Related Content World Cup here we come

THE Japanese soccer team will be based in George for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, hopefully bringing along a large fan base that will boost tourism in the region.

Japanese National Football Association president Motoaki Inukai made the announcement on a whirlwind trip to George after attending Japan’s friendly match against Bafana Bafana in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

He inspected accommodation facilities at the Fancourt Hotel and the practice pitch at Outeniqua Park stadium.

“Team coach Takeshi Okada chose George because of its safe and beautiful environment, which will enable players to concentrate on practising for their matches,” he said.

Inukai was “honestly surprised” by his impressions of South Africa, which was portrayed in the Japanese media as unsafe.

“I know now why he (Okada) liked George on his first site visit. It is very different from the image we had before we came here.”

Eden District Mayor Leon Dorfling, who is championing Eden’s involvement in 2010, told Inukai Eden would not compromise on the safety of visitors.

“This announcement is music to our ears. Eden and George municipalities are very proud to host Mr Inukai here today and we want to assure him that the Garden Route has excellent infrastructure in a very safe environment. We are also not compromising on safety and security,” he said.

The district was working closely with national and provincial government and other role players to integrate public safety plans for the World Cup.

Eden acting municipal manager and 2010 manager Morne Hoogbaard said Inukai’s announcement was the culmination of a very committed approach by the Eden 2010 team to ensure that the district benefited from the World Cup.

Hoogbaard said Eden was the first district in the country to commit significant resources towards positioning the region as a destination of choice for teams and fans.

“The Japanese soccer team is known to travel with a large following of about 22000 supporters, and although not all of them will stay in Eden, this will leave a long-term legacy for business and tourism,” he said.

George mayor Flip de Swardt said it would be an honour to host the team.

George was highlighted in the Japanese media in 2005 when golfers Ai Miyazato and Rui Kitada won the Women’s World Cup of Golf hosted by Fancourt.

According to Inukai, their win was a “lucky omen” and he hoped the luck would continue to ensure the Japanese won the World Cup.