Neil Duffy, Managing Director of Octagon South Africa, made this statement on Tuesday and said that FIFA were aiming for sponsors willing to donate more than R4bn for the opportunity to be associated with the event.

Duffey said, "The total market for sport sponsorship in South Africa is R2bn a year. There are not companies like this in our country that would be willing to donate the amounts FIFA wants.

A conference was held in Johannesburg last year where FIFA explained how sponsorships would work. The host country will no longer be involved because FIFA decided to centralise everything.

Duffey said, "When the Olympic Games were held in Sydney in 2000, 380 sponsors were involved and given those circumstances, a sponsor's impact was watered down.

"FIFA has centralised everything and worked out a detailed plan. Many bigger, but smaller sponsors will get the opportunity to link their names to the World Cup," Duffey said.

Between six and eight national sponsors will be sought on a second tier. They will exclusively be involved in all FIFA's tournaments and activities between 2006 and 2010 in South Africa, but each company will have to give about $17m (more than R100m).

Duffey says a third tier will also be available to suppliers to the World Cup tournament. All the details are not yet known, but it seems as if three or four such sponsors could be involved at between $15m to $20m (R90m to R120m).

These sponsors that FIFA want to include in the 2010 tournament put a new perspective on other big South African sponsorships.

Sasol announced last year that it would sponsor SA rugby to the tune of R120m for six years and the German company T-Systems is sponsoring the America's Cup yachting team sailing Shosholoza to the tune of R100m over the next three years.

"Millions of people throughout the world will watch the 2010 Football World Cup being played in South Africa with the help of the media. It is exposure of this nature that will interest the sponsors," Duffey said.
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