World Cup BLOG

That's A World Cup Wrap

2010-07-13T16:09:00.045+02:00

Best Stadium

For sheer design value and welcoming atmosphere, I would say Moses Mahbida in Durban gets my vote.

The only shortcoming of this stadium, that I realized most during the Semi-final is the distance to the field when you are sitting behind the goal.

Even Soccer City provides one with greater proximity to the pitch for these category 4 seats.

In terms of spectator value from the cheap seats, it is difficult to beat the vantage point achieved at Ellis Park where at times you feel you are right on top of the pitch.

Bloemfontein deserves a shout out in terms of the waterfront shopping mall that leads into the stadium and the generally friendly vibe.

Similarly, the fan walk in Greenpoint was probably the most fan centric venue during the pre-match build up.

The new stadiums of Nelspruit and Polokwane, while I fear these may become white elephants, were excellent venues to see Italy and France go down and were more than suitable.

Best Roadtrip

On June 17th, near the conclusion of the Argentina v South Korea match at Soccer City, which despite not scoring a goal, Lionel Messi dominated, I was convinced by some French volunteers to drive to Polokwane, about 300 plus kilometers away from Soweto to watch France v Mexico.

It was a very cold evening in the Limpopo province, but who could give up the chance of this rare World Cup doubleheader.

Having always supported the French teams of Platini and Zidane, one always felt that this current French addition was like the Titanic, waiting for their iceberg.

The Mexicans and their terrific traveling supporters provided such the tonic and thoroughly dispensed with the French ensuring their passage through the knock out rounds and setting up the French implosion to come in the run up to the Bafana Bafana match the following week.

Best Visiting Supporters

Sombreros off to the Mexicans. At every ground we went to, regardless of who was playing we saw Mexican fans who showed the fact that they like to travel and have a passion for the game which goes beyond the support for their side.

Unlike the Brazilians, the Argentineans and to a certain extent the Dutch, the Mexicans had none of the arrogance of entitlement – that expectation that their team must and should win.

The Mexicans, passionate and devoted, were happy to see their team progress and with their wrestling masks and Azteca gear where colour, loud and fun.

An honorable mention goes to the Chilean brigade whose ropey run into the knock out rounds ensured, their travels continued into the tournament’s second half.

Best Group Match

This is a very difficult call.

Probably Bafana Bafana v France, while it was largely a dead rubber, had us believing for a minute, that Bafana could actually get through the knock out rounds on goal difference.

The atmosphere in Bloemfontein was electric and it was great to see the French go down.

Best Overall Team Performance in a Match

While it will go down as a disappointing tournament for them, the Selectao of Brazil played absolutely sublime football in demolishing Chile in the Round of 16 at Ellis Park.

Having seen Chile play Spain more closely a few nights early, we were lulled into the false belief that all was rosey in the Brazilian camp and they would glide into the finals dispatching the Dutch and another other followers along the way.

How different the World Cup would have been.

Brazil were devastating on the night and in retrospect, while the Dutch deserved to be in the final, one can’t help thinking that Spain v Brazil was the dream final that the tournament deserved.

Best Knock Out Round Match

While Ghana v Uruguay had the most incidents, the final result left too bitter a taste.

I therefore have to go for Rustenburg and the Round of 16 - Ghana v USA.

I owe much to the USA as the place of my childhood including were I learned to play and love soccer but I have never had much an attachment to the national team.

I wish them well, but they do not inspire me.

Ghana on the other hand, caught our imagination this tournament and promised so much including a dramatic hard fought and deserved victory of the USians.

It was a night for the Stars, as Mick Jagger and Bill Clinton were in the house in this dusty north west town 2 hours outside of Johannesburg.

What a night as the Black Stars prevailed!

Best Goal

While Diego ‘the heartbreaker’ Forlan was devastating in his strikes I witnessed notably at Loftus against South Africa and at Soccer City against Ghana in the quarterfinals from a free kick, the best goal for me was Maicon’s near post strike against the North Koreans.

We were right on top of the corner flag on the side of the pitch where Maicon made his lightening run and watched events unfold as he beat the Korean keeper for pace on his near post the ball somehow swearving into the side netting.

Brilliant Maicon!

Special mention must also go to Tshabalala who opened the tournament's scoring on June 11th with a wonder strike against the Mexicans in the upper left hand corner.

It was such a pity Bafana Bafana was unable to hold on to that lead that opening day, how things could have been different.

I contend that the ball, Jabulani was perfectly fine.

How could Diego Forlan keep it down so well when other were ballooning their efforts. And the Blue Samurais with their free kick goals didn’t have a problem keeping the ball down. The problem with the ball was a lot of hype as far as I am concerned.

Best Players of the Tournament

Diego Forlan deserves all the kudos he is getting. His scissor kick in the 3rd place match against the Germans, showed his consistency throughout the tournament and his ability to score different types of goals, whether it be his penalty against Bafana Bafana, to the free kick against Ghana he consistently delivered through the entire competition.

A special mention to David Villa and his soul patch, he is a gutsy player and his endeavor and fox in the box predator approach, helped Spain out of a few tight spots.

In terms of all around midfield play, you have to give credit to Schweinsteiger and Sneider for their over all box to box play, including Sneider for his contribution in front of goal.

Given the progression of the Spanish to the final, it would be hard to dispute the incredible contribution of Xava and Iniesta and the manner in which they keep control and dictate play.

They dominated the Germans and despite van Bommel best efforts to kick and disrupt them, they got the better of the Dutch in the end.

At the back, I am a big fan of Diego Lugano the captain of Uruguay. He plays with heart, leads from behind by example and helped inspire his team to make an unlikely semi final run.

Maicon remains the best fullback in the competition, a total footballer in defense and attack, and in goal it is difficult to take anything away from Iker Casillas, whose foot save alone on Robben, saved Spain the ignominy of going down to an inferior team.

Best Young Player

I think the trio of Khedira, Ozil and Muller of Ze Germans must get the nod as the outstanding young players of the tournament.

Muller of course, was known to those who watched Bayern Munich, but I don’t think his pre tournament billing could come close to what he achieved in this tournament.

Muller may have been the difference for Germany in the Durban semifinal, and certainly, his second yellow card against Argentina was one of the most unfortunate decisions of the knock out rounds.

Most Dramatic Moment

Every World Cup has that one moment, that will live on infamy.

The Zidane headbutt in 2006, the Maradona hand of god in 1986, England’s not over the line goal in 1966.

For South Africa, 2010, that moment was the Suarez handball that denied Ghana automatic passage at the end of extra time and ensuring Africa’s first semifinalist.

The Ghana v Uruguay match was both the emotional high and low of the tournament.

Gyan should have made his penalty, Suarez became a hate figure here in South Africa and the bitterness of disappointments of World Cups past all came back to the memories to haunt us.

Best pre-match meal

The Durban semi-final.

Cape Town Fishmarket at the Sun Coast Casino, salmon teriyaki, yum!

It beat the rubbish were forced to eat the stadiums.

What Made it All Worthwhile

Spending precious time with my brother Nikhil and my nephew Andrew and my generous friends, Ebrahim, Mick, Nina, Rika, MS, Adam and Anita.

Thanks for making it all such an incredibly memorable time. And to Ashley for supporting this blog!

As David Byrne sang... once in a lifetime ...

Matches Attended

1. June 11, Soccer City – Bafana Bafana v Mexico (1-1)

2. June 12, Rustenburg – England v USA (1-1)

3. June 13, Durban – Germany v Australia (4-0)

4. June 15, Ellis Park – Brazil v North Korea (2-1)

5. June 16, Loftus – Uruguay v Bafana Bafana (3-0)

6. June 17, Soccer City – Argentina v South Korea (4-1)

7. June 17, Polokwane – Mexico v France (2-0)

8. June 19, Durban – Holland v Japan (1-0)

9. June 20, Nelspruit – New Zealand v Italy (1-1)

10. June 22, Bloemfontein – Bafana Bafana v France (2-1)

11. June 23, Soccer City – Germany v Ghana (1-0)

12. June 25, Loftus – Spain v Chile (2-1)

Round of 16

13. June 26, Rustenburg – Ghana v USA (2-1)

14. June 27, Bloemfontein – Germany v England (4-1)

15. June 28, Ellis Park – Brazil v Chile (3-0)

16. June 29, Cape Town – Spain v Portugal (1-0)

Quarterfinals

17. July 2, Soccer City – Ghana v Uruguay (1-1)

(Uruguay on penalties 4-2)

18. July 3, Ellis Park – Spain v Paraguay (1-0)

Semifinals

19. July 7, Durban – Spain v Germany (1-0)

Final

20. July 11, Soccer City – Spain v Netherlands (1-0)

WHY THE WORLD CUP DIDN'T MAKE SA R93BN RICHER

2010-07-12T23:13:00.003+02:00

by Terry Bell

The recent claim by government that R93 billion was “pumped into the domestic economy” was probably correct — and downright misleading. The implication was that the country is now R93 billion richer. It is not. Far from it.

This proclaimed boost to the economy is an estimate of the total amount spent on mounting the World Cup. Some of this was in infrastructure upgrades that were essential and would, in any event, have been necessary; at least a third of the amount is accounted for by the cost of building new stadiums and in stadium upgrades, something that is highly controversial in the sense of necessity or future viability.

But in proclaiming this expenditure as a massive boost to the national economy, the government was merely following the standard — and frankly crazy — method of relating economic growth to both income and expenditure. As a result, for example, an increase in insurance company revenues — the consequence of a rise in the levels of crime — counts on the credit side of the economic growth balance sheet. Crime should, therefore, be listed as a significant contributor to our modern concept of economic growth.

So, if economic growth is inherently good, should we not be encouraging crime, at least of the non-violent variety?

But then, increased retail purchases, often on credit and for goods imported from abroad, also go down to boost the positive side of the balance sheet. So, when deeply indebted individuals and households get deeper into debt, that too counts as a positive. At least until the debts can no longer be serviced. At which point they become “bad” or, to the banks and institutions owed the money, “toxic assets”.

It is against this background that the upbeat statements about the “R93 billion World Cup injection” to the economy must be judged. It was, in the words of trade unionist Lesiba Seshoka, a case of “taking most of the family budget and blowing it on one big party”.

That the party was enjoyable and widely enjoyed, there is no doubt or quibble. There is also no doubt that it helped to change media perceptions about South Africa, especially in countries such as Britain. At this level, the staging of the World Cup was a successful — if very expensive — branding exercise.

But such branding, we have also been assured, results in indirect benefits such as greater numbers of tourists in future, and greater levels of foreign investment. In fact, within days of the final World Cup game, it was proudly broadcast that there had been a surge of interest in foreign buying on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE).

This was along the same lines as the massive fanfare that accompanied the R30 billion “investment” by British-based Barclays Bank when it bought a majority stake in Absa in 2005. This was hailed as another “boost” to the economy and few commentators mentioned that all it amounted to was the purchase of a going — and highly profitable — concern; that dividend payments flowing out of the country over the following decade, would probably amount more than the purchase price, with Barclays still in control of Absa.

Equity investment, the purchase of shares on the JSE, is not investment in the sense that most people on the ground understand it to be. It is not a commitment to build something new, to create jobs and products: it is a gamble on future profits from existing enterprises — and the stakes can be withdrawn at the touch of a computer keyboard. This is money effectively on loan — provided it guarantees suitably large payments in dividends that actually add to the outflow of wealth.

If we get back to basics, we could perhaps take the example of Mr. Micawber, in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. He famously noted: “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.”

Not that this latest bout of big spending has depleted the nation’s coffers. Rather it is a matter, summed up by the aphorism: Robbing Peter to pay Paul. In other words, paying hefty sums — including an estimated R25 billion to the Fifa party planner — when the money may have been better spent in providing desperately needed services to an increasingly impatient majority.

