Johannesburg, July 11: One journalist’s adventurous journey here ended five feet away from the Soccer City turf on Saturday evening after a training session of the Dutch team.
A portly man armed with a video camera was about to step on to the beautiful grass bed of the iconic venue when his luck ran out. A Fifa officer, asked him for his accreditation. The cameraman replied that it was with his friend.
Not convinced, the Fifa official replied: “No problem. Please show me your friend. I want to check your card.”
The journalist was clearly unnerved. The doggedness of his inquisitor made him sweat profusely. He bought some time by rummaging through his bag for the accreditation card. Finally, he gave up. “I don’t have an accreditation,” he said in a low voice.
The Fifa guy was stunned. “I can’t believe it. How did you beat all the security points? You are daring,” he added, before calling out his lady colleague for the impending grilling session.
Fifa’s stringent action on anti-ambush marketing and trespassing made the cameraman a nervous wreck. “I work for a video sharing site like YouTube. I haven’t shot much during the Netherlands’ practice,” he muttered. “You have two options: one is to hand over the tape to me and the other is I hand you over to the police. Take your pick,” the Fifa officer said sternly. He then grabbed the camera and played the tape. “Oh, no. He has set up a mini studio at the stands with expert comments and a PTC. This is a scandal,” he shouted and pulled the tape out of the camera.
The cameraman’s entreaties for the return of the tape fell on deaf ears. The Fifa minder asked the police to take the intrepid intruder outside the stadium immediately.
“Lucky man, you have only lost your tape and not your passport and freedom,” he said. But the climax belonged to the hounded cameraman as he asked the Fifa officer: “Excuse me, don’t you want the tape’s cover? Here it is.”