FIFA Club World Cup: Cape Town keen to host if SAFA bid is successful

Optimism surrounding the prospect of South Africa swooping in to host the FIFA Club World Cup in December is mounting, with SAFA telling The South African that meetings between its president, Danny Jordaan, and FIFA boss Giovanni Infantino in Lagos last week “went very well”, 

Several of South Africa’s major metros are reportedly set to sit down with the football association to discuss the possibility of hosting some of the tournament’s fixtures, with the City of Cape Town understood to have already engaged with SAFA on the matter. 

The tournament – which was previously – scheduled to play out later this year in Japan before the hosts withdrew over COVID-19 concerns – would see SA welcome some of football’s biggest clubs, including European Champions Chelsea and Pitso Mosimane’s CAF Champions League holders Al Ahly. 

FIFA Club World Cup bid supported by metros

According to the Sunday Times, a source from within the City of Cape Town said that Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato was hesitant to go into details about the City’s engagement’s with South Africa’s football body, but said that the feasibility of hosting such a global event 

“We are keen to explore the potential of hosting such an exciting event, but we would have to receive an official request (from Safa) first,” Plato told the newspaper last week, 

”We will take the request through the City’s internal processes to evaluate the feasibility of hosting it.”

They reported that an insider from the City had also told them that they have already engaged with Safa and it was “now a matter of waiting for Fifa to make their decision”.

Jordaan sits down with Infantino, Motsepe

Jordaan jetted off to meet with Infantino, as well as newly elected CAF boss and compatriot Patrice Motsepe in Lagos last week, where discussions over the bid took place. 

SAFA spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi told The South African that SAFA is confident that SA can host the event, despite lockdown regulations currently prohibiting fans from returning to stadiums. 

“SAFA and the Government are working hand in hand to encourage mass vaccination drive and by so doing, start the process of allowing fans back to the stadias,” he said last week.

“Our target is that by the time Bafana Bafana play Ethiopia next month in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, we should have spectators back in the stadiums.”

Chimhavi said that Jordaan had to cut his trip short in Nigeria because of critical meetings with the health ministry in the coming week.

Late Joburg Mayor indicated support for FIFA Club World Cup bid 

According to the Sunday Times report, Johannesburg Mayor Jolidee Matongo – who tragically passed away in a car accident over the weekend – also indicated that his metro would be keen to host the event. 

“It is also about the fiscus. We can’t just say we’ll do it without assessing our financial position. We can’t just say we’re so excited let’s host it simply because it comes with a lot of benefit. We need to check first if we’ll have the money and all the infrastructure required,”