Special courts are planned for the 2010 Fifa World Cup Football

Special courts are planned for the 2010 Fifa World Cup Football to deal with offences related to the event, SAPS said yesterday.

"In the case of offences by visitors, these special courts will speedily resolve cases before their departure," Assistant Commissioner Peter Mathogwame said. Locals on the wrong side of the law for World Cup soccer-related misdemeanours would also find themselves in these special courts. "We cannot xpect them (normal courts) to accommodate this overload."

Mathogwame, who is on the national priority committee of the soccer World Cup, said foreign police from countries participating in the event would help the estimated 160 000 local police to be trained for and deployed at venues.

He foresaw SAPS officers ensuring safety at the matches in which their home countries were playing.

"The foreign police played a very important role in Germany (this year)," said Mathogwame. "Where there were problematic supporters, those police already had information on them (the culprits)."


National Intelligence would also help SAPS identify undesirable fans at matches, he said.

Mathogwame expected other countries to offer information on potential trouble-makers from their data bases, or send delegates with the information.

The permanent security structure to be in place to carry out the SA police's mandate to Fifa would also be used for the preliminary draw in 2007, the final draw in 2009, and the general election that year.

SAPS expect the 2010 soccer World Cup to bring about 350 000 people to South Africa.