By Chris van Gass

Cape Town has put in a strong bid to be the broadcasting hub for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, Business Day reported today.

A Fifa technical committee visiting the city was yesterday addressed by both Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool and Cape Town mayor Helen Zille as part of a move to convince them to use the city’s international convention centre as headquarters for thousands of television and print media.

Rasool was reported as saying that while the province and the city did not “do a hard sell”, it was nevertheless an opportunity to convince Fifa Cape Town had the necessary communications connectivity to act as host.

Asked if Johannesburg should not be the natural choice, Rasool said the city would not be devastated if Johannesburg got the media centre, “it is all in interest of SA as a whole”.

However, he said it need not be a given that the city hosting the final match should also host the broadcasting centre.

“What one needs is an efficient communications system, which Cape Town offers — and in a relaxed atmosphere,” he is quoted as saying.

Source: Business Day