Cape Town - Drinks giant Coca-Cola said Wednesday the recent spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa would have no impact on its sponsorship of the 2010 football World Cup, being staged in South Africa. "We are very optimistic about the future of Africa. We work very closely with (world football body) FIFA. We have a very strong view, that this will be a very successful world soccer championship," Coca-Cola chief executive Neville Isdell told the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town.
"We have seen very tragic events over the past weeks, but that will not change our view that it will be a very successful showcase for Africa and soccer in general," he added, saying conflicts were "not unique to Africa."
Dozens of mainly African migrants were killed and hundreds injured in May in attacks by slum dwellers, mainly around Johannesburg.
The attackers accused the migrants of taking their jobs and public housing.
