ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the theoretical issues defined so far by looking at the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, in the context of the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup. The eventful potentialities of the urban do not surface, as either romantic or grand political positions suggest, only in spontaneous, unpredictable and/or politically explicit occurrences such as 'retake the street' parties, clandestine raves, mass demonstrations or indeed revolutions, but can also occur in the accurately pre-planned context of a mega event (ME). The urban always harbours unactualised potentialities, hence the significance of exploring their contingent, conflictual and frictional taking place. Ethnography is a necessity if we are to consistently explore the immersive and tuned materiality of the urban. Local activists have observed the absurdity of such legal provisions, pre-emptively defusing any potential for the ME to act as a global platform for publicising political matters to global media and visitors.
