Pro 2010: Making Everyone A Mascot
As the kick-off for the Fifa 2010 Soccer World Cup approaches, the excitement is already mounting. Fans are whipping out the face paint, buying vuvuzelas and warming up their vocal cords in preparation for the first South African Soccer World Cup. At the speed with which tickets are already being sold, it is clear that stadiums will be filled to capacity, so guests should prepare themselves for the experience of a lifetime of unforgettable soccer moments and brace themselves for fans’ ear-deafening passion.
A fluffy, young leopard with a wide smile and green dreadlocks is hardly the animal tourists will expect to encounter on the African continent when visiting South Africa during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. But that very creature, named Zakumi, will be impossible to miss. Word has it that he plans to captivate all visitors to the FIFA 2010 stadiums with his confidence, charm, enthusiasm and uniquely African spirit.
For 40 years, every FIFA World Cup tournament around the world has had its own unique mascot. The first was a lion called World Cup Willie. Willie was the mascot for the 1966 event, hosted by England.
Zakumi, the mascot for the South African 2010 FIFA World Cup, was born on 16 June 1994. This extraordinary leopard seems to already have a bit of a reputation. FIFA has described Zakumi as being “the first on the dance floor and last off it at the biggest party in the world”. But he is far more than just a party animal. With his self-confidence, pride, hospitality, social skills and warm heart, he embodies South Africa and the rest of the African continent.
So what’s the story behind his green dreads? A source has told us that Zakumi has been dyeing his dreadlocks green in order to be camouflaged against the green of the football pitch.
A witty extrovert with a hunger for adventure and football, Zakumi has already travelled the globe: riding on an open-top bus through Luxembourg, joining Spain’s national team at a training session in Brussels, and – of course – visiting every corner of South Africa to drum up excitement ahead of the first soccer World Cup to be played on the African continent.
The spirit of the World Cup is indescribable, transforming front and back yards into impromptu stadiums and streets into carnivals. The passion of South African spectators has already enveloped the country, creating hype like no other. A combination of hysteria, tears, laughter and joy are bound to ensue as the FIFA World Cup finally reaches African soil in 2010. All South Africans are sure to become mascots in their own right, and coupled with Zakumi, to delight both foreign and local visitors.
