Waghied Misbach
Waghied Misbach
The cabinet has accused the media of "sensationalist" reporting in casting doubt on South Africa's ability to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
"Cabinet noted media coverage which misreported comments on South Africa's hosting of 2010 by the president of Fifa [Sepp Blatter] in a media interview," said cabinet spokesman Themba Maseko yesterday.
Maseko quoted Blatter who said: "We must have the possibility to go somewhere else, but it mustn't be a natural catastrophe."
Maseko pointed out that later Blatter had expressed "unqualified and full confidence in South Africa's ability to host the Fifa World Cup".
"It is regrettable, and in the case of the South African media inexplicable, that Sepp Blatter's unambiguous comments, which were available to the media on the Internet and in the broadcast interview, were misrepresented as Sepp Blatter expressing doubt on our country's capacity to stage the World Cup," said Maseko.
He accused the media of ignoring the facts.
Cabinet calls media 'sensationalist'
Waghied Misbach
Waghied Misbach
The cabinet has accused the media of "sensationalist" reporting in casting doubt on South Africa's ability to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
"Cabinet noted media coverage which misreported comments on South Africa's hosting of 2010 by the president of Fifa [Sepp Blatter] in a media interview," said cabinet spokesman Themba Maseko yesterday.
Maseko quoted Blatter who said: "We must have the possibility to go somewhere else, but it mustn't be a natural catastrophe."
Maseko pointed out that later Blatter had expressed "unqualified and full confidence in South Africa's ability to host the Fifa World Cup".
"It is regrettable, and in the case of the South African media inexplicable, that Sepp Blatter's unambiguous comments, which were available to the media on the Internet and in the broadcast interview, were misrepresented as Sepp Blatter expressing doubt on our country's capacity to stage the World Cup," said Maseko.
He accused the media of ignoring the facts.