and back to politics, did y'all here about the protests going on in Durban and J-burg? the low and underpaid stadium workers started a post-game rally that was closed out with tear gas and typical SAP police brutality. Is it a coincidence that LAPD and SAP are sister agencies
Wed Jun 16 10:01am EDT
Thousands protest against FIFA, World Cup excess
By
Brian Phillips
http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_spor....TmTDD6xhcFCzx
It's a story that's received virtually no coverage in the Western media, but thousands of South Africans
held a march in Durban today to protest against the government's massive spending on the World Cup. They were joined by hundreds of stewards caught up in the ongoing dispute over low wages, which saw
riot police break up a demonstration with tear gas and percussive grenades on Sunday, and which has now spread to five of the ten South African World Cup stadiums. From the
Mail & Guardian, a South African paper:
"Get out Fifa mafia!" chanted the crowds in a Durban park, their ranks swelled by stewards who were involved in clashes with riot police on Monday after protests over their wages.
Monday's protests triggered walkouts by other stewards, which have led South Africa's police to take control at the World Cup stadiums in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Durban.
Ever since it was awarded the staging rights, South Africa's government has faced accusations it should not be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on stadiums when about 40% of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
Spending on the World Cup has cost South Africa around $4.3 billion, a significantly higher figure than was estimated in their initial bid, and due to a variety of factors, early hopes of a financial windfall for the country have largely
been dashed. Ticket sales to foreigners have been slower than expected, and FIFA, thanks to the
concessions it demands from any country that wants to host the tournament, is apparently paying no taxes on the event. FIFA expects its own World Cup profits to approach
$3 billion from television rights alone.
In the meantime, the South African government has asked its citizens to
use less electricity to ensure a smooth power supply for the World Cup.
"We urge our communities and the public at large to continuously reduce their consumption of electricity, and thus ensure that Eskom and other role-players are able to keep the lights on,” Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said.
The minister expressed satisfaction that the stadia hosting the games have not experienced any electricity disruption so far.
Image: Getty Images