VOA标准英语2010年-South African Officials Dismiss World

Organizers of football's World Cup in South Africa are dismissing media reports that Friday's attack on the Togolese football team in Angola could affect the sport's biggest tournament when it kicks off in South Africa in June. 

The head of South Africa's Organizing Committee for the football World Cup, Danny Jordaan, is pleading for fairness.  He says the attack against Togo's national team prior to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola had nothing to do with South Africa's ability to hold the World Cup in five months.

"We should not be asked, nor should we be condemned¹ by what happened in a country far away from us, because we do not apply the same standard when we come to any other country," he said.

During a news conference in Johannesburg, he said the attack occurred thousands of kilometers from South Africa in a region where separatist guerrillas have been operating for decades.

He said that is like questioning Germany's ability to hold the 2006 World Cup because of the terrorist bombings in Spain and Britain.

The football community was shocked by the attack on the Togolese team as it traveled by bus Friday from its training camp in Congo Republic to the Angolan enclave of Cabinda.

The team's assistant coach and spokesman were killed in the attack and its back-up goalkeeper is in critical condition after undergoing surgery for his wounds in a Johannesburg hospital.  At least seven other people were also wounded.

The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda claimed responsibility.  For three decades the group has been fighting for independence in the oil-rich territory.

One of its leaders said the target of the attack was not the Togolese team, but its Angolan security escort.  He said the violence would continue if the Angolan government rejected its offer of dialogue.

A second faction² of FLEC also claimed responsibility, but said it was suspending any action during the tournament.

Angolan authorities have tightened³ security in Cabinda and say they have arrested two suspects in the incident.

Monday's opening match in Cabinda between Togo and Ghana was canceled after Togo withdrew to observe three days of mourning.  But the second match between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso went ahead without incident, ending in a nil-nil draw.

Earlier that day, Malawi upset Algeria three-nil in Luanda

World Cup organizers, backed by football's governing body, FIFA, say South Africa will be ready for the event that is expected to draw 400,000 fans from around the world.

Work on five new stadiums and five refurbished arenas⁴ has been completed.  Thousands of new police officers have been recruited and security equipment worth millions of dollars has been bought.

Officials also note the country has hosted dozens of major international sporting events, including the rugby and cricket world cups, the African Cup of Nations and last year's Confederations Cup, without incident.

1 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

2 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

3 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

4 arenas   

表演场地( arena的名词复数 )； 竞技场； 活动或斗争的场所或场面； 圆形运动场

参考例句：

• Demolition derbies are large-scale automobile rodeos that take place in big arenas. 撞车比赛指的是在很大的竞技场上举行的大型汽车驾驶技术表演。
• Are there areas of privacy in the most public of arenas? 在绝大部分公开的场合中存在需要保护隐私的领域吗？