But, as the government has already pointed out, it did not have to borrow in order to pay for the World Cup. True. However, it is admitted that the tax base in the country has diminished, courtesy of growing unemployment. And this month it was announced that there had been a record surge in the number of households unable to service their debts. All of this at a time when the world — to quote the Nobel laureate economist, Paul Krugman — is probably on the brink of the third economic depression in history.

With a reduced tax base, insufficient funds to meet the ambitious promised infrastructure rollout, together with commitments to social welfare payments, government will have to borrow unless massive largesse, in the form of bricks and mortar investment, floods in. In the present, global, circumstances, this seems extremely unlikely.

So, rather than building up hopes for a better life for all over the next few years, perhaps it is advisable to plan for how to deal with demands for a bout of serious belt-tightening.

A World Cup of Special Type: South African Exceptionalism and the Question of Legacy

2010-07-12T12:21:00.013+02:00

JOHANNESBURG. There have been numerous milestones in South Africa’s journey from a pariah state characterized by the most brutal form of settler colonialism and white supremacy to a young democracy struggling to find its rightful place in a the post new world order. The release of Nelson Mandela from Victor Verster prison thirty years ago marked the first chapter in South Africa’s new beginning. As the tide turned against apartheid and power was transferred to a democratic majority through elections in 1994 and the adoption of new egalitarian rights based constitution in 1996, South Africa has laid claim to distinguish itself amongst the community of nations as an exceptional nation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that followed, to examine atrocities committed under apartheid and during the liberation struggle, has been held up as a model process for transitional justice.

One of the roots to the notion of South African exceptionalism springs from the notion developed by the former General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Joe Slovo that South Africa had suffered a colonialism of a ‘special type.’ Developed in a treatise called, ‘The Road to South African Freedom: Programme of the South African Communist Party, published in 1963, colonialism of a special type posed the view that despite the fact that South Africa was an independent republic and not a colonial territory, with power concentrated in the hands of a white minority government, South Africa was for all intents and purposes still a colony. South Africa was an exceptional case and liberation in South Africa was not going to come through the lowering of one colonial flag and the raising of a new democratic flag, handshakes all around. Rather, the unseating of a settler minority government would come through a protracted struggle involving an exile armed struggle, an internal resistance movement, and a growing tide of international condemnation and solidarity.

As the pillars of apartheid began to crumble through the growing internal resistance movement and international sanctions, South Africa retained the moniker of exceptionalism through a negotiated settlement, or what history has represented as a peaceful transfer of power. While the bloody nature, atrocities and gross violations of human rights that took place in the period between 1990 and 1994, were recorded and honored through the TRC, ultimately, it was negotiations as opposed to the barrel of the gun that paved the way for the new South Africa to emerge - exceptional, idealistic and prepared to offer a new vision for Africa and the developing world.

In many ways the gloss of the 1990s had begun to fade as the growing pains of a young democracy began to emerge. While democratic gains have been consolidated through the formations of institutions of democracy such as the Constitutional Court and the provision of basic services such as electricity and housing to tens of thousands previously denied such basic rights, the scale of the problem facing South Africa has been massive including the depths of poverty for the majority of the population, the HIV/Aids pandemic, high violent crime rates and growing corruption across the public and private sector. 16 years on into the new democracy and South Africa’s claims to exceptionalism have come under threat, or more pessimistically, in terms of crime and HIV, was the world beginning to understand South Africa as exceptional for the wrong reason?

Then the arrival of the FIFA 2010 World Cup and a new milestone in South Africa’s narrative of exceptionalism. Ke Nako – now is the time, the first African World Cup. While the first World Cup in Africa was always going to be special and different, what has been one of the most interesting aspects of the tournament has been the impact the global event is having on South Africa’s understanding of itself within the context its post-apartheid national identity and consciousness.

In the build up to the tournament, at least since the beginning of this year, the country officially adopted Fridays as ‘Football Fridays’ wherein people were encouraged to wear bright yellow, Bafana Bafana jerseys to their workplace. As many workplaces made small investments in buying South African soccer jerseys on mass for their employees the emergence of the so-called yellow brigade, came across as an equalizer of sorts, where communities across the race and class barriers adopted Bafana Bafana as their team of affiliation, many despite the fact that they had little or no interest in football prior to the arrival of the World Cup on these shores. There is something about putting on that football top, which binds an individual to a team, through this notion of affiliation creating an emotional bond and has a knock of effect of creating community, where previously it may not have existed. In a context where race, class and gender divide, one wonders if this form of benign nationalism or affiliation can actually create bonds which are real and enduring.

One of the regular messages being heard on talk radio and around the bars around Johannesburg during the tournament is this sense of unity amongst South Africans not only in their support of the national side Bafana Bafana or the World Cup generally, but also this notion of unity of broader national community that has found purpose through the staging of this event. As South Africa had drifted towards becoming yet another struggling new democracy on the margins on a global economy in crisis, the World Cup provided a national project or focal point which in a new way through this universal cultural unifier or leveler, football or the beautiful game, provided South Africa with a new vision of what it could mean to be an exceptional or winning nation.

With a massive infrastructure spend which has led to a revitalized bus rapid transport system for major centres like Johannesburg and Cape Town, new and upgraded airports, passenger trains, improvements to the road networks not to mention the significant spend of stadiums, the potential exists for a tangible World Cup legacy for the people of South Africa.

What remains less tangible is how the social commitments of affiliation, particularly the massive support across the colour line for the Bafana Bafana and the transference of this affiliation as the tournament progressed to the knock out rounds, to Ghana, adopted locally as BaGhana BaGhana, will settle. For one of the first times in post-democratic South Africa, there seemed to be a genuine privileging by minority group in South Africa of an African identity, as represented through the Black Stars of Ghana. Stories of South Africans weeping at Ghana’s defeat on penalties at the hands an unjust and determined Uruguay side reveal the depths of the affiliation felt by so many.

In May 2008, South African society was traumatized by xenophobic attacks that left scores of people dead and injured and thousands of others displaced in makeshift refugee camps. During the final week of the World Cup, we have witnessed an increase in unsubstantiated media stories alleging the potential for xenophobic attacks following the World Cup. Such reports and the possibility of new attacks, stand in stark contrast to the warm welcome and hospitality offered by South Africa to the hundreds of thousands of international visitors during the past month. What has been heartening has been the statements and supposed contingency plans being put in place by state actors in response to these threats, contrasted to the neglect and non-responsiveness when the initial attacks to place.

For South Africa to truly ensure a positive legacy to the economic, social and emotional investments made during the build up to the World Cup and during the past month there needs to be a concerted efforts by leaders, activists an ordinary community members to tap into the pride and unity which has emerged through the World Cup. For South Africa to remain on course to attaining the mantle of a winning nation, the energy, the vitality that has emerged through the World Cup, needs to be captured and channeled into a reinvigorated notion of South African exceptionalism, premised less on an understanding of the past or by looking to the developed world and seeking to mock or mirror achievements within those societies but rather premised on an understanding of the social and developmental needs of the country including job creation, a well functioning educational and health care system, good governance, respect for a vibrant rule of law and zero tolerance for corruption.

The naysayers prior to the World Cup, particularly in large sections of the British, Australian and German press questioned South Africa, a developing nation, an African nation’s ability to host a mega event of the magnitude of the World Cup. Despite a few incidents, including the debacle at the King Shaka Airport in Durban prior to the Semi final between Germany and Spain, where five full commercial aircraft were sent back to Johannesburg and Cape Town, due to private jets taking up space on the runway, the World Cup on all accounts has been a staggering success – particularly for the organizers and the pockets of their corporate sponsors. With the lack of transparency at the highest levels of international football governing body, locally, we will never know the depths of the corporate profits generated on this African stage.

Interestingly, as Spain and Holland compete to be crown world champion in the Final, the irony is too rich to think about the links between that the middle era global capitalism and the centrality of the corporation, the Dutch East India Company or the VOC, and modern day capitalism and its global corporate footprint in Africa, namely FIFA. The VOC was the advanced articulation of international capital in the 17th century.

Today in 2010, as capital surges from crisis to crisis, the ultimate articulation of the cultural expression of modern day neo-liberalism finds expression again at the tip of Africa, through FIFA and staging of the World Cup. So as Jan van Riebeeck arrived in the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 for VOC, so does FIFA arrive today and on its final stage a contest between Spain and Holland – whose early links are intertwined with European settlement in South Africa. Almost 360 years later, we see the conquest of world played out again on this southern African stage between countries and cultures which have a deeply intertwined history in a world historical sense and in a footballing sense.

As the World Cup can claim success as a global commercial and sporting event, the question remaining for South Africa is the one of legacy. South Africa has proven once again that on numerous levels it remains an exceptional society. South African exceptionalism going forward however should not be judged on its ability to host mega events, or more symbolically by asserting its right to be around the table when the leading powers determine the course of global events be these economic or political. South African exceptionalism going forward must rather be premised on fulfilling the promises made within the post liberation moment, namely that the masses of South Africans who live economically marginal lives with limited access to the realization of basic rights guaranteed by the South African constitution, such as access to basic services, education and health – receive a better life.

One can have few illusions about the direct pay off that the successful hosting of the World Cup can have towards ensuring a better life for all. What remains to be seen however, is how as a society, South Africa can leverage this tremendous positive energy - generated internally and as received from all corners of the globe by those who either visited South Africa, or marveled at its hospitality through the global media coverage – to ensure this revitalized notion of national reconciliation and unity remains and a common purpose to deliver on democratic liberation is energized. As the national focus drifts away from the beautiful game, the energy and the vision now generated must be captured and directed towards understanding what it would be mean to build a beautiful society for all.

Today is the Day

2010-07-11T17:30:00.010+02:00

17:30. SOWETO. SOCCER CITY, SOUTH AFRICA. Greetings from the Media Centre at Soccer City. Arrived in Soweto a couple hours back to watch the build up. Wow, I can't believe today has finally arrived, its like Christmas, New Years and the FA Cup final all rolled up into one.

I have seen every World Cup final since 1978 in various far flung places, but I never imagined myself tapping out this entry 3 hours before kick off at the ground. I just saw Arsene Wenger, hardly a wax statute, he looked... well, a very much like Arsene Wenger, wearing comfy sneakers nogal.

There was a sea of orange on the way through, the Dutch announce their presence less with their noise and more with the appearance.

Time is too tight, I cant miss Shakira. I don't really know what to expect from this match but I know what I am hoping for... namely, an open honest to and fro attacking brand of football from both sides, goals and lead changes a la Uruguay v Germany. Give us a spectacle that matches the dignity of this tournament up to this point. Therefore, no hand balls on the line, no diving, no penalties and no dodgy refereeing decisions. May the best team win and may the best players play to the potential they have shown through out the tournament namely, David Villa and Wesley Sneider.

Got to sign off and get to Shakira!! Go Oranje!

NY Times: South Africans Put Past Aside

2010-07-11T15:06:00.017+02:00

By J LONGMAN

JOHANNESBURG. Given that the Dutch are former colonial masters and their descendants instigated the harsh racial policies of apartheid, one might think that many South Africans, blacks especially, would not cheer for the Netherlands against Spain on Sunday in the World Cup final.

In truth, many will not, but mostly for reasons involving the aesthetics of soccer, not a half-century of state-mandated oppression of blacks.

» Click here to read the whole - original - article »

“Loads of us favor Spain, but it is because they have a flair, a quality,” said Lucas Radebe, a black South African who was captain of World Cup teams in 1998 and 2002. “This is all about football. History is history.”

On the other hand, many black and mixed-race South Africans are rooting for the Netherlands, along with white Afrikaners, who are of Dutch descent. Radebe said that 16 years after the fall of apartheid, this represented a sign of progress, a recognition of deep historical and cultural connections, and a confirmation of Nelson Mandela’s belief in the healing power of sports.

In 1995, a year after being voted president, Mandela famously wore the jersey of the Springboks, the national rugby team largely supported by whites and resented by blacks, as South Africa won the world rugby championship here....

