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Hundreds of South Africans have been able to see - but not touch - the FIFA World Cup trophy for themselves after it was unveiled in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, on Friday morning.
According to Eyewitness news, officials from FIFA and the City of Cape Town officials were present at the event, held at the OR Tambo Sports Complex, which marked the start of the trophy's tour of South Africa.
The cup will be at Athlone, the Waterfront, Worcester, Paarl and George as it moves through the Western Cape. By the end of the month-long tour it will have visited 32 cities, towns and villages.
The trophy has also been on a worldwide tour of 86 countries, and has been held by 37 heads of state - including former South African president Nelson Mandela, who got to touch the trophy in Johannesburg yesterday.
Fifa rules state that only heads of countries and members of the winning team and coaches were allowed to touch the trophy. Liberia's Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was the first woman to touch the trophy.
According to tweets from BBC journalist Jonah Fisher, crowds of local residents lined up to catch a glimpse of the trophy.
FIFA.com spoke to Vuyo Maqebelo, a university student, who summed up the crowd's feeling: "It's a privilege. You can feel it now. We are prepared.
Another supporter added: I cannot explain what I feel. When I won the chance to take my photo with the trophy, my children were so jealous!'
"When you come to the arrival of the Trophy and the teams then you know that the game is on,' said Danny Jordaan, CEO of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.
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