Nelson Mandela Expected to Present World Cup 2010 Trophy

Former South African President, Nelson Mandela (R), is expected to attend the World Cup award ceremony. Photo by EPA/BNES

Former South African President Nelson Mandela is expected to present the world cup trophy to the winner of the final match Sunday night.

Media reports say that legendary long-time anti-apartheid campaigner is supposed to and is actually eager to attend the World Cup award ceremony after the final face-off between the Netherlands and Spain.

Several hours before the match, however, a grandson of the 91-year-old President said, as cited by the BBC, that Mandela was being treated by the World Cup organizers like “a rock star” and that he was put under a lot of pressure to attend despite his health problems.

Thus, it remains uncertain till the last minute whether Mandela will present the World Cup to the winners.