You might have heard British journalist Neal Collins on Radio 702 or Cape Talk during the Soccer World Cup or read his stories in the Independent’s newspapers such as The Mercury.The veteran sports writer of top UK papers such as the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard has South African roots – growing up in Centurion and starting his career at SA newspapers – which is how he ended up freelancing more for South African media organisations while covering the World Cup rather than those back at home. Having covered many World Cups and Olympics, Collins tells how South Africa shaped up for the media mob. (The vid below is Neal on his recently published novel, “A Game Apart”, set on the football fields of apartheid South Africa and click here to go his blog.)
GILL MOODIE: You’ve covered World Cups before this – in France in 1998 and Germany in 2001 – so how did this one in SA rate generally? Was it harder or easier to cover? Was it more fun?
NEAL COLLINS: I think the problem was that the British and European journalists were generally taken out of their safety zones… We’ve had rugby and cricket world cups here and many (UK) journalist came out to cover them. But rugby and cricket writers tend to be more middle-class, I guess, and the sport they’re covering is more upmarket and they don’t often have to go to the townships… It struck me that the football writers would have preferred to have been in Germany or France because it’s easier, you move around better, you wouldn’t ever have to confront a shanty town on the side of the road or a taxi driver who doesn’t really know where’s he’s going… But by and large, talking to the English journalists and fans who came here, I think they really enjoyed it… All the way through this (tournament) it was about perceptions of Africa – not just South Africa – and a feverish belief that it would be a crap World Cup and chaotic. I think it turned around and there’s no question that people recognised that South Africa was capable (of hosting a football World Cup).
MOODIE: What was the access to teams and coaches like?
COLLINS: It was horrendous. I don’t think anyone can accuse Fifa of going soft on security. The Leriba Lodge and the Irene Lodge – where the Italians and Americans were staying – were completely closed down with helicopters over them and security guards. You couldn’t even get into the hotels. At other World Cups, the security was less Draconian and you could contact the teams. A couple of times the Argentineans were out in Menlyn Shopping Centre (in Pretoria) and a couple of people saw (Wayne) Rooney out in Kempton Park early on in the competition and got his signature. Although we had a couple of open days (at which the public could watch a team train) – and I went along to the Dutch and Portuguese open days – you saw mounted police and people with machine guns protecting them. It was a bit heavy. You wouldn’t get that in England, I don’t think.
MOODIE: So you found that with the English team too – even though you must have had lot of contacts there?
COLLINS: Of course. You couldn’t get near them but I think they (the team) did that themselves… The lack of access (to teams in general) is definitely one of my big complaints and hopefully in Brazil (at the next World Cup), they will get it right and make sure that the fans will get to see their idols and not just at matches but in training… Click here to read the rest of the interview at journalism.co.za.
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