Up Close and Personal with Middle American Irony

ALL OVER THE SHOW. Match Day 10 has come and gone, so too has the second weekend of the tournament, and apparently so too the French. Quelle horror! What a mess!

But first, what a weekend. It started on a Friday evening at Moyo in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg to watch the abject English against the spirited Algerians from Greenpoint on the big screens. 

Abject is a word which has surprising emerged on numerous occasions herein.

You will find it on page two of your English dictionary. According to Oxford it means: ‘1. Terrible and without hope or 2. Without any pride or respect for self.’ An unsettled goalkeeping situation, no left sided midfielder, no reliable partner for Rooney and a centre midfield pairing of Gerrard and Lampard that has never produced the goods. One speculates if Lampard and Gerrard really hate each other and whether their rivalry to be the dominant attacking English midfielder of their generation is at the heart of their dysfunctional relationship? I think they need counselling and Dom Fabio is not the right therapist.

Now we hear of a player revolt, internal debates around tactics and the disruptive influence of John Terry. Eight years on from Japan-Korea where England was worthy quarterfinalists under Sven, and it would appear under Fabio that England have not only failed to move forward but are going backwards. Capello has made poor choices (did he watch Rob Green this season?) and broke his cardinal rules including bring unfit players to the tournament. I have little sympathy left for them and like the rest of the limp continental campaigns, save the Dutch, I hope that Rooney can soon have a nice holiday in the Mallorca with the Mrs. before Man Utd start their campaign in August to win their trophy back.

Enough about England. While chilly, the vibe at Melrose Arch was superb with lots of Americans in attendance in the square and in front of the 360 degrees of televisions around the bars. There was no doubt a bit of irony hearing the middle Americans chanting ‘AL-GERRR-RIA, AL-GERR-RIA, AL-GERRIA.’ Many of these fans had returned from the Friday afternoon fixture at Ellis Park where they were denied what should have been a famous comeback victory by no less than bias refereeing. I am not a US soccer supporter, but I had great sympathy for them, given the dubious decisions and clearly one-sided officiating.

Increasingly, the officiating is leaving much to be desired with ridiculous red-cards (Klose and Kaka can both have gripes) and then the increasing non-calls, such as the two hand balls leading up to Fabiano’s goal against Cote d’Ivoire last night.... (click below to read on)

With the questionable awarding of penalties, the list of poor decisions goes on. I fear for the knock out rounds where you can almost be assured, that incorrect decisions will have an impact on who proceeds in the tournament and who goes home. We knew it after the Hand of Henry, the time has come to introduce technology to assist referring in football. If rugby and cricket can do it, so can football.

Back to the weekend. A four AM departure on Saturday morning from Johannesburg to Durban meant this was going to be a no nonsense roadtrip. Six hours later and 600 kms, and it was to the sunny east coast for Holland v Japan. Holland are probably the most successful footballing nation never to lift the World Cup. Their performance against the Japanese, if not inspiring was effective and they will likely top Group E with the prospect of mouth-watering Round of 16 match against the runner up of Group F – which could be Italy or New Zealand. New Zealand???

From an early afternoon kick off at the awesome Moses Mabhida Stadium draped in Orange, it was a relaxing afternoon by the sea punctuated only by the unfortunate draw between Ghana and Australia. With the wounded Germans to come, the feeling amongst many was that Ghana had squandered an opportunity to ensure African participation in the knock out rounds. With the Cameroon capitulation to the Danes in Pretoria, later that evening, and Ivory Coast’s less than savoury performance against Brazil last night, the Black Stars of Ghana, sadly remain Africa’s last hope of glory at the tournament’s midway point.

After a restful night in Richards Bay, on Sunday, it was one hell of a drive north east along the Swaziland border through Pongola and Piet Retief to eastern Mpumalanga. Seven hours later and we rolled into Nelspruit via the most beautiful landscapes in the outskirts of Barbeton to watch New Zealand v Italy. I can only hope that the visiting fans have the time and space to experience the beauty of South Africa’s landscapes. While the organisation and cordiality of the Mpumalanga traffic police left much to be desired, we eventually arrived in the spanking new Mbombela Stadium at kick-off in the wonderful cheap seats to the left of the Buffon-less Italian goal. While Moses Mabhida and Soccer City can take your breath away due to their shear scale, there is nothing like being up close and personal to the spectacle as provided in smaller stadiums like Peter Mokaba in Polokwane and the Mbombela (not to be confused of course with Bueno Aires’ Bomboniera).

The stadium was packed to near capacity with a small travelling All White contingent from down under and mostly locals South Africans decked out in blue for the Italians. My nephew who is of Italian descent is scathing about the Italian-American soccer supporters in the US describing them as bandwagoners – the types who don’t really care that much about Italian football, but are the first ones to cheer and cheer loudly when the Italians win. One wonders if the same can’t said of some of South African Italian support, as it was surprising to see so many locals supporting the Azzuri. Regardless, they must have left for home disappointed as the holders put up another less than spectacular performance against the battling semi-professional New Zealanders ensuring that Paraguay top the group.

While the Italians may also be looking to book their beach holiday (not with the Rooneys) like the Germans, they historically (with the exception of 2002), ride their luck in some cases all the way to ultimate glory. On second thought, the Dutch who have failed to work through the gears thus far, may not fancy meeting the holders so early in the knock-outs.

I don’t really want to comment too much on Ivory Coast v. Brazil. The ill-tempered nature of the closing minutes including the senseless sending off of Kaka does not bode well for the rest of the tournament. While Kaka was frustrated and not completely without blame, no one likes to see great players sent off inspired by play acting by opponents to the referees. Both the Ivorians and the Brazilians, not to mention the 80,000 plus spectators on a thawing but still cold, Joburg evening deserved better.

Next stop Bloemfontein for tomorrow’s clash between Bafana Bafana and the imploding French. While this match may be a dead rubber with little influence on the ultimate destination of the title, its importance for South Africans should not be underestimated. Uruguay taught Bafana a footballing lesson, but South Africa can still regain some sense of dignity and purpose, beyond being outstanding hosts, with a purposeful display and victory against Les Miserables. The lack of discipline in the French squad with Anelka being sent home, Evra fighting with the coaches and the players refusing to train, means France, like 1914 and 1939 before, is for the taking.

The French have already packed their bags for certain saying au revoir to Pezula in beautiful Knysna and begun to make hotel and dinner reservations in Cannes and Nice. While Bafana Bafana may become the first host nation to fail to reach the knock out rounds, the opportunity still remains to pay-back the country for the massive support they have received. While Mexico and Uruguay will likely play out a gentleman’s draw ensuring they both progress, for South African supporters, the Bloemfontein match, and the nature of the performance in particular, means a great deal. Let’s hope Carlos Alberto Perreira is more adventurous in his approach dispensing with a lone striker and adopt a 4-4-2 formation that plays to South Africa’s attacking instincts and country’s thirst for goals.