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Can South Africa Break World Cup Final Attendance Record in 2010?

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 Source: Amuna, Nicholas

According to FIFA statistics published on www.fifa.com the lowest attendance for its men’s Soccer final was recorded in 1938 at France with a total of 45,000 people. To my astonishment the highest attendance ever recorded by FIFA at its men soccer final was 114,600 at Mexico.

I am astonished because, the argument often made in favor of European nations hosting the World Cup is often based on facilities, and attendance. Out of 18 men's World Cup tournaments organized by FIFA from 1930 to 2006, European Countries hosted 10. The highest attendance at a final in Europe was 93,000 recorded by England in 1966. Mexico on the other hand is not as developed as any of the European nations but was able to record 114,600 attendance in 1986. Soccer is not that popular in the USA but the USA managed to record a higher attendance than any European Nation ever did at the final. The USA recorded 94,194 at the 1994 World Cup final. It must be clear to FIFA by now that it does not make business sense to keep hosting the World Cup in Europe.


YEAR


HOST NATION


ATTENDANCE @ FINAL


TEAMS @ FINAL


WINNER


 REFEREE


1930


URUGUAY


80,000


Uruguay -Argentina


Uruguay


Jan Langenus (BEL)


1934


ITALY


50,000


Italy - Czechoslovakia


Italy


Ivan Eklind (SWE)


1938


FRANCE


45,000


Italy -Â Hungary


Italy


George Capdeville (FRA)


1950


BRAZIL

???????


Brazil - Uruguay


Uruguay


George Reader (ENG)


1954


SWITZERLAND


60,000


Germany - Hungary


Germany


William Ling (ENG)


1958


SWEDEN


51,800


Brazil - Sweden


Brazil


Maurice Guigue (FRA)


1962


CHILE


69,000


Brazil - Czechoslovakia


Brazil


Nikolaj Latychev (URS)


1966


ENGLAND


93,000


England - Germany


England

Gottfried Dienst (SUI)


1970


MEXICO


107,412


Brazil -Italy


Brazil


Rudi Gloeckner (GDR)


1974


GERMANY


75,200


Netherlands-Germany


Germany


John Taylor (ENG)


1978


ARGENTINA


71,483


Argentina -Netherlands


Argentina


Sergio Gonella (ITA)


1982


SPAIN


90,000


Italy - Germany


Italy


Arnaldo Coelho (BRA)


1986


MEXICO

114,600


Argentina-Germany


Argentina


Romualdo Arppi F. (BRA)


1990


ITALY


73,603


Germany -Argentina


Germany


Edgardo Codesal M. (MEX)


1994


USA


94,194


Brazil - Italy


Brazil


Sandor Puhl (HUN)


1998


FRANCE


80,000


Brazil - France


France


Said Belqola (MAR)


2002


KOREA/JAPAN


69,029


Germany -Brazil


Brazil

Pierluigi Collina (ITA)


2006


GERMANY


69,000


Italy - France


Italy


Horacio Elizondo (ARG)


2010


SOUTH AFRICA


Record Breakers???


Two African Nations???


Ghana???


African Referee?????


Statistics from FIFA.COM


As indicated on the table above, European referees have dominated at all FIFA World Cup finals. Is FIFA trying to tell the World that it cannot find very good referees from Asia, Africa, North America etc for its finals? I hope FIFA will give referees from continents other than Europe the opportunity at the finals in South Africa 2010.


Africans love Soccer and have benefitted from Soccer in so many ways. We have seen FIFA and CAF do great things by using Soccer to combat civil wars in Africa and other parts of the World. I have no doubt that South Africa and for that matter Africa will break the FIFA final attendance record currently held by Mexico.


My questions to all Soccer fans is as follows


1. Will South Africa break the attendance record at the final?


2. Which two teams will be at the final?


3. Can an African nation win the World Cup?


4. Which African Nation do you expect to win the World Cup?


5. Why do European referees dominate at the finals?


Nick Amuna


Email: nicamuna@yahoo.com USA

Source: Amuna, Nicholas
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