time hurts the same.

You’ve played and scored in three FIFA World Cup finals so far, but which match holds the best memories for you?
On a personal note I’d have to say the game against Argentina in 2002, where I scored the penalty. It’s always special to beat your rivals, but obviously four years earlier I got sent off against them and we were beaten on penalties. To score the winning goal against them four years later was extremely special.

He’s one of the best players I’ve played against and also one of the finest players I’ve ever seen. He’s the closest player to Maradona that you can get.

Beckham on Messi.

Argentina now have a player in their ranks, Lionel Messi, who has recently been voted as the FIFA World Player of the Year. What are your thoughts about him?
Without doubt, he’s one of the best players I’ve played against and also one of the finest players I’ve ever seen. For a little player, he’s so talented. He’s the closest player to Maradona that you can get, and he even plays in a similar passionate way too. He’s successful and a really good person as well. I’m sure he’ll go on to be even more successful in the future.

Who do you think will be the key man for England this year, and why?
I think we’ve got many key players in our team: Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand – we’ve got players all the way through our team who are exceptional. We’re lucky to have such a talented group of players.

It will also be the first taste of a FIFA World Cup for Fabio Capello. After working with him both at Real Madrid and now England, how do you think he’ll enjoy the experience?
Fabio Capello is a special manager. He has so much experience. He knows how to win games and he knows how to win competitions.I’m sure he’ll relish the time when he walks out as England manager to take charge of the team for his first match at a World Cup. To sit on the sideline and watch his team, I’m sure will be a proud moment for him.

You’re involved with a number of charity campaigns such as UNICEF and Malaria No More, which have huge links with Africa. What do you hope this FIFA World Cup will bring to South Africa and the African continent?
Football changes lives. It changes people’s attitudes and I think this World Cup will bring exposure to certain things. To some extent it already has. In Cape Town I visited a hospital where I met women and children with HIV – and that really touched me. So I hope that the battle against diseases like that will be in the public eye. The World Cup will also bring a lot of money to South Africa, which may help to regenerate certain parts of this country.

Taken from : http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1153255.html#beckham+dreaming+world+return