Soccer World Cup South Africa 2010: Playing the Security Game

The author argues that while South Africa possesses the political will and capability to react to security threats during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it suffers from a lack of proactivity in counter-terrorism intelligence. This vulnerability is attributed to the politicisation of intelligence services and a sense of complacency following previous successful sporting events. The document identifies two primary security dimensions: high levels of violent criminality, exacerbated by porous borders and unemployment, and the risk of terrorism, noting that sports events are 'magnets' for such attacks. The author calls for an urgent overhaul of intelligence services, the replacement of political appointees with professionals, and improved national and international cooperation to prevent potential outrages.

• Security concerns for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are divided into two distinct dimensions: criminality and terrorism.
• South Africa's high rates of violent crime, combined with porous borders seeing up to 10,000 undocumented migrants weekly and limited job opportunities, make a spike in crime during the World Cup likely.
• While South Africa can react professionally to security events, its counter-terrorism intelligence is not sufficiently proactive due to the politicisation of intelligence services and complacency from hosting previous events like the 1995 and 2003 World Cups and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
• To mitigate risks, South Africa must replace political appointees in intelligence services with professionals, conduct vulnerability wargaming, and improve cooperation at national, regional, and international levels.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2010). Soccer World Cup South Africa 2010: Playing the Security Game. https://saiia.org.za/research/soccer-world-cup-south-africa-2010-playing-the-security-game/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Soccer World Cup South Africa 2010: Playing the Security Game. 2010. https://saiia.org.za/research/soccer-world-cup-south-africa-2010-playing-the-security-game/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Soccer World Cup South Africa 2010: Playing the Security Game |date=24 February 2010 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/soccer-world-cup-south-africa-2010-playing-the-security-game/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2010soccer, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Soccer World Cup South Africa 2010: Playing the Security Game}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2010}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/soccer-world-cup-south-africa-2010-playing-the-security-game/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }