2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa to be granted host status, Nelson Mandela had previously spoken of the importance of football in his life, stating that while incarcerated in Robben Island prison playing football "made us feel alive and triumphant despite the situation we found ourselves in". With South Africa winning their bid, an emotional Mandela raised the FIFA World Cup Trophy. During 2006 and 2007, rumours circulated in various news sources that the 2010 World Cup could be moved to another country. Franz Beckenbauer, Horst R. Schmidt and, reportedly, some FIFA executives, expressed concern over the planning, organisation, and pace of South Africa's
2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL) 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL) The 2017 CONMEBOL qualifiers for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, (natively in Spanish: Eliminatorias CONMEBOL al Mundial de la FIFA de Fútbol Playa Asunción 2017) was the seventh edition of the Beach Soccer World Cup qualification championship contested by the men's national teams of South America to determine the best beach soccer nation on the continent, organised by CONMEBOL. The tournament acted as a qualifying event to the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, with the top three finishing nations progressing to the finals in the Bahamas. The competition took place