With less than 2 years to go before the first ever World Cup in Africa, the official mascot of the upcoming tournament has been revealed.Zakumi, a cuddly creature with a green afro is to represent the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.The name Zakumi originates from ‘Za’, standing for South Africa and ‘kumi’ which translates to the number ‘ten’ in various languages throughout Africa. The locally designed mascot is believed to be the brand ambassador of the world cup.It’s been projected as a young, vibrant, smart, self-confident and warm-hearted.The reason for choosing the leopard speaks for itself. Africa’s favourite predator, the lion, had already been used by Britain (Willie) and Germany (Goleo) during the 1966 and 2006 World Cups respectively and hence the leopard.