» Click here to read the whole article »

Sceptics drowned out by another rainbow nation miracle

2010-07-11T12:21:00.000+02:00

South Africa rises above all the pre- tournament pessimism to host a successful and memorable event.
David Smith in Johannesburg, 11 July 2010

No one died. No one was stabbed, no one was kidnapped and no one took a wrong turn into the clutches of a gang of garrotters. One American tourist did get shot - in the arm - but he wasn't here to watch the World Cup.

History will show that South Africa defied fears of violent chaos to host one of the best-attended World Cups ever. It has put Africa on the global sporting map in a way which seemed unthinkable only six months ago when Togo's footballers were ambushed by machine-gun fire before the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. Afro-pessimism spiked, with a prophet of doom in the unlikely shape of then Hull City manager Phil Brown questioning whether South Africa was up to the job.

Dr Nikolaus Eberl, author of BrandOvation: How Germany won the World Cup of Nation Branding, said: "Everyone got very anxious before this World Cup started, but there was a collective energy, including the media, and everyone wanted it to succeed. I would say the vuvuzela is possibly the key ingredient.

"It introduced a tool for all fans to be at the centre of the experience. I was astonished by the way all the foreign fans embraced it. It made the tournament truly fan-centric."

The full article is at http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/11/world-cup-2010-south-africa-success

Eberl awarded the tournament a score of nine out of 10. "The only thing missing was the host team, who went out in the first round, which did deflate things a bit for a while."

Bafana Bafana, who embarked on an open-top bus parade before the tournament, became the first hosts to be knocked out in the first round. Continental disappointment was shared by Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Africans rallied around Ghana, only to be denied by a very professional foul.

But the momentum kept going. Danny Jordaan, who today ends a 16-year journey as chief advocate and organiser of Africa's first World Cup, said: "This is something special, that people came not only to support the South African team, they came to support the event. This has been an incredible experiencefor our country."

Asked what he now had to say to the Afro-pessimists, Jordaan replied: "The only thing we must tell them is they are now in a very small minority. They missed an incredible experience, they missed an incredible World Cup. Just stay in your corner and sulk."

The cost of it all? About 38bn rand ($3.3bn), the government says, roughly the equivalent of four Millennium Domes and shackled by similar doubts over white elephant stadiums. The economic benefits? With elegant symmetry, also about R38bn, say the government. Fifa, meanwhile, walk away with a reported profit of $2bn, tax free.

Sepp Blatter, Fifa's president, threw his weight behind a South African Olympic bid, likely to come from Cape Town or Durban.

As for the World Cup, the baton is now passed to Brazil, with concerns already raised over crime, transport and whether stadiums will be ready on time. Sound familiar?

To see the full story with its related links on the guardian.co.uk site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/11/world-cup-2010-south-africa-success

From 1648 to 2010, Its Spain v Holland, For the World Cup Final

2010-07-10T16:04:00.008+02:00

In the 15th century the idea of Spain was synonymous with empire. While Spain once ruled the world, or at least became the first European colonial power - in the modern era, with football coming into international popularity at the turn of the 19th century, Spain, the nation, the idea, has never dominated world football, until now?

In Real Madrid and Barcelona and deeply profound footballing culture across the country, dominated by strong regional identities, what can now be described as ‘the Spanish approach’ has gained ascendancy in international football. In La Liga, Spain has the most talented league in modern day world football. Interestingly, the Spanish approach has much to do with their Dutch connection and links between Dutch notions of Total Football in the 1970s and the arrival of Johan Cruyff from Ajax, Amsterdam to Barcelona FC in 1973.

Spain and Holland have an incredibly long and intertwined history dating back to the 15th century. The Spanish empire’s sphere of influence spread to the Netherlands and was only broken by the Dutch War of Independence, also known as the Eighty Years War which concluded with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. This Dutch revolt, as it was called, was partly successful with the secession of seven provinces which formed the early Dutch Republic.

In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), landed in Cape Town, at the tip of Africa, to take command of an established base, fortifying the trade route around the Cape of Good Hope, between the Netherlands and the so-called East Indies. The Dutch era of settler colonialism interestingly, unlike the British Empire several hundred years later, was less about the expression of a nation state but more centred around the pre-modern international corporation – the VOC.

As Spain and Holland compete to be crown World Champions tomorrow, the irony is too rich to think about the links between that the middle era global capitalism and the centrality of the corporation, the VOC, and post-modern day capitalism and its global corporate footprint in Africa, namely FIFA. The VOC was the advanced articulation of international capital at the time in the 17th century. Today in 2010, as capital surges from crisis to crisis, the ultimate articulation of the cultural expression of modern day neo-liberalism finds expression again at the tip of Africa, through FIFA and mega-staging of the World Cup.

So as van Riebeeck arrived in the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 for VOC, so does FIFA arrive today and on its final stage a contest between Spain and Holland – whose early links are interwoven with the narrative of Europe's first settlement in South Africa. Almost 360 years later, we now witness the conquest of world played out again on this southern African stage between countries and cultures which have a a connected history both in a world historical sense and in a footballing sense.

The history between the two nations in a footballing sense goes back to the 1970s and the arrival of Johan Cryuff at Barcelona in 1973. One of the questions being asked is whether 2010 will mirror 1973 as we see a hand over of sorts, of the Total Football mantle from the Dutch to the Spanish. Cryuff never far from controversy writing in his column in El Periodico de Catalunya, this week is definitive.

Following the Spanish semi-final victory over Germany on Wednesday, he made clear how he feels about the two countries today in terms of footballing philosophy. "Spain is a replica of Barca and is the best publicity for football. Who am I supporting? I am Dutch but I support the football that Spain are playing." Apparently for Cryuff, if the Dutch win the World Cup playing mediocre, enduring football, as opposed to the Spanish approach, it will be bittersweet.

What the Spanish have come to represent in this tournament is patient, controlling, possession football. The Spanish are not overly eager to attack in the direct fashion played by the leading advocates of British football. Also unlike the Italians and previously other quality football sides more synonymous with a defensive brand, the Spanish are not content to sit back.

Based on the Barcelona model, the Spanish approach seeks to move forward and probe their opponent, they pass and move always keeping shape and defending from the front. The approach has tremendous balance and interchanging parts in the midfield in the form of Xava and Iniesta who keep things ticking along. They also have players capable of inspiration with the likes Villa and to certain extent Torres, although there is no evidence as yet of his 2008 European Championship or club form in this 2010 Championships.

Spain, on paper and on fair reflection have played the most technically correct, attractive and effective football. However in becoming 1-0 masters, there remain doubts and those, like me, who are unconverted to this new Catholicism that Spain is simply the best – the Brazil of Europe and the modern day expression of the Dutch invented Total Football.

On form, Spain has to be favorites to win the final. Holland’s 2010 brand of football owes less to the Total Football legacy of their forefathers – Cruyff and Han, and more to a modern day pragmatism always linked to the German approach. The Germans traditionally won matches by being as good as their opponents technically, but by out enduring them psychologically and physically. The Germans historically always seemed to win their matches on the basis of some deeper will to succeed.

I think there is evidence of this approach in the modern Dutch squad. In Van Bommel and Robben, they have two Bayern Munich stalwarts who won’t shirk from a challenge or a tackle, unless Robben is diving to allude one, and are prepared to try and take the match by the scruff of the neck. In Robben and this time Sneider, they have consistently proven big match temperament players who over the course of this tournament and this past club season have proven their worth, Sneider in particular in achieving a treble with Inter Milan.

One would hope that the Dutch have learned lessons from the mistakes of Portugal and Germany and will seek to deny the Spanish the luxury of possession. The difficulty is, Holland have not shown their ability to keep possession as well as the Spanish. I contend that Holland is only good enough to beat Spain over one half of football. If you review the Uruguay match and the Brazil match, Holland only dominated for one half. In both these matches, the Dutch went through the gears in the second half that raised their game, created chances and goals and led to the defeat of their opponents. But they only managed to really dominate over the second 45 minutes. If Holland can deny Spain in the first half, then all bets are off and Holland can win the match.

However, if the match plays out to a Spanish script, then it will be Spanish possession, possession, possession leading either to crafting a goal or creating enough of a chance or luck to ensure a goal comes, like the Portugal and Paraguay matches. If the Spanish take an early lead, Dutch efforts to press will be stifled by the Spanish continuing to choke possession. If Holland scores first, the Spanish probing will have to become more pressing and urgent and space will open up the field for counter attacks. In this scenario we could be in for one classic final. An early goal will avoid the match descending into a stalemate. Let's hope its won before the lottery of penalties.

Soccer City has been a superb home to this championship, a first time post-modern secular African Soccer Cathedral. As I return to Soccer City for the last time for the 2010 World Cup, I am filled with great memories from the opening match of Bafana Bafana v Mexcio and Siphwe Tshabalala’s wonder goal to the Messi inspired Argentina demolition of South Korea to the infamous Suarez handball and painful Gyan’s penalty miss of last week. May Sunday bring us more indelible memories, a new articulation and expression of the beautiful game, a new first time World Cup Champion, crowned in Africa, a triumph for football history and African hospitality.

A Word from Fergal

2010-07-08T18:50:00.007+02:00

Well - I think everyone knew that Germany wouldn't be able to do to Spain what they did to other teams. When you look at the other teams and how Germany performed it was misleading. England? Very overrated. Argentina? Everyone said how weak their defense was. Spain have 7 or so Barca players who all know each other well and play with each other during the year so their passing is immaculate but they nearly blew it yesterday because of selfishness.

They were very cautious of Germany going on the break and the way they've been playing this cup shows an ability to change play to match their opponent. They have shown they can GRIND out a result. On the other hand you have Van Persie and Robben for the Dutch - lethal - but then you have Pique and Puyoul in defence and the Spanish have the best midfield in the world and AMAZING depth on the bench. So...if I can find a bookie with good odds - I'd put $100 on Spain!

Funny story...I texted Karam yesterday if he was at the game. As the text was coming through that he was 'behind the Germany goal', the Spanish were already celebrating Puyol's amazing header. Feeling bad for a second i retexted and asked Karam if he missed the goal because of me....his answer? "Yes - you fuck!!!"

This moment is brought to you by "stolen life time moments that you can never get back by O'Gorman". How will Karam spin this for his grand kids? "There I was witnessing history but I was texting????" or "I was on on the sideline with my boots on, ready, just in case they needed me and then from the abyss of the edge of the box I saw his curls spring into action in a flash of red brilliance....."

The later sounds like a good spin... I did see his locks as I heard the roar of the crowd... Damn you Fergal!

Ask.... Paul

2010-07-07T23:10:00.006+02:00

Tangerine Dreams, Jan Rules Again in Cape Town

2010-07-07T09:01:00.021+02:00

HOME. If you are a Dutch fan and you were not basking in Amsterdam on what looked like a lovely summer’s evening, then the only place to be last night was Cape Town. I was in Johannesburg, the city named for a Dutchman, and there were few tears for Uruguay, a team for whom most locals felt achieved their semi final berth through cheating.

While I contend that the rule of law functioned perfectly well in assuring Suarez received his marching orders and Ghana a rightful penalty that would have seen them progress to play a first time African semi final if converted, for both footballing history, world history and the significance of the tournament for South Africa and beyond, in my view it was all for the best that Uruguay were sent packing and Holland booked their place at Soccer City this coming Sunday. Diego did his best to break hearts again, but the Dutch had enough on the night.

As I prepare for the last road trip of the tournament heading out to Durban later this morning, my mouth waters at the prospect of a final that I never really wanted – an all European affair either Holland v Germany or Holland v Spain. Both potential finals will be satisfying for different reasons and different historical trajectories.

Germany v Holland?
As a student of the game and someone who came of age in the 1970s, there can be no greater rivalry in world football then Germany v Holland. I was only four in 1974, but as Frans Beckenbauer and Johan Neeskens arrived only a few years later in New Jersey to play for the New York Cosmos, images of 1974 filled my early footballing imagination. The Germans of the 1970 were a truly brutish machine with star quality around the pitch from their goalkeeper Sepp Meier to Beckenbauer and one of my all time greats Gerd Muller – whose thighs were bigger than most people waists.

