THE world champions, the Azzuris of Italy, are in South Africa for the Confederations Cup. The tournament starts at Ellis Park Stadium on Sunday with Bafana Bafana taking on Iraq.

THE world champions, the Azzuris of Italy, are in South Africa for the Confederations Cup. The tournament starts at Ellis Park Stadium on Sunday with Bafana Bafana taking on Iraq.

Italy landed at OR Tambo International Airport yesterday and immediately headed for Tshwane, where they will be based during the tournament.

While it has been the norm at other Fifa competitions, Olympics and Commonwealth Games for the media to have access to the participating teams, it is different here in South Africa.

Seven of the eight countries have been arriving in South Africa with only a handful of organising committee officials having access to them at the airports.

A news agency has been hired by the organising committee to cover the arriving teams. As early as last month, the Indian Premier League took place in South Africa and it was a resounding success because everybody was accessible to the media.

Representatives of the committee's media section put the blame on Airports Company of South Africa for refusing to give access to the media.

Go to Heathrow (London), Charles de Gaulle (Paris) or Frankfurt international (Germany), there is no such nonsense.