Who'll foot the bill for political football?

I've been doing my best to ignore those who have been trying to talk up the necessity for a new R150-million "Fifa-approved" soccer stadium in Durban, as well as those who have slammed the proposals as a waste of money. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do so.

The one question I'd like answered above all else is: Who is going to foot the bill not only for demolishing the present Kings Park soccer stadium, but also the subsequent construction of a proposed 55 000-seater complex?

A complete breakdown of all those facts and figures is necessary before anyone can even begin to take it seriously. Only then we can start talking about the merits of erecting a second multi-purpose sporting complex across the road from the city's existing facility.

No doubt, the taxpayers will eventually have to dig deep into their pockets if the project is approved.

That's the way things tend to work; the politicians come up with some hair-brained scheme supposedly aimed at improving the lot of the man in the street and, voila, permission is granted, and everyone associated with the scheme benefits - except those for whom it apparently intended.

Why do we need another ground for international soccer when the present Absa Stadium, with better consultation between soccer and rugby and additional work to provide a more suitable playing surface for soccer, would certainly suffice?

There's also the matter of whether the Unicity of Durban can afford to maintain what would be two complexes competing to host the same round of fixtures, be they sporting events, concerts or political rallies.

Of course, the rationale behind the complex appears to be to boost South African soccer's worst-kept secret - our yet-to-be-announced though everyone-knows-it-already 2010 World Cup finals bid.

We all know what a major economic boost the finals would have on the economy were we to win the bid. But, quite frankly, what's the point of going out and spending exorbitant sums of money on a state of the art stadium for the odd international when some of the city's Castle Premiership sides struggle to find decent training facilities?

Hell, none of them can quite honestly claim to have their own home ground, flitting instead from one temporary abode to the next, depending on which offers the most favourable terms.

No wonder the crowds they draw can often be counted in the hundreds.

And until that nomadic scenario is corrected, the foundations for a South African soccer revival will continue to be stillborn.

Nor do many kids in the townships, where the true passion of the game can be found, have access to anything more suitable than bare patches of ground, which soon become uneven and shorn of grass through constant use.

If the politicians were truly sincere, they would be working behind the scenes to upgrade conditions in communities that need it the most, rather than taking the easy way out and claiming the kudos and headlines for one massive project.

After all, assuming we do win the 2010 World Cup bid, how many of our own people are going to be able to afford to attend matches?

You only have to look at the ticket prices for next year's World Cup finals in Korea and Japan for confirmation that the rich will get richer while the poor continue to suffer.

Ticket prices for the 2002 edition range from $60-200. That amounts to some R480-R1 600 per match, at an exchange rate of eight rand to the greenback. Hardly the kind of spare change which most normal folk can afford to shell out for an afternoon or evening of soccer.

Even the South African Rugby Football Union - without any prompting from Nick Mallett - would probably consider that to be way over the top.

And I haven't even touched on more pressing issues like poverty, unemployment, education or crime.

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