On 9 November 2007, the FIFA Emergency Committee lifted the suspension that had been imposed on the Kuwait Football Association (KFA) by the FIFA Executive Committee 11 days earlier (further information on www.FIFA.com).
On 4 November 2007, the KFA extraordinary general assembly had declared that the appointment of the board of directors on 9 October 2007 was null and void. It also fully reinstated the transition committee that FIFA had set up on 12 March 2007.
Furthermore, the KFA agreed to ratify the new statutes approved by FIFA by 26 November 2007. This approval includes, most notably, the decision passed by the FIFA Executive Committee on 27 May 2007, stipulating that the board of directors must comprise five members, namely a chairman, a deputy chairman and three other representatives. Finally, the KFA has pledged to elect a new board of directors in line with its new statutes and FIFA’s decisions.
In the light of this favourable reaction to the situation, the FIFA Emergency Committee decided, at the proposal of the FIFA President and in agreement with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), that it would lift the suspension imposed on the KFA. This decision, however, is conditional upon the commitments made by the KFA being adhered to entirely, otherwise FIFA will immediately suspend the KFA again.

The preparations for the Official 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Stores moved full speed ahead with the appointment of South Africa’s largest retailer, Edgars Consolidated Stores (Edcon), as official operator in the host country. The official event stores will be located in 160 branches of Edgars throughout South Africa. The agreement also includes the right to produce official licensed merchandise for the event. Edgars will act on behalf of FIFA’s master licensee, Global Brands, to ensure that fans and visitors to South Africa can enjoy a foretaste of the excitement of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, which will take place in nine cities across South Africa between 11 June and 11 July 2010.

The prices and categories for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ tickets, as worked out by the ticketing sub-committee set up jointly by FIFA and the South African local organising committee (LOC), were approved by the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup™, under the chairmanship of FIFA Vice-President Issa Hayatou, at its meeting in Durban on 24 November 2007.
Overall, the ticket prices for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ are comparable to 2006 prices, with an average of USD 139 per ticket compared with USD 136 (adjusted for EUR to USD exchange rate conversion) in 2006. The ticketing proposal was worked out jointly by FIFA and the South African LOC. The prices, which range from USD 20 for a category 4 ticket for a group stage match to USD 900 for a category 1 ticket for the final, reflect FIFA’s positioning of the FIFA World Cup™ as a premium international sporting event, yet also take account of the South African market. In 2006, the cheapest ticket cost EUR 35 (approximately USD 51).
Category 4 tickets are to make up some 15% of the total inventory of an estimated 3 million purchasable tickets and will be sold exclusively to those living in South Africa. With these tickets, FIFA and the LOC intend to enable South African residents on low incomes to attend matches.
As well as being a premiere in terms of its setting on the African continent, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will also mark a first with a FIFA-imtiated ticket fund consisting of tickets to be distributed on a complimentary basis.
As part of the overall ticketing operation, 120,000 category 4 tickets will be allocated to this ticket fund, which will offer them to fans in South Africa on a complimentary basis so that they can witness the world’s largest single-sport event at first hand. The ticket fund will consist of a certain number of tickets for all matches, from the opening game right up to the final.
The tickets will be distributed free of charge by FIFA, the South African LOC and FIFA Partners adidas, Coca-Cola, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony and Visa to South African residents through a special programme that will form part of a social responsibility initiative and act as a catalyst for sustainable change.
Tickets will go on sale in several phases, starting around the beginning of February 2009. As in the past, tickets that are not bought by various stakeholders such as FIFA member associations will subsequently be put on sale to the general public.
The 32 participating member associations will be offered 12% of the purchasable tickets for each of their matches (previously 8%) in the group round and an average of 8% in the knockout rounds. While category 4 tickets will be sold exclusively to South African residents, tickets in categories 1, 2 and 3 will be sold on a worldwide basis, both on the international and domestic South African market.