Holland of the 1970s were led by Johan Cruyff and brought a new concept into the world game through the notion of total football, that from defense to attack, the 11 men were a seamless interchanging unit where everyone defended and everyone attacked. It’s a concept which has rarely been deployed to its full logic but perhaps the closest adherents to such a form, in the modern game is the 2009 Champions League victors, Barcelona.

Cruyff was an idealist and one of the first footballers to recognize the potential of player power including the potential to exploit the commercial power of personality, so mastered by the modern day likes of David Beckham. Cruyff and the Oranje’s idealism of a different type of football were ultimately crushed, ground and buried by Beckenbauer and his charges in 1974 and then again by the junta inspired evil Argentina of 1978. It would be something amazing to see the demons of 1974 exorcised in 2010 in Johannesburg of all places.

The Dutch support in South Africa is very deep and may have less to do with cultural or historic affiliation as it does to some notion of what the Dutch represent to the footballing world. People like what Dutch soccer has historically represented – namely open attacking brand football. Having said that, Holland, for better or worse is a cultural marker, a signifier for South Africans, whose significance is deep and rich going back to the history of settler colonialism and the emergence of the modern South African language of Afrikaans. Holland and South Africa and inextricably linked through history, and short of an African team’s success in this tournament, there can be no other country in the competition, for whose success can have more significance for South Africans than Holland.

The great irony of course is that the Holland of today is a pale version of the great Dutch teams of the past. While they are on a 20 match plus unbeaten run, their success in the current period has more to do with a strategy of endurance, good organization and physicality rather than genius and flair of the past – van Bronckhorst’s wonder strike from last night aside. As noted previously, the Dutch have become more German in their approach and the current German squad more Dutch. On last night’s performance in particular, my German friends, are relishing the prospect of facing the Dutch in the final as through large parts of last night’s match the Dutch looked plodding and ponderous in their approach.

Spain v Netherlands?
The victory of the Spanish tonight of course presents the possibility of a rather different narrative and fulfills the pre-tournament wish that this year’s World Cup offers up a new champion. The Spanish are the current European Champions and only Germany, previously in 1972 and 1974, went on to become world champions as European holders. Spain has never reached a World Cup final being perennial under achievers at the tournament. Having seen Spain three times previously in the tournament, I do admire their general approach to the game. They are not an inspiring side.

Rather they are a technically gifted side with immense talent in every position. In Iniesta and Xava, they have a midfield pairing from Barcelona that has been ascendant and dominant over the past five years. On paper, Spain remains the best team left in the tournament. They are patient, controlling and proficient in their approach. However, for me, they do not inspire.

The prospect of a Spain-Holland final is clearly a counter point to German and Brazilian domination of the past 30 years and as noted fits the requirement of something new. The Spanish arguable have the best league in the world and if one returns again to the 1970s and Johan Cruyff's move from Ajax to Barcelona in 1973, then it is clear that the links between Spain and Holland allows the mind to drift to the Catalan giants and a different vision of how football should be played – entertainment as opposed to endurance.

Germany v Spain
Despite my instincts to be partisan, I will remain agnostic tonight in Durban. Form at present is running counter to history and for me this creates cognitive dissonance. As opposed to the Dutch and the Spanish, it is in fact the Germans who have played best football thus far in this tournament in the Barca-Dutch mode of old, lightening quick and somewhat fearless in their counter attacks. I also appreciate their youth and overall midfield play.

The Spanish, disciplined, well-organised, technically correct leave me a bit cold. Perhaps Del Bosque will have the courage to drop the impotent Torres for something different in attack. Ultimately, the match tonight will turn on who can control the midfield and it will be fascinating to see the likes of Ozil and Kadera up against the truly professional possession play of Xava and Iniesta. The first goal will have a massive impact on the game. If German scores first, it will force the Spanish to shift from a probing game to a pressing game which may not suit them. If Spain scores first, they should settle and force the Germans into a different approach than the luxury they were afforded by England and Argentina. In the end, the it will be folly for the Spanish to give Germans too much space and one anticipates a better contest than what Germany were presented by the others.

Tonight my neutrality belies my sectarianism. Regardless of the winner, I shall wear Orange!

Semi Final Form: The Fighting Spirit v the Oranje Machine

2010-07-06T15:19:00.016+02:00

HOME. Since 1930, including this year, there have been 19 World Cup Finals.

Of those 19 finals, Germany are the most successful of the current Last Four having played in 12 previous semifinals, going to 7 finals with 4 World Cup victories.

Next is Uruguay, who won the tournament in 1930 and 1950.

The 1950 edition interestingly enough was played without semifinals or even a final as the top four teams from the group stages played in a round robin format with Uruguay finishing top.

Uruguay’s last proper semifinal was in 1970 in Mexico when they lost to Brazil 3-1.

Spain were part of the 1950, last four round robin, finishing 4th. This is their first proper semi-final.

Holland have played in three previous semifinals, in 1974 and 1978, both times winning their semis before going on to lose in the final against Germany and Argentina respectively.

In 1998, in France, the Dutch were knocked on in the semi-final by Brazil on penalties who went on to lose that final against France.

Uruguay is an interesting case study.

Their coach has noted that with a population of only 3 million there are some countries in the World Cup with more footballers in their population than Uruguay has people.

As Richard Williams writes in today's Guardian, football is interwoven into the Uruguayan social fabric.

Perhaps Uruguay is best represented by the leftist writer, Galeano who had hoped to become a footballer and whose writings portray the glory and decline of the game in a country where it belongs to no single social class and where the fans still cling to a concept of la garra – fighting spirit – which in the modern era has become synonymous with ruthlessly physical approach to the game.

See Richard Williams in today's Guardian.

Galeano writes, on the possibility of the underdog, ‘in football, rarities occur. In a world organized around the daily confirmation of the power of the powerful, nothing is rarer than the coronation of the humiliated and the humiliation of the crowned. But in football, at times, this rarest of events does happen.’

While I have chosen the Dutch in all the office pools and conversations with friends, something leaves me wondering whether there is not something to Galeano’s words which could be a precursor to a further upset tonight.

The problem with the Dutch for me having been an historic supporter going back to my first World Cup memories in 1978, is that they just don’t play like Dutch teams of past.

There is a cynicism and brutishness that has crept into their play most evident by the lumbering van Bommel in the middle of the pitch and Arjen Robben on the wing, who like Ronaldo, will go to ground prior to contact, roll around, and seek to get his opponent booked. While not at fault at all in Melo’s sending off on Friday, Robben is an instigator of note and if tonight’s match does boil over, don’t be surprised to see Robben at the centre of it all.

From a Dutch perspective, what would be exhilarating would be to see the introduction of young Eljero Elia, the 23 year old of Surinamese descent. Elia has electric pace and sublime skills and is the next big thing coming in Dutch football. He is good enough to turn a match and while he has been used sparingly he provides the Dutch with that X factor they have been missing. His introduction tonight could just swing things for the more workmen-like than inspiring Oranje!

Trying to Make Sense, For History's Sake

2010-07-05T12:24:00.020+02:00

HOME. This past week, I had the unbelievable fortune of watching three pulsating football matches between Cape Town and Joburg. Spain vs Portugal on Tuesday in Greenpoint, Ghana vs Uruguay on Friday at Soccer City and Spain vs Paraguay on Saturday at Ellis Park.

Over this period, my understanding of how this tournament was going to unfold was rocked to the ground by Holland’s unlikely defeat of Brazil and the Germans one two three four punch out, knock out of Argentina in Cape Town.

When we planned this trip, snapping up tickets from the opening ticketing rounds when were still choosing lots before the main draw, we never mapped out who would play who in the quarter finals and were happy to have the two Johannesburg quarters, inevitably missing what became the marquee Port Elizabeth and Cape Town matches of Brazil v Holland and Argentina v Germany.

World Cup history would be made with these matches and the tournament turned on its head. Having said that, it was the Ghana v Uruguay match which we really wanted to be at, and ultimately for me despite the result, proving to be the match of the tournament. But I am getting a head of myself.

Working backwards, it was fascinating to sit with the peanut gallery of friends on Saturday evening at Wish Restaurant in Melville following the Spain Paraguay match, all with opinions, opinions that became less well formulated and expressed more loudly as the alcohol continued to flow, as we sought to come to grips with the weekend’s events and the consequences of another World Cup dominated by European semi finalists.

The vast majority of soccer lovers and tournament followers here in South Africa were devastated by Ghana’s seemingly unfair departure on penalty kicks against Uruguay. One of the major talking points at Wish was the significance of Suarez’ handball on the line denying Steven Appiah’s apparent match winning goal at the end of stoppage time.

By way of comparison, talk soon shifted to other famous discretions such as Maradona’s hand of god, the Zidane headbutt and Thierry Henry’s hand ball against the Irish leading to a goal denying the further Irish participation in 2010. How did these infamous incidents compare to what Suarez did?

Despite feeling that Ghana should have won the match, I couldn’t help feeling that in the end, for his team, Suarez did the ‘right’ thing. Having been a slow defender later in my career including being given a red card for denying a goal scoring opportunity, with our keeper later saving the spot kick, I can’t help thinking that Suarez did the best thing for his team and with his red card dismissal, including the fact that he will not play again in the tournament, he paid the consequences for his indiscretion, and Gyan should have converted his spot kick.

Football is one of the few sports where the rules of the game, the rule of law if you like, can apply itself but there is still a strong sense that justice is not done. There is a great deal of animosity directed towards Suarez, but compared to Maradona cynical attempt to conceal his hand ball ‘goal’ in 1986 or the fact that Henry went unpunished for his handball, I think the rule of law functioned perfectly well in the case of Ghana v Uruguay, however, with Gyan missing his penalty, there is a strong sense that justice was not done. Ghana had their golden goal chance and as the match went to penalties, there was an impending feeling that Uruguay would prevail – leaving 80,000 plus devastated and the few more thousand Uruguayans in ecstasy.

Despite Ghana’s exit, the manner in which they captured the general imagination of South Africans across the colour line makes their contribution to the tournament significant. South Africa in general, and minority groups in particular, have had an uneasy relationship to identifying with a broader Pan-Africanist consciousness. Too often, particularly in the cultural realm, there is a Eurocentrism which dominates cultural discourse and production, leaving all things African on the margins. Somehow, and it remains to be seen where the dust will settle after the World Cup, the support given the Black Stars has shifted this state of affairs. It will be interesting to observe if in fact there is any legacy to all of this good will having a broader impact on how South Africans see themselves and engage with the rest of the continent.

As for the Spanish on Saturday night, for me, while pre-tournament favorites and European Champions, they remained a somewhat unfancied side, having always underwhelmed at the World Cup. It would seem now, that Del Bosque, having knitted together a unit comprised almost entirely of Real Madrid and Barcelona players has a squad which is more than capable of winning the World Cup, with their brand of patient, possession, 1-0 football. While the Spanish almost conceded to Paraguay, gave up a soft penalty and previously gave up a soft goal to Switzerland in their opening match, they no doubt have immense quality around the pitch and are a difficult unit to break down. In David Villa, they have arguably the player of the tournament who given the whiff of goal will concert his chance and see his team progress, just ask Portugal and Paraguay.

It is interesting to think about what the Spanish team represents at this moment in history. In many ways, the Spanish have significantly less colonial baggage than the rest of the European contingent in the tournament and given the familiarity of their players to the masses of South African soccer fans, find themselves as the likely fan favorites going into the semi-finals. For me, Spanish success would fulfill the requirement of a new World Cup champion, but beyond that, I doubt the value of what Spanish success means for world history. Simply stated, what Spanish success represents is the achievement of national integration between Castilian and Catalan, Real and Barca. Beyond this articulation of Spanish nationalism, the victory of the Spanish has limited significance for me.

