Angolan attack does not affect World Cup, South African official claims

By Duncan Mackay

January 9 – The attack on a bus of the Togo national football team in Angola will not affect this year’s World Cup in South Africa, officials there have claimed.

Rich Mkhondo, a spokesman for the South African organising committee, claimed that the attack as an isolated incident which could have happened anywhere in the world.

He said: ”We wish to state that there is no link between what happened in Angola and South Africa’s preparations to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

“We also cannot compare organisation and security in Angola with South Africa just because the two countries happen to be in the same region in the world.”

He said Africa was not one country but a continent made up of 53 countries all very different and all with very different histories and political situations.

Mkhondo said: ”Africa have successfully hosted three successful Fifa events in the last eight months – the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa and the under-17 and under-19 World Cup’s in Nigeria and Egypt.”

Mkhondo said the organisers was confident that the World Cup would be successful.

He said: ”We have prepared for any eventuality.

“Given South Africa’s exemplary record of hosting major events we remain confident that everyone coming to South Africa will have a safe and secure experience in our country.”