Media Accreditation Deadline Looms for 2010 FIFA World Cup Final Draw

FIFA has issued the following information on the process to be followed and on events surrounding the draw which will be televised live around the world from the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

In addition to the activities highlighted below, Capetonians and visitors can enjoy a day of festivities in Long Street on 4 December in the hours leading up to the Final Draw at 7pm.

A FIFA media accreditation workshop will be held in Cape Town on 22 October 2009. Invitations have been sent out under a separate e-mail.

OC Media Information: Media accreditation for the Final Draw
FIFA is pleased to announce that the accreditation process for media representatives who intend to cover the Final Draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa? in Cape Town started on 1 October 2009 via the FIFA Media Channel. The deadline for accreditation applications is 30 October 2009.

The draw event will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) in Cape Town, South Africa on 4 December 2009. Media-related information for the draw, i.e. media accommodation, media facilities and activities throughout the draw week will be published on the FIFA Media Channel.

Thereafter, the applicant's information will be subject to a review process by FIFA, the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup, as well as the mandatory security screening conducted by the South African National Intelligence Agency. Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail.

Main media activities during the Final Draw week:

02 December 2009

• 11:00 Media conference following the meeting of the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup at the media centre in the Cape Town International Convention Centre
• 14:00 Mayoral welcome at the Green Point Stadium - the first official event at the new FIFA World Cup stadium

03 December 2009

• 10:00 FIFA Executive Committee meeting on Robben Island

Please note that due to limited capacity, a special registration will be required. Further details will be provided on the FIFA Media Channel in due course.

It was on Robben Island where, for many years, political prisoners had to fight for the right to play football, with men secretly playing the game in their cells with balls made of pieces of paper, cardboard and rags tied together with string. The island's authorities finally gave in, granting inmates the right to play football in 1965. The prisoners then built their own goals and would swap their drab prison garb and play in the colours of their teams on Saturdays. The Makana Football Association was founded on Robben Island in 1969. It was a football association which adhered strictly to the FIFA Statutes and principles and the Laws of the Game. On 18 July 2007 the Makana FA became the first FIFA honorary member association.

04 December 2009

• 09:00 Team seminar (open to TV crews/photographers for the first five minutes) at the CTICC
• 09:00 - 12.00 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bidding Country Media Expo (see details below)
• 19:00 Worldwide broadcast of the Final Draw, followed by a mixed zone and a Host City exhibition

05 December 2009

• 10:00 - 11:00 Opening of the first Football for Hope Centre in Khayelitsha
• 12:00 - 18:30 First World Press Day at the CTICC to provide media with first hand information on the preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup? and the host country
• 19:00 World Press Day Media Party

2018/2022 FIFA World Cup Bidding Country Media Expo
Within the context of the Final Draw, FIFA has organised a media event in which the 11 bidders for the 2018 and/or 2022 FIFA World Cup (Australia, Belgium-Netherlands, England, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Mexico, Qatar, Spain-Portugal, Russia and the USA) will be able to present their bids to the international media. This event will take place at Workshop 17 (V&A Waterfront) from 09.00-12.00 on 4 December 2009 and will include interview opportunities with representatives of the bidders. Media transport will be arranged from the media hotels and the CTICC to Workshop 17.

Please note that this event is independent from the Final Draw and that a separate media accreditation will be required to access the event. The accreditation procedure for this bidders media event will be conducted via the FIFA Media Channel, where a specific accreditation form will be available from 1 October to 30 October. More information will be published on the FIFA Media Channel in due course.

For further information on the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, please visit the competition's official webpage on fifa.com

FIFA Media Channel
Media representatives who have not already registered for the FIFA Media Channel can do so at media.fifa.com

The FIFA Media Channel is the primary communication channel between FIFA, the local organising committee of each FIFA competition and the media. This password-protected online service is designed to provide media professionals with details on activities, including press conferences, team training sessions and other media resources, information on competition media facilities, including stadium media centres (SMCs), ticketing, FIFA and LOC media contacts, and any special media announcements.

Approval to access the FIFA Media Channel does not mean you have been granted accreditation. The media accreditation process for any FIFA competition requires the completion of an accreditation form via the FIFA Media Channel that is specific to the event.

Issued by:
Communication Department
City of Cape Town