Fifa's legacy falls apart

[caption id="attachment_35365" align="alignright" width="405"] THE SUNFLOWER: The magnificent Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, overlooking the North End Lake, is still running at a huge loss[/caption]

THE grand legacy left behind in Nelson Mandela Bay after Fifa packed their bags at the end of the 2010 soccer World Cup, is in tatters. Today, four years after the South African showpiece, upgraded stadiums are still under- used and a multimillion-rand hospital upgrade has done little to improve health services, a transport system is in ruins, and a police emergency call centre is unused and shrouded in controversy.

Most of these projects came with a bill of more than R1-billion, with thousands of people pinning their hopes on Fifa improving their lives.

Independent researcher on soccer development Dr Dale McKinley likened the World Cup to a drug.

"The build-up and the event itself gave everyone this massive high. Soccer is globally popular, and everyone got swept up in the hype and the national pride.

"Unfortunately, coming down from that high is never pleasant. When things returned to normal a few months after the tournament, only then did we realise the damage that was done." - Riaan Marais and Tremaine van Aardt