The combination of fireworks and new lighting effects technology will be celebrated at the closing ceremony of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday night, organizers said.
The ceremony, which will be broadcast to millions of television viewers worldwide, will take place at the Soccer City Stadium from 18:30.
Spokesman Jamain Craig said on Wednesday: “We’re looking at a young and technologically advanced closing ceremony and because it’s in the evening, the event will feature a lot of lighting technology.”
Shakira and local group Freshlyground have confirmed that they will perform their first hit “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” at the closing ceremony.
In the year The official song of the 2010 World Cup has reportedly reached one million sales since its launch on May 11, making it the fastest-selling single and biggest World Cup single in the tournament’s history.
It is not yet known who will hand over the trophy to the winning team as there is no official protocol between President Jacob Zuma or FIFA President Sepp Blatter.
Amazing audience
FIFA announced that since the start of the World Cup, more than three million spectators have attended stadiums across the country.
Football’s governing body said it was the third-highest in the history of the flag, behind only the 1994 and 2006 competitions. “It’s fantastic and we look forward to another chapter as the tournament moves into the final matches,” said spokesman Nicolas Maingot.
The fan fests also continue to be a resounding success and FIFA hope to have recorded five million global wild attendees by the time the tournament closes on Sunday. 49 144 people turned out to watch the game at Cape Town’s Fan Fest on Tuesday night, the Mother City’s highest ever.
The last sign
Fewer than 800 Group One tickets are still available for tonight’s 2006 host Germany-Spain match in Durban, Maingot said. This will be the 21st time the two teams have met, with Germany having a slightly better record with six wins over Spain.
The two teams have met three times at the FIFA World Cup, with Spain yet to come out on top. Die Nationalelf recorded consecutive 2-1 victories in 1966 and 1982.
The two teams last met in the Euro 2008 final, with La Roja winning 1-nil thanks to a Fernando Torres goal. This is the first time that the European Championship finalists have advanced to the semi-finals of the next World Cup tournament. The game starts at 20:30.
