The business of soccer and television - what's in it?

When the FIFA executive committee voted for South Africa in 2004 to host the soccer world cup in 2010, it marked a new era in South African soccer. Prior to that all-important FIFA vote, some sections of local soccer were already achieving growth on a commercial front. But over the years there has been an outcry that local football, despite being the most popular sport in the country, is still undervalued in terms of the number of sponsors coming on board and what the few that are coming are willing to put on the table. Without a doubt, obtaining the rights to host the first ever soccer world cup in Africa presented a new era for South African soccer and an opportunity to take this product to another level.