For two seasons running South Africa may find herself hosting two FIFA major tournaments, and this information was revealed by the South African Football Association NEC member, Obakeng Molatedi, that Durban stands a good chance of hosting both the opening and the final game of the competition.
Molatedi, who's the SAFA's chief representative in the 2009 FIFA World Cup Beach soccer qualifying games currently played in Durban for the fourth consecutive year, has broadly pronounced that the country's football-controlling body was fully supportive of the intentions to lobby FIFA for the 2011 World Cup Beach soccer finals to be staged in the country.
The South African 2010 Local Organising Committe has pencilled one of the semi finals to be hosted at the Moses Mabhida Stadium next year during the FIFA World Cup soccer finals.
Beachsoccer Worldwide Media Officer Hans van Damme informed this writer that applications for the 2011 hosting rights had opened in Barcelona, Spain last month.
He further explained that the deadline to receive application was set for March 2010 and already five beach-soccer playing nations had submitted their proposal.
"South Africa will be facing stiff competition from other five beach-soccer playing nations as they intend to bid for the 2011 FIFA World Cup Beach soccer finals. The name of the country awarded the hosting rights will be announced in July 2010" said van Damme.
The person spearheading the campaign to host the beach soccer finals in South Africa is none other than that former South African goal-scoring machine Mark Williams.
This soccer personality's football conquests, among others, are the two memorable goals he scored against Tunisia national teamduring the South African national team historic African Nation's Cup victory at Ellis Park Stadium in February 1996.
That victory had made Bafana Bafana national team the number one continental team, and also spurred the country to occupy a FIFA Top 20 rating throughout the world.
"Together with the South African beach soccer administrators, in particular the city of Durban, we intend to bid for the 2011 World Cup beach soccer finals and we stand a good chance to be awarded the hosting rights as Durban was proving itself as the 'Capital of African beach soccer' over the past four years.
We're presently grooming a generation of young beach soccer stars by conducting coaching clinics with kids ranging from 11-17 years as we want to develop a culture of beach soccer as a long-term sustainable programme" explained Williams.
However, what might prove a stumbling block to FIFA awarding South Africa the hosting rights for 2011 beach soccer finals is the fact that the country presently do not have a formal beach soccer league, compared to the other nations bidding to host the beach soccer spectacular.
But the SAFA NEC member, Molatedi, assurred this writer that 'establishing national beach soccer league was work in progress', and further stated that the eThekwini Municipality city fathers were the first to submit proposals to the SAFA headquarters.
Meanwhile, the third day of the FIFA World Cup Beach soccer qualifying games saw Nigeria being the first time to qualify for for the semi finals by beating Egypt with 6-5 scoreline.
Senegal, who had beaten Mozambique 10-0 in last year's corresponding fixture, again thumped Mozambique with a narrow 3-2 victory to qualify for the semies.
South African national team, aptly called 'Banana Banana' continued to embarras hundreds of supporting fans when they were defeated by Cote D'Ivoire 6-7 in extra time.
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