German success on the other hand, despite being the last team standing, again, amongst the World Cup’s elite teams of the past, may mean something more significant. With players of Ghanaian and Tunisian descent, not to mention the Turks and the Poles and all the other countries represented in the German side, it is in fact that German team that can make the best claim to being Africa’s remaining representative in the tournament. From a world historical point of view, as a team of immigrant players, like the France 1998 team, it is ironically, those old Germans, Ze Germans, who represent something different and a more progressive historical narrative in 2010. As they also seem to be playing the most attractive football and are comprised of a team of youngsters, there are good reasons for neutrals to be humming that Uber Alles song all the way to the finals, again. I for one, despite understanding the logic in my head, will not be joining the German bandwagon.

Which brings me to the Dutch. How rich in significance would it be for the Dutch, to finally achieve World Cup success here in South Africa. Space is too limited to go on a long track about the Dutch legacy in South Africa, but with Ghana being dispatched and Bafana Bafana a distant memory, certainly it remains to be the Dutch to whom South African have the greatest connection both historically and culturally. The question remains, how can the Dutch legacy be reclaimed, understanding the contributions they made towards development in Southern Africa, without it being an apology for colonialism or the later atrocities committed in the name of separate development, which had a Dutch name, but which the modern Dutch nation had nothing to do with?

Leaving world history aside to focus on footballing history, the Dutch for certain, going back to their defeated finalist teams of 1974 and 1978, are arguably one of the greatest nations never to win the World Cup. Perhaps the knock against the current Dutch side, certainly in comparison to Germany and Spain, is that they simply do not play an attractive brand of total football advocated by former greats likes Johan Cryuff. While the Brazil match descended into a farce, it appeared that that orange tide turned the match only when the Dutch started to really kick Brazil, disrupt their samba rhythm and began to roll around themselves in the face of increased Brazilian aggression.

Given the Dutch influence recently in the German Bundaliga, with Coach Van Gaal, Arjen Robben and Mark Van Bommel all at Bayern Munich some have even noted that there has been a reversal of styles between Dutch and German football. Historically, the Germans have been noted for the brutish and at times cynical play while the Dutch were meant to be slick and stylish and attractive, particularly in attack. Well, on current form, it would appear like the Germans are playing like the Dutch and the Dutch more like the Germans. For those of us who grew up in the 1970s, the prospect of the 1974 rematch is simply mouthwatering.

Going into Wednesday’s semi final, the Germans would have to be installed as the favorites on two indices – tournament form and historical form. Having said that, if 2006 is at all a guide, where Brazil and Argentina were also dispatched in the quarters, German, as host, failed at this stage being knocked out by eventual winners Italy. Perhaps Spain is on the cards for a similar turn of fortune. However, knowing my history and having watched both Spain and Germany three times in this tournament, I would never bet against the Germans getting to another final.

As for Uruguay, that small nation of just over 3 million, you have to feel for them as the team that none of the neutrals here in South Africa can bring themselves to support. I believe the animosity directed towards them is somewhat unfair as it simply comes as a result of the fact that they knocked out Bafana Bafana and Ghana. I think there are a tenacious and battling side with flair and good organization in attack and they cannot be slighted for the manner in which they have gone about their business, Suarez’s indiscretion aside. They deserve credit for returning from the footballing wilderness to achieve their first semi final in 60 years. Now we have given them their due, despite being a nation of the South, I hope the Dutch overturn them in the semis and set up a historic final – be that with Germany or Spain. As far as Uruguay is concerned I find it difficult to come to grips with anything world historical that their continued success could bring to the narrative of this tournament.

So next stop Durban. It would appear the elusive semi final ticket which I never had has arrived courtesy once again of some great friends. Germany v Spain and back to Moses Mahbida. May it be epic!

Cape of Storm Settles As Spanish Armada Sails On

2010-07-01T11:59:00.011+02:00

CAPE TOWN. As we arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday morning, to heavy rains and gale winds, we began to wonder what effect the extreme conditions may have on the evening’s clash of the Iberian giants. For me, it’s always special to be back home, returning to Greenpoint stadium area where I lived for almost 2 years. The weather has always loomed in the background as a potential factor given this is the first winter World Cup since Argentina 1978.

However, as the day progressed, particularly after some fine wine-tasting in Constantia, and the day darkened, the conditions actually cleared up and provided the perfect backdrop for this mammoth encounter. Parking just above the Cape Town CBD, in the Bo-Kaap, we joined the fan walk on Somerset Road in Greenpoint for a 1.5 kilometre walk into the stadium.

Good Cape Town

Well done Cape Town! Cape Town has always done things its own way, slightly out of step with the rest of the country, and the fan walk that greets tens of thousands of fans into the new stadium is something we had yet to experience at the other 8 venues visited over the past 3 weeks. With what appeared to be makeshift indigenous kiosks selling foods and gear along the fan walk, the experience of walking with the 1000s in the approach to the stadium marked Cape Town as one of the friendliest and fan-centric venues in the country. Of course, despite the organic and local feeling of these stalls or kiosks they are no doubt FIFA sanctioned and permitted given their proximity to the stadium. As we got closer to the stadium however, we were greeted by almost 20 minute queues personned by the South African Police Service that inefficiently delayed our access into the stadium frustrating the euphoria we were feeling during the fan walk. Sleepy Cape Town. So much promise but sometimes a bit too relaxed in the end to provide a full service.

Not so good Cape Town
The vibe inside the Greenpoint stadium was completely different from that felt at the other venues. There was almost a detached and impersonal feeling to watching this encounters with 60,000 plus which contrasted starkly to our experience at some of the older stadia like Ellis Park, Loftus and the Free State Stadium.

Capetonians fancy themselves as cultured soccer fans and at times, despite a few vuvuzela brigades, it felt as if we were all watching the match in our living rooms as the fans failed to assert themselves as an distinct force or entity independent from the events unfolding on the pitch. Perhaps the match itself, played in a very familiar European, almost formulaic Champions League fashion, with the Spanish dominating possession and the Portuguese content enough to try their luck on the counter attack, played into this type of detached atmosphere. In the end, like Portugal v Brazil before, the match failed to live up to its billing and the Portuguese were disappointing on the night – failing to even go down ugly - kicking, fouling and diving as we have known Portuguese team to do in the past. It was if they were content on being second best on the night, the Portuguese goalkeeper being the only one to distinguish himself.

Premiership jades players
Ronaldo in particular, denied service, like Rooney before him, failed to assert his qualities on the match. While Ronaldo has moved on to Real Madrid from United, it is interesting to note how disappointing the English Premiership greats have performed thus far in the tournament, notably Rooney and Torres. One wonders if the demands of the Premiership are just too much on these young players leaving them jaded, worn out and carrying injuries by the time the World Cup comes along. Carlos Tevez alone stands out as one of the few English based players who have really shown his qualities thus far in this tournament. Eat the badge Carlos, you turn coat!

Brazil omnipotent
On the previous night, Monday at Ellis Park, we witnessed a completely different spectacle as we enjoyed the imperious Brazilians dismantle Chile with a samba beat providing a backing soundtrack throughout the evening. The Brazilians were awesome despite failing to ever go through the gears. Despite calls for a new or different World Cup, where the favourites fall before semis and final, I always find it difficult to root against the Brazilians because they are so adaptable and majestic in their approach.

The Selecao appear to not play for the first 10 to 15 minutes of the match. This is a misreading of the situation. They are actually being patient and like a prize fighter they feel out their opponents, the opposition’s intent on the evening and adapt their game plan accordingly. Unlike the Germans, Dutch or even the Spanish who would appear to be more uni-dimensional – either playing possession football or counter-attacking, I would contend that the Brazilians can play virtually any style of play on the night – as the dictates of the conditions and opposition’s tactics demand.

Intergalactica Ghana
So tomorrow we return to Gauteng for the other two quarter finals closer to home, Ghana v Uruguay tomorrow night at Soccer City and Spain v Paraguay at Ellis Park on Saturday. While my heart remains with Ghana and I hope for a Paraguayan upset, form would tell us that Uruguay and Spain should proceed into the semis. For certain, South Africans remain somewhat bitter about the manner in which Uruguay dispatched Bafana Bafana on June 16th and will hope that the Black Stars can continue their intergalactic run into the semi-finals. No African team has ever progressed into the semi-finals with Roger Milla’s Cameroon defeated by the Gazza inspired England in 1990 and Turkey defeating Senegal in 2002 in Osaka. The Black Stars can make history tomorrow night and give content to the claim that this is a different African World Cup. This remains likely my last real emotional investment in the tournament and hope that the will of the Continent ensures Ghana prevails.

Argentina 3, Germany 2 Young?
As for Germany v Argentina, time prevents me from recalling at length this real footballing rivalry (as opposed to England v Germany). The 1986 and 1990 finals live long in the memory the first going to the Maradona inspired Argies and 1990 on an Andreas Bremmer penalty in Rome. Of course, Germany also knocked the Argies out on penalities in the last World Cup with Argentina going down very ugly on the night. You can be sure that no one will roll over this evening and it will be a battle royal in Port Elizabeth. The true test of the qualities of this young German side will be revealed. My sense is that the attacking options provided by Maradona's three-pronged forwards will be too much for the admirable Germans whose youngsters have gelled to such an extent that one wonders whether it is not ageing egos which have impeded others sides before them, like England.

Africa Won, USA Out, while English Karma Disallows Goal

2010-06-28T11:36:00.037+02:00

BLOEMFONTEIN. It was inevitable, with matches coming thick and fast, keeping up with the daily postings was going to be tricky. Apologies.

Its Monday morning and after another hectic weekend and another 1000 kms later with my trusty Swedish vehicle, the tournament is truly beginning to take shape, including the as predicted, less than reliable refereeing decisions.

Aint karma a bitch! Its taken some time for England’s allowed, but ‘not over the line’ 1966 winning goal to come back to them, but didn’t it come back with a vengeance in Bloemfontein yesterday as England searched for an equaliser and eventually bowed out.

Even from our end of the stand a good several hundred meters away from the contested goal line, our perch showed that the ball had crossed the line.

Then the sms’ began to flood in from New Jersey, Pretoria, and UK – ‘over by at least a yard’ … ‘should be 2-2’ … ‘shocking decision…’ and from friends in the ground… ‘the referee is wanker.’

Que sera sera. This is the World Cup!

If the Germans don’t beat England including some luck or good fortune or dodgy decisions or penalties thrown in for good measure, then it just wouldn’t be as I have always known it.

Despite supporting England, I knew Germany would win and they did. How can we forget Gary Linkekar’s favourite quip about 90 minutes, 22 players and the Germans win?

We can debate Lampard’s disallowed goal til the next blue moon, it won’t change the result. The Germans were better, they were luckier and they still deserved it. The disallowed goal simply saved us the drama of penalties, the same result, and a later departure for our 400km return trip to Johannesburg.

As noted during our previous Bloemfontein trip for Bafana Bafana v France, it is one of the most pleasant, well organised and easily accessible venues in the tournament. It was a straightforward morning drive south to the Free State, easy parking and easy access to the stadium.

Fears of German and England fans mixing at the waterfront shopping mall before the match were overstated and dispelled.

The English fans it must be said were rather pathetic, singing songs about England’s last significant victory over Germany in 2001 when they beat them 5-1 in qualifying. ‘5-1 even Heskey scored, 5-1 even Heskey scored,’ was the chant. Rather feeble really, and as England went down 4-1 one wondered if the full karmic turn was not going to leave the English fans even more red-faced.

Perhaps I am being a bit unfair. At 2-2, having pulled back the equaliser, certainly, Capello is right, it would have been a completely different match and the Germans would not have been able to effectively play their counter-attacking brand on the day. But why do England’s World Cup campaigns always end on that ‘what could have been’ note? Maybe because time and time again, or at least since 1990, they simply have not been good enough.

