Only a little more than 100 Saudis have applied and received visas to visit South Africa to watch the 2010 FIFA World Cup, said P. Motsilili, Charge d'Affaires at the South African Embassy here. “We all know that Saudis have great passion for the game of football. The lukewarm response that Saudis have shown for the FIFA 2010 World Cup might be because of the Kingdom's disqualification from the tournament,” Motsilili said. Perhaps another reason for people not opting to travel abroad might be the economic recession that has affected the world, he said. The South African Embassy here received 100 visa applications from Saudi football fans and all of them were granted visas, he said. The South African Consulate in Jeddah also issued some visas for the World Cup tournament, he said, without giving numbers. He said there are no visa restrictions for Saudi nationals wanting to visit South Africa, and that lately, the number of Saudi tourists applying for visas has been on the rise. Motsilili said the South African Embassy has arranged the live telecast of the matches for over 200 people, mostly South African expatriates working in the capital. The embassy will also have a live telecast of the matches on June 15 and 22 when the South African team plays against France and Uruguay on the respective dates. “On July 11 the embassy will invite special guests from the Saudi government, diplomats and other football fans to watch the final event of the World Cup,” he said. Meanwhile, several starred hotels and some coffee shops in the city have made special arrangements with large size television screens for World Cup viewing. Riyadh Marriott has made arrangements for its customers to view World Cup matches live on the large TV screen installed in the hotel lobby. Khaldoun Hayajneh, Riyadh Marriott general manager, said the hotel has created an atmosphere in which football fans can watch and enjoy live coverage of all matches from its lobby. “To create an aura of the tournament we named the lobby ‘The Stadium',” he said. Hotel Al-Khozama announced a similar arrangement for football fans. Hotel Al-Khozama is offering live screenings of all 64 matches, said Randa Saab, the hotel's public relations manager. “A large screen in the Garden Barbeque area will televise all the major evening matches, while afternoon games will be broadcast from the Windrose Restaurant,” she said.
