南非总统姆贝基称，关于对他的国家没有足够财政以及后勤支援举办2010年世界杯的担忧是毫无根据的。他表示，南非有足够的能力按照国际足联的要求来举办这个从未来到过非洲的赛事。“我们和国际足联关于东道主职责有着详尽深入的讨论，当然也包括财务方面的保证。我们已经做过所有的预算，我们能够达到国际足联的要求。”
他还补充说：“你会惊讶现在在德国有多少南非人，他们付了机票，买票看比赛，住在宾馆里。到2010年，他们还是会很有钱的。”
链接: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fblwc2006wc2010germanysafric&prov=afp&type=lgns
原文:No financial worries about World Cup 2010, says Mbeki
AFP
July 8, 2006
BERLIN (AFP) - South African President Thabo Mbeki has said fears that his country was not financially or logistically equipped to host the football World Cup 2010 were unfounded.
Mbeki said South Africa was convinced it could fulfil all of FIFA's requirements for hosting the event, which has never been held in Africa before.
"We engaged in detailed discussion about what FIFA expected of the host country and that included matters of financial guarantees," he said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Saturday.
"So we have done all of the sums and all of the calculations and we are quite satisfied that we will be able to meet these obligations."
Concerns have been voiced about hosting the world's biggest sports event in a country battling with high crime and lacking in adequate transport infrastructure and hotels.
South Africa also needs to upgrade existing football stadiums and build new ones, as the sport lived in the shadow of rugby during the apartheid era.
The country is budgeting 5.5 billion rand (770 million dollars / 601 million euros) for stadiums and a further eight billion rand to upgrade airports and the public transport system.
Mbeki insisted that the "technical, logistical base for 2010 is quite strong" and said that this year's budget already contained provisions for the the World Cup.
He added that South African officials have spent months in Germany learning from the current World Cup and the German organisers have offered to come to South Africa to help plan the next one.
"Franz Beckenbauer and the others in the German organising committee have said that as soon as the tournament is over here they are ready to help us to prepare for 2010.
"The experience of hosting the cup here in Germany is critically important for us and in this context we will be able to solve problems. We have to draw a great deal from what has happened in this country."
Mbeki said it was not true that South Africans would not be able to attend the football championship in their own country because they are too poor.
"You will be surprised at the number of South Africans who are here now, who have paid the airfare, bought the tickets and are staying in hotels. They will have the money in 2010."
Mbeki is attending the final between Italy and France in Berlin on Sunday.
Asked whether Merkel offered him any personal advice on playing host, Mbeki responded: "We will meet at the match tomorrow and at the end of that perhaps I will ask the chancellor advice on how to carry defeat in the tournament."
Germany lost to Italy in the semi-finals while South Africa failed to qualify.
作者-北京第二外国语学院英语系王帅
责编：卢爽