Signed and sealed. Those were the words of South African Football Association president Molefi Oliphant, last month, but middle August 2006 it is official. Carlos Parreira will coach Bafana Bafana, the South African National Soccer Team:

Carlos Alberto Parreira starts on 1 January 2007 as the new coach of the South African Soccer team Bafana Bafana in the years leading up to the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa.

Parreira, the 64 year old Rio de Janeiro born Brasilian, coached Brasil to their FIFA World Cup in 1994. He also coached the Brasil national team in 2006, Kuwait in 1982, United Arab Emirates in 1990 and Saudi Arabia in 1998.

All details? Subscribe to our newsletter for all details and the story of Parreira and his task of coaching the soccer team of South Africa, Bafana Bafana.

The South African soccer team plummeted down the FIFA world ranking due to bad performances in the last years, and is currently ranked 72 (July 2006) in the world. In July 2000, the South African soccer team ranked 23rd in the world.

The German state of Bavaria is encouraging South African companies to attend a real estate trade fair in October 2006, saying it will attract investors in the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Hans Spitzner, Bavaria's deputy minister for economic affairs said that SA could benefit from experience Germany was gaining in staging the 2006 Football World Cup.

Specific areas of opportunity that could be triggered by the event included the development of shopping malls, entertainment venues and residential developments, he said. The 2010 Football World Cup is expected to generate billions of rands.

Australia is keen as well to share the experience gained in hosting the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

(source: Business Day / Chris Van Gass / 17 February 2005)

The 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup should boost tourism in Southern Africa, which is currently handicapped by its image as a war zone and the difficulties of travel within the region.

Shepherd Nyaruwata, the executive director of the Regional Tourism Organisation for Southern Africa, said: "There is a need to spruce up the image of the region."

Nyaruwata expected tourist numbers to peak from 14 million last year to 20 million during 2010, with some World Cup soccer fans going on from the soccer tournament in South Africa to visit neighbouring states such as Mozambique and Namibia.

(source: Business Report / Alfonce Mbizwo / 17 March 2005)

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IMPORTANT WORLD CUP 2010 DATES:
FIFA Confederations Cup South Africa 2009
Final Draw 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup South Africa