SA Rugby boss Mark Alexander is correct to play down expectation of SA hosting a World Cup

COMMENT

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander’s reluctance for South Africa to bid for the Rugby World Cup in 2035 shows a firm understanding of the economic reality facing the country.

Every Springbok fan would love to witness 1995 all over again in the Rainbow Country but the bottom line is that South Africa cannot afford to host the tournament.

SA Rugby suffered failed bids for the 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023 tournaments, and last week speculation arose that there would be a local bid for the 2035 event after Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, Deputy Minister Peace Mabe, stated that the government would back a South African bid.

This news came at the same time as the public confirmation that France, the holders of the 2023 World Cup, ran at a mammoth financial loss despite the tournament having been heralded as a sporting success.

France ironically “stole” the 2023 tournament from South Africa. The 1995 World Cup captain Francois Pienaar had headed a bid that seemed watertight and enjoyed a majority backing in the first round of voting, only for France to allegedly make promises to some voter countries. After the second round of voting, South Africa was topped by France.

For France’s “sins”, the Springboks famously knocked them out in the quarter-finals of their World Cup and went on to win a second consecutive world title. Rubbing salt into that French wound is the fact that they suffered losses of nearly R633 million.

It is with this in mind that Alexander is wary of the cash-strapped South African economy taking on a World Cup.

In the Sunday Times at the weekend, Alexander said: “Government has to provide a lot of support by way of infrastructure and security.

"There is also the financial guarantee that has to be provided up front. We had to provide World Rugby with a guarantee of R4-billion when bidding for the 2023 World Cup.”

There would also be the necessity of sprucing up the country’s stadiums, some of which require upgrading.

“We know some stadiums have not been maintained properly,” said Alexander. “It just brings so many other challenges to the country. People think it is just a sports event but so many other things have to be activated.

“I will tell Saru not to do this. There’s other stuff more urgent than the World Cup. We are a third-world country. Our economy is not strong and we have to act responsibly.

“I know our people would love to host the World Cup but for now, with all the challenges we have, we would be putting the country through undue pressure. I know sport does a lot for social cohesion but I think it would be unfair on government to put up guarantees. I think it will be unfair as a sport to put our country through that again.”

Australia will host the 2027 World Cup and the USA the 2031 event. The bidding process for the 2035 World Cup is set to begin in two years times, so SA Rugby, the government and potential sponsors have time to discuss the hosting implications. They can do the sums and discuss the measures that will be required to host a secure World Cup.

But for now Alexander has done the right thing by pouring cold water on South African expectations.