Play the Game launches theme page on African football and politics

Play the Game has set up a theme page about African football and politics taking its outset in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The World Cup 2010 has been marketed as Africa’s World Cup and both FIFA and local governments have expressed hopes that the first staging of the world’s biggest sport event in an African country will benefit not just South Africa but the entire African continent in terms of tourism, economy and development.

Political relations, negotiations and hopes have been central elements in both the bidding process, the choice of South Africa as a host nation and in the planning of the event.

At the same time, African football seems to be racked by corruption, intrigues and disorganisation in the national football federations.

Play the Game's theme page will examine the actual benefits of the event, the political deals made, the economic influence and impact on the host country and its surroundings, thereby creating a unique platform for information on the relation between African football and politics.

The content on the page is a mixture of up-to-date news articles and background pieces provided by our carefully selected freelance journalists, archive material, links and images all telling their own stories of Africa and football. The page will be updated regularly during the World Cup.

The image section on the theme page consists of photos kindly shared by Twenty Ten, which is an initiative of World Press Photo, Free Voice, Africa Media Online and lokaalmondiaal, dedicated to reporting on African football, related issues and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa from an African perspective.

We encourage our readers to follow the 2010 FIFA World Cup through Play the Game’s theme page Visit Play the Game's theme page on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa