Johannesburg - SAFA's top brass says they are still in the dark as to how much money they will receive from FIFA for staging the Soccer World Cup.
Several recent reports claimed that the local footballing body would pocket R1bn, yet SAFA vice-president Mandla Mazibuko insists a figure has yet to be determined.
Cape Town - Bafana Bafana midfielder Siphiwe Tshabalala's wonder strike in the Soccer World Cup opening match against Mexico at Soccer City on June 11 has been selected as one of the Top 10 goals of the tournament.
VIDEO: Siphiwe Tshabalala's effort for Goal of the Tournament
FIFA has shortlisted their Top 10 goals from the month-long tournament and requested fans visit the official FIFA site to cast their vote for the Goal of the Tournament.
Washington - The US government praised South Africa for hosting an "excellent" Soccer World Cup and congratulated Spain for capturing the trophy with a 1-0 finals victory over Netherlands.
"We congratulate and thank the people of South Africa for hosting an excellent month of soccer," State Department spokeman PJ Crowley said on Monday. "It was the first time an African nation hosted the World Cup, and South Africa proved its ability to do so quite nobly."
Johannesburg - The buzz from Africa's first soccer World Cup is being heard in investment houses across the globe, drawing new business and even capital to the continent that has evolved in the last decade from international basket-case to fast-growing frontier market.
"There's definitely been a pick-up in flows from Europe. There's no doubt about that," said John Mackie, head of African investments at Johannesburg-based Stanlib, which manages R2.2bn in sub-Saharan Africa's frontier markets.
Johannesburg - The World Cup could set a new record for paid attendance with three million fans expected to attend games, local organising committee CEO Danny Jordaan said on Thursday.
"With the quarterfinals, semi-finals and final being played at the biggest stadiums in the country, it is possible we will top the three million fan attendance mark after the final at Soccer City on July 11," Jordaan told media in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Already 2.69 million fans had paid to watch the first two rounds of the global showpiece.
Cape Town - At exactly noon on Wednesday, people around the world blew their vuvuzelas, whistled and honked their horns to celebrate the first FIFA World Cup in Africa.
It was called the "Vuvuzela Moment" and it was celebrated in equal style online as it was offline. Tweeters in South Africa and across the world came to the party in fine style, causing the phrase "Vuvuzela" to trend on the world-famous social networking and micro-blogging service as fans across the world spoke about and blew their virtual vuvuzelas in 140 characters.
Johannesburg - South African soccer fans continued to snap up World Cup tickets on Saturday in the final phase of sales, embracing a move to an over-the-counter system.
World governing body FIFA said more than 130 000 of 500 000 tickets on offer had been sold less than two days after opening up cash sales at ticketing centres and some bank branches.
The vast majority of the seats were taken up by South Africans, who had previously been slow to buy tickets for the month-long tournament, which starts on June 11.
Bloemfontein - World Cup visitors to the Northern Cape might be able to buy alcohol until 02:00 in the interests of a "relaxed social atmosphere", if the province's economic development MEC gets his way.
"It is my intention to create circumstances conducive to a relaxed social atmosphere during the World Cup," economic development and tourism MEC John Block said in a statement on Wednesday.
On THURSDAY 11 JUNE AT 12 NOON the Cape Town Tourism team will be kicking a ceremonial football off Table Mountain to the sound of the noon gun. We want you to join the fun and make your own statement, wherever you are, by dressing loud and making some noise. We're thinking hooting, blowing your whistles and vuvuzelas and shouting "la duma". But you may have some better ideas to Live It!
Only a year to go, not a long time!
