ECI Frank Lichte presents... The World Cup Blog 2010

The Finale

2010-07-12T14:14:00.005+02:00

Last night at Soccer City Stadium, ECI crew were there at the final match between Netherlands vs. Spain. We were extremely excited about the match itself as well as the closing ceremony. We also spotted many VIP people including Nelson Mandela, President Zuma, Queen Sofía of Spain, etc.

All in all it was a really nice WC 2010 final, although we had to wait until 116 minute to see the goal from the champion team - a.k.a. España.

Now we can proudly say that "We were there!"

Durban 07.07.2010

2010-07-08T14:39:00.000+02:00

Leaving for our trip to Durban, we were all equally excited: three Germans, three Spanish supporters - it promised to be an exciting game.

The atmosphere at the game was amazing from the start till the end and whas fair as to acknowledge the Spanish team as worthy winner and everybody celebrated this great night in Durban with enthusiasm!

Buenos Dias Argentina!!!

2010-07-04T12:01:00.000+02:00

Another big Step of World Cup History was seen by ECI in Cape Town on July 3^rd when Germany sent home the Argentinian squad around famous Diego Armando Maradona.

After sending Home the Three Lions it is useless to say that ECI had a blast in the City of Hope,- also the Headquater of ECI.

"The sweet revenge for 1966" - ECI was there

2010-06-28T18:23:00.021+02:00

On June 27th ECI, represented by the German fraction Frank, Marius and David, took their way down to Bloemfontein to see the World Cup Classic Germany vs England. We expected a fabulous match but what we actually saw was more than we could have imagined,- the historical 4-1 win over the Three Lions. Both sides celebrated the match before and after the match at the Bloemfontein Waterfront and we must clearly admit that England Fans are really fair Gentlemen looking at a historical loss against their biggest opponents.

Three Lions fans know best how to prepare for a Germany Match.

The Bloemfontein Waterfront was the place to be with our partying English friends at wonderful 22°C

Also Bundesliga Coaching-Legend Hans Meyer came to Bloemfontein to watch the historical spectacle.

On our seats we had a premium view on the “revenge for 66”.

" footballs coming home"- may be next time

Brasil - Côte d'Ivoire in Soccer City

2010-06-21T10:10:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, the Event Consulting International team attended the Brasil - Côte d'Ivoire game in Soccer City to see for themselves in which shape Kaka & Co. are at the moment - and they were not dissappointed! Luis Fabiano scored twice and Elano was responsible for the third goal of the Brasilians. Didier Drogba gave the fans of the Ivory Coast reason to cheer in minute 79 with a beautiful header. 85000 people celebrating soccer in Soccer City - what an experience!

Visit of Kay Dammholz

2010-06-21T09:52:00.002+02:00

Kay Dammholz, Vice President of the DFL Sports Enterprises and Ex-ECI-employee in Spain, paid a visit to the ECI headquarters last Wednesday. He came to South Africa on the occasion of presenting the new ball of the German Bundesliga for the 2010/2011 season at a press conference.

ECI transports ADIDAS

2010-06-16T14:44:00.005+02:00

ECI is proud to have been of service to ADIDAS for the last couple of days. Our drivers were happy to transport celebrities such as Gerd Müller, Uwe Seeler and football legend Rudi Völler, whom you can see in the picture with our driver Xander.

Miss Thailand World Cup 2010

2010-06-16T14:38:00.002+02:00

Our project manager, Thita has been interviewed by a Thai TV, at Serbia-Ghana match. She has just officially become one of the contestants of Miss Thailand World Cup 2010. The winner will be decided at the end of the World Cup. Hopefully, she will make us proud :D

Either you love them, or you hate them!

2010-06-15T16:57:00.003+02:00

This cheap plastic instrument is one of the biggest topics of discussion in the 2010 World Cup. The Soccer Buzz has literally left numerous fans’ ears buzzing from the noisy trumpets on and off the pitch, and many people say the Vuvuzela is the real symbol of the first African World Cup – forget about Zakumi! On the other hand, many fans as well as stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have complained that the constant noise hampers the communication among players on the pitch. Earplugs are sold out, but also the Vuvuzela’s sales figures rise constantly – fans all over South Africa can’t live with or without them!