On the day, I supported England but found myself cringing as I looked around me. We observed obnoxious, petty and even hostile behaviour from the English supporters who could not shut it during the Uber Alles anthem. Ze Germans were forced into a tit for tat response and a few vuvuzelas could be heard during the God Save what’s her name song. As far as I am concerned, English and German nationalism can follow US nationalism into the dust bin of history. Failed ideologies that have, in the name of Empire and cultural superiority only brought misery upon the sisterhood of nations. Ze Germans at least have learned their lesson. Watching England’s continued mediocrity on the football pitch and in the stands makes one wonder if England has learned theirs.

Most of the top sides in the world now have a great mix of naturalised immigrant players, most notably, France’s winning 1998 side made up of Ghanaians (Desailly), Algerians (Zidane) and Senegalese (Vieria). Even Germany for some time has had Turkish and African players. The Mexicans, and the previously the Japanese, play with naturalised Brazilians.

When England fully embraces the world and their immigrant community, including particularly at the academies of the big clubs like Man Utd and Chelsea, then England will be able to compete properly in the World Cup and reshape their future on the football pitch. Until such time however, I fear it will continue to be mediocrity, clouded by club rivalries, foreign coaches who don’t really get it and crowing about bad luck and unfair decisions. To be honest, while unsurprised, I was disappointed by the result on the day and that non-call, not so much because of England’s exit, but the fact that the Ze German machine rolls on. Despite all our calls for a non-traditional World Cup and the emergence of a new challenger, with Brazil, Germany and Argentina still alive, it is increasingly looking like the same old suspects.

As for Saturday night in Rustenburg, the Black Stars victory over the USA means that Africa is still in this and have a great chance of attaining their first ever semi-finalists.

As we approached the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, we could see the helicopters flying in the dignitaries only to find out via sms from our friends in their living rooms that Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger were in attendance. Good on them.

When I was told that Jagger and Clinton where at the game in Rustenburg, initially I thought it was George Clinton of P-funk fame only later to find out that he was in fact performing at Glastonbury.

What a pity.

The USA had a bit too much Doobie in their funk and could have used some intergalactic magic a la George Clinton to over come the shooting Black Stars.

Africa 2 – USA 1. It was a thing of beauty.

We also witnessed some more unsavoury scenes from some of the USA contingent who refused to take their seats resulting in ugly American bickering with local South African Ghana supporters.

We actually witnessed for the first time the vuvuzela being used as a cultural weapon as South African supporters directed their distain towards their USians counter parts by blowing their vuvus in anger directly at them. I even had two US supporters ask me snidely which part of Ghana I was from as I was prominently displaying my Ghana scarf and Black Star wrist band. What could I say, Accra… New Jersey? Its amazing the provincialism of some these supporters for whom clearly local is lekker and affiliation is simply a question of place. If you are from the US, for them, I suppose, obviously you support America. Apparently these colours don’t run, or emigrate.

For me affiliation and affection for teams is a much more contested terrain and marked by my own mixed history. I live in Africa. I love living in Africa. I thirst for a different world order where a new dispensation emerges ensuring that opportunity, advancement and progress is not cut up and determined by the legacy of empire, colonialism and capitalism. While we are meant to be experiencing an African World Cup, so much of the economic fundamentals of the tournament is being dictated by narrow commercial interest and the repatriation of media profits by FIFA and their cronies. Whether it be merely symbolic, or something more emotional even, what the likes of Ghana represent for this competition is something amazing and the promise that on the field of play, Africa can excel against, exceed and defeat the Great Powers. That is exactly what the Black Stars did on Saturday evening against the dogged US team and may the Ghanaian wave continue to break Uruguayan hopes and ride them into the semi-finals.

If local is lekker, its interesting to see how local in the South African context is being reconfigured. It was amazing to see the huge South African support for Ghana across the racial divide including countless white South Africans, including Black Star face painters. I can’t help feel that this has the potential of build positive consciousness amongst the non-black South African communities, many of whose cultural orientation remains linked to Europe. The support Ghana is now receiving in South Africa is truly remarkable and one hopes that it is a harbinger of a more enlightened outlook towards the Continent and lives beyond the World Cup.

Tonight it is back to Ellis Park for Brazil v Chile before flying to Cape Town tomorrow for the clash of the Iberians. I would expect few surprises this evening. While the Chilean have endeared themselves to the neutrals, not only their fans, with the team’s attractive attacking football, having seen them so easily capitulate to the Spanish on Friday night at Loftus makes me fear that the Brazilians will have too much for them tonight. It will be interesting to see if Dunga reverts to his starting 11 or continues to use Dani Alves in a central midfield role for Elano.

As for Spain v Portugal, it is with great anticipation that I look forward to seeing my first match at the new Greenpoint Stadium in my old neighborhood. After a very slow start, the Spanish have finally arrived at the 2010 edition and with the star quality and household names across the pitch, one wonders if they are not a form team of sorts heading into the knock out rounds. This one is really too close to call as Portugal, having yet to concede, gave little indication of their true potential after the less then rousing stalemate with Brazil on Friday. With some hesitation and doubt, my money is on Ronaldo and Quieroz to pull the Portuguese into yet another quarterfinal. Let’s hope if the Portuguese do prevail, they do it with their footballing flair and not their theatrics and diving, which can make them a less than compelling outfit.

As for the Dutch this afternoon, short of a major shocker in Durban, one would expect them to beat the valiant Slovaks. Having knocked out the holders, the Slovaks are gearing themselves up for another major scalp. Let’s hope these matches are decided by the best teams winning as opposed to dodgy decisions, play acting, or for that matter the lottery of penalties. Despite what appeared to be lopsided defeats of England and Mexico - a decision here, some luck there and things could have been different. There are no easy matches left in the tournament. Often it is on the margins where these issues will be settled.

Lastly, hats off to Carlos (don't kiss it, eat the badge) Tevez, that menace, on his goal of the tournament for 3-0 and I'm not referring to the off-sides one.

What a strike. Argentina v Germany, 4pm Sat 3 July at Green Point in Cape Town in the quarters, is beginning to look like an instant classic.

Blue Samurais tame Jabulani, as Italians at last, finally, not even quarterfinally, 'get' No Country For Old Men

2010-06-25T13:24:00.019+02:00

HOME. Yesterday marked the most dramatic result yet in this 2010 World Cup, as Slovakia knocked out the holders who fly home disgraced without recording a win.

While not physically present at Ellis Park, across town from Sunninghill, on a fresh but sunny afternoon, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Italy sent packing from the comfort of my HD living room.

As we previously witnessed this past Sunday in Nelspruit when the All Whites held Italy, there was a significant lack of impetus in the lacklustre Italian play that only really started having a go in the last 15 minutes.

The match was filled with plenty of drama as Italy fought to salvage their abject campaign after conceding in the first half. Late in the match, there was the hand bags between Fabio Quagliarella and the Slovakian goalkeeper Mucha, including a rabbit punch from the keeper which the linesman and Howard Webb were unable to spot. The Italians even had what appeared to be a valid goal disallowed for offside. Mama Mia! This match was turning into a bad Italian pop opera. Further, there was a goal line clearance from Martin Skrtel on a strike which looked to cross the line but which television technology was unconvincingly able to prove. Despite crowing for technology to assist the officials, on the 5 camera angles available to the production crew, without a micro chip in the ball or sensors on the goal line, there is no way a third umpire would have been able to make this call.

Italy joins Brazil and France as the only previous holders to be knocked out before qualifying for the knock out stages. Italy were the first holders to go out early when they crashed out in the group stage in 1950 after winning in 1938. The 1942 and 1946 editions were not played due to Second World War. Brazil shared the fate in 1966 in England after their 1962 title in Sweden, with Pele getting kicked around the park and effectively removed from the tournament by dirty play and so did France, who went out early in 2002 in Seoul after an opening match defeat at the hands of Senegal after winning the World Cup in 1998.

Let’s face it. Italy did not deserve to the win the 2006 World Cup. Besides a spirited defeat of Ze Germans in the semi-finals, they played their usual laboriously boring brand of football and but for Marco Matterazzi’s bating of Zinedine Zidane leading to that headbutt and Zidane’s ulitimate red card dismissal, Italy had no right beating France on penalty kicks. If Zidane had stayed on the field of play, France would have won the match. Would have, could have, should have. The bitterness remains from 2006, so it is with some glee that I enjoyed seeing the Italians humiliated at Ellis Park.

What do Ze Germans call it? Schadenfreude? Like watching John Terry and Nic Anelka miss their penalties in Moscow! Good riddance. Like the Spanish, Italy had the advantage of coming to South African in 2009 to play in the Confederations Cup, get used to the conditions and ensure and easy acclimatisation to their South African surroundings. Also like Spain, Italy played dismally during the Confed Cup and were sent packing home early. Let’s hope that like Italy, tonight the Spanish also can book an early flight back to Madrid after the Chile match at Loftus. Perhaps the vuvuzelas and Jabulani were just too much for them.

Speaking of Jabulani, the World Cup ball, who said you can’t keep this ball down at altitude? At the lofty Rustenburg heights in the North West province, the Blue Samurais of Japan put two beautiful free kick goals past the hapless Thomas Sorensen of Denmark. If the skilful and hardworking Japanese can continue this type of mastery of Jabulani, then happiness and joy will certainly be theirs when they face Paraguay at Loftus in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.

As for the Dutch from Greenpoint Stadium, with Robin van Persie hitting form and the arrival of Arjen Robben on the scene hitting the post late to set up Jan Huntelaar’s goal, the Orange machine marches on to the knock out stages with maximum points. Remaining by the coast for their Round of 16 match, if the Dutch can get past the tricky Slovakia on Monday in Durban, then they face the prospect of a blockbuster quarterfinal match against the winner of G1 and H2 (the contestants to be decided tonight) – but possibly Brazil.

The Brazilians have been a stumbling block to great Dutch teams of the past – most notably the 1994 addition played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and 1998 in Nantes where Brazil knocked the Dutch out on penalty kicks after Phillipe Cocu and Ronald de Boer missed their spot kicks after the match finished 1-1 after extra time. One wonders whether these upcoming knock out matches will come down to penalties and who will hold their nerves and who will be the Anelka goats!

If Chile is successful this evening, it will mean at least 9 at the final 16 qualifiers for the knock out rounds will come from non-traditional footballing powers. In Argentina, Germany, and Brazil, 3 of the tradition big 5 are still alive – France and Italy having gone home. Leaving aside the drama yet to come in the Group G decider between Brazil and Portugal, which will determine who finishes top as both should progress to the next round given Portugal’s superior goal difference over Ivory Coast, the Round of 16 is largely populated by nations who have never progressed beyond the quarterfinals previously.

One African side – Ghana; two Asian sides – So Ko and Japan; One Eastern European side – Slovakia; and likely four to five Latin American sides plus the USA, means that the knock out rounds have the potential to look unlike any previous World Cup. For certain, one of Uruguay, South Korea, Ghana or the USA will reach the semi-finals and create history. While Uruguay have previously won the World Cup, this was in the tournament’s infancy and can be discounted from the modern era.

Portugal v Brazil kicking off at 16.00 local time from Moses Mahbida in Durban, on paper, is the tie of the first round pitting the number 1 ranked team in the world against the number 3. Again, on paper, this match is nearly a mini World Cup final and provides an opportunity for both sides to make a statement of intent beating one of the contenders prior to the knock out round. The winner will get the runner up of Group H, with Brazil also topping the group on the draw.

So, it is with great anticipation that we return to Loftus tonight to see this Group H decided between Chile and Spain. If Chile can simply draw this evening, on a Swiss win against Honduras, they can assure the Spanish are eliminated. The permutations in Group H are numerous. With Spain and Switzerland both on 3 points and Chile on 6 points after two wins, even Chile are not assured of passage through to the next round if they are defeated by Spain and the Swiss beat Honduras. The group could come down to goal difference and at present, Spain have a +1 advantage over the Swiss, so its to play for tonight at Lofus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Black Stars Fight On; Rooney's Free Rolls to Amuse or Bemuse Germans?

2010-06-24T12:28:00.025+02:00

JOHANNESBURG. Soccer City was the venue for last night’s stark contrast in footballing cultures.

