President Zuma visits Wembley Stadium

South African President visits the stadium during state visit to England

Wembley Stadium played host to South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday, as he visited London ahead of his country’s World Cup summer.

President Zuma was in London as part of a three day state visit to England that also saw him take in meetings with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, MPs, peers and Prince Charles.

On Thursday afternoon, President Zuma arrived at Wembley Stadium where he was met by The FA’s Chairman Lord Triesman and England Manager Fabio Capello. Representatives from the England 2018 World Cup Bid also made a presentation to the President and members of his party.

When asked about England's bid President Zuma said: "I'm sure England can win. We believe that England will stage a bid strong enough to compel members of FIFA's executive to give great consideration to them."
 
During the press conference, Lord Triesman revealed that the England squad would provide funding for an English team to participate in the Street Child World Cup in Durban later this month, using match fees from previous international games.

The Street Child team will be represented by the M13 Youth Project, a community based charity in Manchester, that works with young people from one of the top 1% of most deprived areas in England.



During the Wembley visit President Zuma also showed his skill on the pitch by expertly dispatching a penalty in front of a watching Capello, less than 24 hours after England had beaten Egypt by 3-1 on the same turf.

Earlier in the day, President Zuma had met with Brown and activists from the 1Goal charity, who are keen that this summer’s World Cup will leave a lasting legacy for global education.

Representatives of the Charlton Athletic Community Trust who work with six townships in South Africa also presented their projects to the President.