Thomas Berthold’s Visit

2010-06-10T09:06:00.003+02:00

The ECI team was recently visited by the famous German World Cup champion Thomas Berthold. The man who perfected the game of soccer and participated in the Soccer World Cup numerous times is now Managing Director of ECI’s partner VIP Hospitality Solutions and paid a visit to the ECI headquarters directly after arriving at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. Meeting someone of that stature put the entire ECI team in the soccer spirit!

USA VS. Australia 05.06.2010

2010-06-09T13:00:00.004+02:00

On that day we went to see the game between USA VS. Australia at the Ruimsig Stadium in Roodepoort. The match wasn't open to the public but luckily we managed to get some tickets. We enjoyed the sunny day with our friends from GRS and cheered for the USA who won 3-1.

Grassroot Soccer Project

2010-06-02T11:16:00.006+02:00

We are proud to confirm our involvement with Grassroot Soccer, a FIFA project to bring unprivileged kids to the World Cup matches all over the country.

The tickets are sponsored by the Sony Ticket Fund and the preparation is on as you can see on the photo.

Every organisation that we are dealing with has an interesting story to tell and is caring for kids in different ways.

Our task: 10.000 kids to 9 stadiums - what a challenge! We will try our best...

ECI prepares for the World Cup

2010-05-20T12:00:00.004+02:00

It´s the final countdown: In 2 weeks the World Cup starts at last. Everyone is preparing themselves for this unique event and so does ECI. The planning process is now entering its final stage, venues are being inspected and the staff is being trained. ECI also prepares personally: South African flags were bought, the official tricot of Bafana Bafana is already in our closet and all of us are proudly holding tickets in their hands - and we hope that we can see a match.

Public Viewing

2010-05-19T13:52:00.001+02:00

Not all fans will be able to get their hands on coveted 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tickets, but they'll still be able to experience the biggest soccer extravaganza in Africa at live Fan Fests - official public viewing events - in all nine host cities.

Millions of fans are expected to watch the matches live and experience the unique World Cup ambience in these outdoor areas. Entrance to the Fifa Fan Fest™ is free, with all 64 matches to be broadcast on giant screens in a safe and secure environment.

Hotspots will be amongst others the Long Street in Cape Town or Monte Casino in Johannesburg – see you there!

Soccer City 15.05.2010

2010-05-17T01:42:00.001+02:00

On Saturday morning, we decided to pay a visit to Soccer City, the largest stadium in Africa with a capacity of 94,700.

We were amazed by the size of the arena and wanted to take a tour which gives you the possibility to see, amongst other things, the VIP area and the changing rooms. Unfortunately we were told that the tours are booked out until further notice, which left us with the idea of taking a walk around the stadium. Its red, black, grey and white tiles where glimmering in the sunshine and although we could not see the interior (though we tried to bribe the security staff ;)) we enjoyed our visit to Soccer City.

Soweto

2010-04-19T15:26:00.002+02:00

On April, 17th we went to Soweto to do a bicycle tour through Africa’s largest

township. It took us a long time to find the starting point and although we were driving through the township with some inhibitions, a friendly black man who had seen us passing his house more than five times helped us lost tourists out.

Once the ice was broken we were ready to experience Soweto at its best: nice guides, welcoming people and sweet kids! A hearty “huola huola” (“hello”) and a cool “sharp sharp” (“okay”) were always met with a smile and a greeting back and we were glad we took the bicycle and not one of the big tourist busses, which allowed for us to bond with the locals more.

Rugby

2010-04-18T15:32:00.001+02:00

Our breath-taking visit to Soweto was followed by an amazing rugby-game at the World Cup Stadium Ellis Park. The Lions, Johannesburg’s local team, played the Sharks from Durban who came with a lot of fans which put the audience in a euphoric spirit. The fact that also our team was split in two camps heated up the atmosphere and the game was suspenseful until the last second, when the Sharks finally sealed the win.

Ellis Park was the second World Cup Stadium we saw as on March 13th we watched the Bulls destroy the Highlanders from New Zealand in their home stadium Loftus Versfeld in Tshwane/Pretoria. None of us knows a lot about rugby so we enjoyed to get more familiar with this sport!