The Black Stars of Ghana, who I picked early as my sentimental team for this tournament, versus one of the World Cup’s all time giants, those heart-breaking, make you cry, Germans.

The Ghanaian fans were decked out in an almost rasta red, gold and green and their contingent included a brass band (close to where I was directed to sit in the upper tier) doing their best, along with a few West African drummers to compete with the vuvuzelas.

Ghana even appeared to have muti men and women with big cauldrons with some strange brew, going from corner flag to flag across the vast Soccer City cathedral doing their best to try and unsettle the Germans. One wonders if a fully Africanised Bafana Bafana, with a South African coach, can in future call upon the local sangomas for more assistance.

The Germans by contrast cast a different image all together on the evening including what we witnessed as the first signs of crowd trouble and hooligan activity as they faced off against the South African Police Services riot squad during the match. A certain section of the German brigade, seated close to the ground by the one corner flag, refused to sit down prompting spats with local fans. As the riot police sought to intervene, the atmosphere grew more tense with abuse and insults hurled by some sections of the Germans fans towards the police. The police had to forcibly remove at least one German fan and had to retreat and regroup to quell further unrest.

These ugly scenes which are the first we have witnessed after 13 match days and having visited 8 venues of the 10 venues thus far, are worrying as we await Sunday’s clash in Bloemfontein between Germany and England. One hopes that the security detail for tournament which thus far have been given an easy ride anticipated a German v England clash at some stage in the competition and have a plan in place for Bloemfontein. Based upon our recent visit to Bloem, one wonders how the authorities will be able to keep German and English fans separated at the Waterfront Mall in the centre of town, adjacent to the stadium, where fans congregate prior to kick off.

Yesterday’s afternoon kick offs however started off in a more serene fashion at Six Cocktail Bar in Melville for the highly anticipated England v. Slovenia clash.

At the start of the tournament it was hard to imagine England not having enough to get out of this relatively soft group. With Capello shuffling his pack yet again to insert some pace up front with Jermain Defoe and a more free role for Rooney, a la Messi for Argentina, England looked more convincing going forward and were good value for their one goal.

Defoe’s performance in particular was impressive as he threatened on numerous occasions and it was good to see Rooney given the keys to the park, to roam freely, come deep to gather possession and generally have a greater impact on England’s build up play. For me, Rooney was unlucky not to score hitting the post late in the second half and while his World Cup has been disappointing thus far, this has more to do with Capello’s system and persistence in playing Heskey as a target man in the first two games then Rooney’s lack of endeavour. Rooney, in a more free role, is a different prospect indeed, just ask Sir Alex, and has the potential to both open up spaces for Lampard and Gerard to exploit going forward. It was also good to see the inventive Joe Cole coming on late as a substitute in the match. The potential attacking combinations, with flair and pace, of Rooney, Defoe and possibly Cole are England’s best chance for glory in Bloemfontein on Sunday. If not, on the form shown for the majority of the USA and Algeria match, I don’t fancy England’s chances to get past Ze Germans.

On conclusion of the English match, it was a quick dash in the car to the park and walk at Soccer City a mere 10 kilometres or so from Melville. It was only in the ride to the match that news filtered in from Pretoria of yet another late goal from the USA ensuring their passage to the knock out round as Group C winners. You really have to hand it to the unfancied Americans who must be given credit for their perseverance and never say die approach. The fact that the USA is able to battle for the full 90 minutes including scoring late goals makes them a banana skin for any knock out round opponents and while my heart remains with Ghana for Saturday’s clash in Rustenburg, something tells me that the USA will prevail and make a run deeper into the tournament. This same outfit showed their qualities last year in South Africa during the Confederations Cup beating Spain on route to the final where they were 2-0 up against Brazil before finally capitulating 3-2. A potential semi-final run remains on the cards for the USA.

As for Ze Germans, it was business resumed on Thursday night in Soweto. Ze Germans as noted previously do not lose two World Cup matches on the trot, nor do they fail to qualify for the knock out rounds. Ghana played German better than even in the first half and while creating few clear cut chances, it was difficult to separate the Black Stars from Ze Germans after 45 minutes. However, as predicted, Ze Germans did eventually take a chance, a wonderful 20 metre plus strike from their number 8, Mesut Ozil. Following the goal, the matched petered out in the last 15 minutes with Ghana showing the most intent around the box, however squandering their chances and never really troubling the German goal. With Australia winning against Serbia 2-1, everyone – German, Ghanaian and all the South Africans – the vast majority of whom supported Ghana seeking to ride the West Africa wave into the knock out rounds – were happy as Germany went through as Group D winners to face England and Ghana as runners up to face the USA in Rustenburg.

A brief word or two on the significance of Germany v England. My German friends assure me that Germans do not view this ‘rivalry’ the same way the English do. In fact, given German domination as perennial semi-finalists, finalists or winner of the World Cup, you can see where the Germans are coming from. What has England done lately for the Germans to have any fear? The Germans just don’t get it.

As for the English, with their only World Cup victory in 1966 coming against the Germans, not the mention the Great ’14-’18 War and the Second World War, this is it – the old Enemy, their greatest rival and the team that usually stands in the way of English glory. Having beaten Germany 5-1 in World Cup qualifying in 2001, the English fans to this day still sing (to the knick knack paddy whack give the dog a bone song – This Old Man?) ‘1 nil down 5 nil up, two World Wars and One World Cup...’ This amuses the English to no end and at worst, mildly irritates the Germans who hardly consider the English worthy rivals.

Long before arriving in Africa in the 1990s, as a young man, it was the England v Germany matches which colour my early memories and disappointments as a soccer fan. Italy 1990 in particular, and six years later in Euro 1996, rest deep in the grey matter, as memories of German victories on penalties still makes me cringe. It is difficult to forget Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle’s penalties misses that night in Bari and of course, Paul Gasgoigne tears at the final whistle.

I have to admit that my passion for English football, in terms of the national set up, has faded over the years succumbing to the more tribalist instincts of club football supporting Man Utd, however, when it comes to the World Cup, there is one match up that makes supporting Ingalund more about instinct and reflex than reason – a match up against Ze Germans. So it’s back to Bloem on Sunday forgoing Argentina v Mexico at Soccer City in the flesh for Radio 2000 broadcast on the road back home! While I think Argentina can win the World Cup and neither Germany nor England look likely, there is just too much history to pass this one up. Can England exorcise their demons? Why do I remain fearful that once again it will all end in tears for the Three Lions?

South Africa beat France 2-1, Go out of the World Cup on Goal Difference

2010-06-23T10:34:00.009+02:00

BLOEMFONTEIN. Yesterday was a monumental day in the history of South African football as they defeated France in Africa’s first World Cup ensuring they finished the group stage on 4 points: one win, one loss and one draw.

This is the same number of points that Mexico finishes on having been beaten yesterday by group winners Uruguay who finish as group winners on 7 points.

Mexico’s superior goal difference ensures they go through to the knock out rounds as second in group at Bafana’s expense setting up a mouth-watering round of 16 clash with Group B winner’s Argentina at Soccer City on Sunday.

South Africa, despite beating France and drawing with Mexico in the opening match go out of the tournament largely due to their heavy defeat by Uruguay on June 16th.

South Africa becomes the first host nation to fail to qualify for the knock out round of the World Cup. When Bafana Bafana set their target at the start of this World Cup, having qualified automatically as hosts, their goal was to qualify for the knock out round.

They however did not anticipate being drawn in a group with 3 teams ranked in the world top 20 including defeated 2006 finalists France. Along with Nigeria and Cameroon, South Africa becomes the third of the six African sides that fails to qualify for the knockout round. While there is a deep feeling of disappointment amongst some Bafana Bafana supporters, there is also a great deal satisfaction felt in the fact that Bafana did not disgrace themselves, and in beating France and going out on goal difference, displayed qualities and character, on the day, that with a bit of luck could have seen them go through. A brilliant half against Mexico on the opening day and a similar display yesterday however in the end was not enough. South Africa beats France, satisfies the country’s thirst of success with a battling displace but in the end fall short.

The emotions and the pulse rates rose and fell as South Africa went ahead 2-0 by half time...

As news filtered in around the ground at Bloemfontein that Uruguay had gone 1-0 against Mexico, the issue came down to permutations. South Africa needed to ensure they overturned a three goal difference to come out ahead of Mexico meaning two more goals were required. There was a brief moment of confusion amongst the fans as to whether it was one or two goals. I could not help being reminded of South African cricket’s numerous defeats at the hands of the Duckworth Lewis method which calculates runs needed in rain effected one day test matches, calculations of which South African cricket has failed to master leading to embarrassing defeats. But the math here was a bit more simple. With Mexico going down 1-0 to Uruguay leaving them on 4 points with a goal difference of +1 having beaten France 2-0, South Africa needed to win 4-0 to ensure their goal difference went to +2. With a second half equaliser from Chelsea’s Flourent Malouda and a 10 man France squad led in the end by Ribery, Henri and Malouda, hope soon faded despite South Africa hitting the post and squandering other chances.

Bloemfontein is a wonderful city to watch football. The stadium, in the centre of the CBD is accessible and sits beside a waterfront shopping mall with shops and restaurants where fans gathered before the match. The few French faithful in particular put up a good show against the walls of green and gold with placards reading ‘French Fans Not on Strike.’ While the vuvuzelas sounding in the cafes at lunchtime at Primi Piatti were regrettable, it only indicated the depth of South African support on the day. It was pleased to run into a few Irish lads and the inevitable wicked humour and lingering bitterness about the Hand of Henri. No question as to who the Irish were supporting on the day.

For the 400kms plus drive home to Joburg from Bloem after the match, we were entertained by hearing broadcasts on Radio 2000 of Argentina v Greece from Polokwane and the So Kos v Nigeria from Durban, with the radio producers cleverly switching back and forth between the matches. Full marks to the SABC radio for their wonderful coverage of the tournament.

While Argentina had already ensured their passage to the next round as group winners, the permutations in these Group B matches for the remaining spot as runners-up were mind boggling with the any of So Ko, Greece and Nigeria with the possibility of going through. Nigeria for certain had a relatively clear path and would have progressed on a win and an Argentina win. For Greece, a win and draw from the other match was good enough and for So Ko, a draw was sufficient to get them past the post, if Argentina defeated Greece. In the end, Nigeria, like Bafana, squandered their chances ensuring a draw and Argentina had too much for Greece in Polokwane.

While World Footballer of the year Lionel Messi has failed to score again, the highlights proved him to be am absolute menace to the Greeks as he peppered the keeper and the posts continually - eventually leading to Martin Palermo’s goal and Argentina’s second after a goalkeeping parry. Maradona charges, the second string on the night, looked in great form and will not fear the Mexicans on Sunday.

As for this afternoon and this evening, again its all about the permutations. Currently in Group C, any of the 4 teams can progress to the next round with the USA and England needing clear victories to ensure they go through. A USA draw against Algeria will not be enough for them, if England can beat Slovenia in Port Elizabeth. Similarly, if England draw, they will be left on only 3 points and an Algerian or American victory in Pretoria will deny them passage. Slovenia already on 4 points having beaten Algeria are best placed to ensure they progress and a draw should be good enough for them to deny England and go through on 5 points.

Later on this evening, we will return to Soccer City to watch Ze Germans against Ghana. The Ghanaians squandered a great opportunity when failing to beat 10 men Australia this past Saturday. They currently top the group on 4 points. Germany and Serbia are both on 3 points and with Australia on 1 point but with a vastly inferior goal difference, it is unlikely they will progress. A Serbian draw with Australia and a German victory means that it will come down difference between Ghana and Serbia. A Serbian victory and a German victory means they both go through. A Ghanaian victory means they deny the Germans passage to the knock out rounds for the first time.

African hearts are with Ghana as they remain the best chances of progression to the knock out rounds. The German rarely lose World Cup matches and I am not certain if they have ever lost two in a row. They are a wounded giant and one would expect a spirited German performance tonight.

