World Cup Soccer in Africa: Who Really Wins?

In this polemic documentary, filmmaker Craig Tanner argues that bringing the 2010 World Cup to South Africa was a moral and economic mistake. Indeed, World Cup Soccer in Africa: Who Really Wins? goes to great lengths to detail various crises—chronic poverty and unemployment, the threat of HIV/AIDS, and rising crime rates—while asking whether South Africa was wise to spend its resources on the construction of nine soccer stadiums for a month-long sports event instead of investing in both its people and troubled infrastructure. Along the way, FIFA (the international governing board for the World Cup) comes under heavy criticism for making what are described as impractical and expensive demands on the host country. Interviews with ordinary citizens, politicians, sports figures, and celebrities such as former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu reveal a range of opinion. Of course, the film's point is somewhat moot now: South Africa turned out to be a fine venue, as fears of violence and tumult turned out to be unfounded, and prominent supporters appeared to be prescient in their declarations that the World Cup would cast the nation in a favorable light on the world stage. Nonetheless, the documentary raises a valid point that the focus on sports spectacle ultimately obscures pressing sociopolitical issues. DVD extras include extended interviews with Tutu and soccer player Jomo Sono, as well as a featurette on the work of political cartoonist Zapiro. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)