‘Poultry’ news day for World Cup 2010 fans

It seems you can’t move these days without someone having their say on the 2010 World Cup. From politicians to pundits, policeman to players, the tournament is on everyone’s lips. In fact I predict you will be able to gauge how close we are to the World Cup starting simply by recording the rising number of press releases linking this or that group to the event. Here’s an example.

The headline: Soccer World Cup: Good and Bad for Poultry Industry (from The Poultry Site)

Apparently South Africa’s “leading poultry producers have different opinions on how the World Cup will impact their businesses.” Some say the tournament will have no impact, others that sales will rise.

There are references to “the international per capita consumption rate of poultry” and “strategically important partnerships with quick service restaurants like KFC and Nando's”, which tourists are expected to visit in droves.

This suggests the industry doesn’t think much of the culinary habits of football fans.

We also see something about “the correct infrastructure for distribution”, which I think means getting the chicken to hungry fans before they starve or something.

All in all, this is poultry people talking about poultry in a very serious way. Still, I suppose it stops them running around like headless, well, you know what I mean.

And while we’re on the subject of headless chickens, have you heard about the latest wheeze from key World Cup sponsor Anheuser-Busch InBev?

A report out this morning says the makers of Budweiser are to set up “Bud House” just before the World Cup. The “Big Brother style show” will bring 32 fans from the competing nations under one roof in Cape Town. “At the start of the tournament, the 16 female and 16 male participants will sleep in rooms based on the World Cup group phase pools. The two fans of the finalists will get tickets for the match.”

Let’s get something out of the way. I’m sick with envy that anyone could simply be given flights to and accommodation at the world’s premier sporting event without going to the trouble of writing an ill-informed blog post every day for a year. Especially if the “anyone” in question is young, pretty and knows next to nothing about “Soccer”.

Since my entreaties to every corporate giant on the planet have so far fallen on deaf ears (don’t worry fellas, there’s still time), unless I receive all-inclusive World Cup packages which will whisk me and my pals away for a month I will be forced to write ill-informed blog posts about Bud House, but in a way only fans of Frankie Boyle will appreciate. You have been warned.