What we had hoped would be an African World Cup is increasingly looking like a Latin America dominated tournament. With 4 teams already booked into the Round of 16, none of these teams are European. It is however too early to call how the next few days will unfold with Portugal, Holland and Spain still looking to book their places going forward. After tonight’s match, it’s a rest day tomorrow from the stadia and then from Friday, its 5 matches in 5 days starting with Spain v Chile at Loftus in Pretoria – a crunch decider for Group H.

Now its all about permutations. South Africa remains on a high after yesterday’s victory despite the ultimate exclusion from further participation. I think the national interest will remain at high levels and allegiance and support will shift to the next set of underdogs – whether they be Mexican, Uruguayan or South Korean. Until these teams fall by the wayside, my support will continue to go the less likely, the up and coming and the pretenders, as opposed to contenders. Tonight it is Ghana and Friday it will be Chile. Today’s long shot is Algeria. Permutations, permutations permutations… it’s all up for grabs.

Ronaldo Gets One Into The Back Of The Neck

2010-06-22T11:05:00.025+02:00

BLOEMFONTEIN. Its beautiful to be in Bloemfontein. You can already hear the music on the streets from the local Bloemfontein Celtic Supporters, clad in green and gold today as opposed to their normal green hoops.

They are blaring music from massive speakers on an open top double-decker bus outside our office.

There can be no doubt, Bloemfontein has the best soccer supporters in South Africa! They know their way around a vuvuzela, but also know the power of voice, song and dance. Keep your eyes on the stands this afternoon.

Today Bafana Bafana, win or lose, will be serenaded and its going to be special. Perhaps my biggest gripe with the vuvuzela is that it can stifle other forms of mass expression at the match – whether it be chanting, or simply the ooohs and aaahs of the crowd at those critical moments.

Today is a day of song and the world will fully understand why South Africa is an exceptional place and a rightful 2010 host. Song has always played a critical role in the South African liberation struggle.

For any interested in exploring this issue further, you will be hard pressed to do better than watching Lee Hirsch’s brilliant 2003 documentary Amandla: A Revolution in Four Part Harmony. At a minimum, see if you can get your hands on the soundtrack.

400 kms from home, Bloemfontein is a straight forward drive south from Johannesburg. Home to South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeals and the capital of the Free State, formerly the Orange Free State, Bloemfontein is South Africa’s heartland – hearty, wholesome and soccer loving. As we approach the 16.00 kick-off, for certain, we are going to get our boogie on this afternoon. One year on from the passing of Michael Jackson and if France are defeated as expected, you can be sure they will blame on the boogie. A dead-rubber? This is the 2010 South African World Cup and even if Bafana Bafana fail to make the knock out rounds, the soccer loving people of Bloemfontein will remember the day the French farce came to town.

A brief comment on the Iberians

First to Portugal. A magnificent 7 from Carlos Quieroz’s charges on a rainy Cape Town afternoon against the No Kos and all of the sudden, the continental campaign is not looking so limp. Portugal tore the No Kos apart and by the end of it, one had massive sympathy for the DPK players who had fought so bravely against the Brazilians in a 2-1 defeat last week at Ellis Park. The No Kos were simply played off the park (pun intended). In particular, Ronaldo’s contribution should not be underestimated, capped off by a trick goal off the back of his neck – a bit of luck and magic that makes Ronaldo, in my opinion, one of the most scintillating players in world football. Brazil v. Portugal is now set up nicely for Friday in Durban with both teams hoping to make a statement prior to the knock out rounds. Assuming Spain can get a result against Chile at Loftus in Pretoria, either Portugal or Brazil can look forward to facing the European Champions in the Round of 16.

Spain did what they need to do against the challenged Hondurans. 2-0 was good enough on the day to announce their presence at 2010, and while unspectacular, in David Villa, Xavi and others, the quality around the park in undeniable. On paper, the Spanish line up compares favourably to any other team in the competition, with the exception of maybe Brazil and Argentina. Compared to even the Dutch and certainly England, and you would think that the Spanish should have enough to get past most teams. The Swiss however proved otherwise and unless the Spanish find some inspiration, a la Portugal, then my belief remains that Spain will fall short. We are gearing up for Friday night in Pretoria and hope that Chile can pull a trick and knock the Spanish out. While this would deny us that mouth-watering Round of 16 clash, the Chileans have endured themselves to the neutrals with their attacking brand of football. While they qualified well from the South American group, they are still over-achieving thus far with maximum points from their two matches.

So after today, its back to Johannesburg tonight and tomorrow’s clash at Soccer City for Ghana v Germany. Its park and walk for us as we will dispense with the Rea Via and buy a R50 parking ticket to get us close to Soccer City tomorrow night and hopefully a hassle free get away at the end of the match to home. This is a big match for African hopes and with Germany wounded after the Serbian defeat, one fears for the Black Stars. This will be a defining match for the tournament as Ghana realistically, remain Africa’s last hope for knock out round glory.

Thursday is rest day (from the stadiums or do you prefer stadia) for the wicked and then Friday its back to Loftus for Chile v Spain before moving on to Rustenburg on Saturday for the start of the Round of 16. But for today, its time to bask in the Bloemfontein sun, song and dance. South African supporters seek a result today, but its unlikely their will be a clear winner on the field of play. For certain, the winners this afternoon be those green and gold clad supporters singing in the rafters. May the power of song lift the spirits of the nation today and usher this tournament to a new height.

Up Close and Personal with Middle American Irony

2010-06-21T11:35:00.023+02:00

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.

THE REAL WORLD CUP POST MORTEMS AWAIT

2010-06-19T14:51:00.004+02:00

by Terry Bell

There will doubtless be many post mortems about the performance of Bafana Bafana in this World Cup and, in particular, the showing on Wednesday with its 3-0 defeat to Uruguay. But there will be other post mortems as well — and they may prove to be more important in the long run than any analysis of soccer prowess.

Take the case of the security guards and stewards who first went in strike in Durban and then Cape Town, with threats to Johannesburg. This resulted in the police drafting in 11 000 trainee officers.

Large scale disruption was avoided, but the incidents raise a number of important questions. Interviews with some of the now dismissed guards indicate that at least a number of them qualify as victims of what the unions call the “bakkie brigade”, those purveyors of temporary labour who usually pick up their workers at the side of the road.

It is this practice that triggered the call by Cosatu to ban all labour brokers, to insist on permanent and decent work for all. However, the very fact that the World Cup venues in at least three major centres required a large number of temporary staff reveals that part-time or — as in this case — very temporary work, is a reality that cannot, perhaps, be avoided.

“But I am shocked at what has been going on,” says Evan Abrahamse, a SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union organiser in the Western Cape. He has collected reports from workers who spent up to 16 hours on duty at the Cape Town stadium before being paid R190 at 2am. “And then there was no transport for them to get back home to Khayalitsha,” he says.

The unions will, presumably, investigate such treatment and take issue about it. But there are other aspects as well, especially regarding the company contracted to provide the guards and stewards — and the nature of the financial rewards offered. The company is Stallion Security, a large, national group that prides itself on its black empowerment status.

It lists as one of its affiliates, Amabubesi Investments that was headed until 2006 by former National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head, Bulelani Ngcuka before he left to chair Vuwa Investments where his former NPA communications chief, Sipho Ngwema, is also an executive director. Who owns what, when contracts were signed and what — if any — strings were pulled, should also form part of a future post mortem.

This will also almost certainly feature in the raging debates about temporary work and how it should be controlled, if, indeed, it can be. It should also throw into sharp focus the existing legislation and the fact that it is frequently observed in the breach, with little evidence of enforcement.

The temporary work issue is also central to the strikes underway at retailers DisChem and Game and at Premier Foods subsidiary, Bokomo.

Queries about these will bring up the whole issue of the government as employer, especially because of the disputes involving Eskom and the public service. In the case of the public service, the labour movement may also have to examine and deal with the strong undercurrent of inter-union feuding that has erupted.

The Cosatu-affiliated SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) has accused the independent, 210 000-strong Public Servants Association (PSA) of using the wage negotiations process to “gain cheap political points”. According to Sadtu, the PSA — it declared a dispute on May 24, so allowing for a strike by its members from June 24 — “expelled itself” from the process by declaring a dispute. The other unions only declared a dispute on June 10.

What this boils down to is that the PSA may legally strike during the World Cup; the others only after the event. That, as the PSA sees it, is not the point. “We will decide when and how to go on strike if we have to,” says PSA deputy general manager Manie de Clerq.

PSA negotiator Leon Gilbert stresses that the union does not wish to disrupt the soccer spectacular. “But we couldn’t delay a dispute just because of that,” he says. He also points out that, in any event, the PSA and government will go into conciliation talks today (subs: Friday) and the dispute may be resolved.

However, the rows about the timing of the dispute have resulted in accusations directed at the leaderships of Cosatu affiliates. They are accused — and not only from within the independent unions — of a tendency, as members of the governing alliance, to “go soft” on government, in this case ensuring that there would be no disruption during the World Cup.

De Clerq admits that there has been ongoing tension between the PSA and the Cosatu unions in the public sector ever since the PSA refused, three years ago, to sign the controversial occupational special dispensation (OSD) agreement tabled by the government. Because the Cosatu unions held a majority in the bargaining council, the OSD deal applied to all unions.

“But the employer never said where the money was coming from and, as it has turned out, there is none,” says De Clerq. There are now disputes over overtime provisions included in the deal and over non-payment of OSD, especially in correctional services.

This has renewed arguments about the relationship of trade unions to government. However, there are plenty of examples of the Cosatu unions, especially of late, taking a hard line with government.

The National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), for example, this week led a broader union demand for a formal investigation into reports that government departments had spent R10.9 million on World Cup tickets for “top managers and VIP investors”. This was in contravention of a call by finance minister Pravin Gordhan for “prudence in spending taxpayers’ money”.

The union maintains that the ticket purchases amounted to “selfish misappropriation of public funds by these shameless bureaucratic fat cats”. And Nehawu media officer, Sizwe Pampla has issued a call for harsh action “to prevent this government turning into a kleptocracy”.

* Bell was the founding principal of the Somafco primary division. He was in exile from 1965 and banned from 1966 to February 1990.

Maradona Puffs on a Cuban; Bafana Chill Out

2010-06-18T15:42:00.015+02:00

POLOKWANE. So, no I didn’t miss my posting yesterday because I was so crestfallen and fed up after Bafana Bafana’s capitulation to Uruguay, nor was it my resistance to writing an obituary. It has just all been a bit hectic after watching 7 live matches in 7 days in 5 cities.

After, making my way back from Pretoria on Wednesday evening following the latest June 16th massacre, I never anticipated what a crazy day yesterday would be attaining a new level of fanaticism – namely a World Cup double-header – an early afternoon kick-off in the Soweto sun – Argentina v Korea Republic (So Ko) followed by a round trip 700 kilometers whirlwind northern road trip to Polokwane for Mexico v France with some crazy Frenchy supporters in tow.

What a day!

But first things first.

Spare a thought for Bafana Bafana. You know the expression you could hear a pin drop? Well, never in my life have I witnessed such a deafening silence as occurred when the vuvuzelas came crashing to the ground after Diego Forlan struck a dagger into South African hearts at Lofus Versfeld. Forlan who had a patchy spell at Manchester United before hitting the golden boot heights with Athletico Madrid in La Liga, will always be remembered fondly by the Old Trafford faithful.

It was one particular strike that sunk Liverpool which endeared him to so many and ensured that they still sing his name on the Stretford End – ‘Diego oh way oh, Diego oh way oh, he made the Scousers cry.’ Diego the heartbreaker. We have seen him do it all before in the 2002 World Cup, similar strike, under the cross bar, same result. There are at least four Diegos in Uruguay’s starting eleven. Perhaps an ode to Maradona? Regardless, South Africans will remember this Diego less fondly than Mancurians or South Americans.

Bafana’s performance was abject at times and while unlucky with the referee’s dubious sending off of goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, they never looked capable of overcoming a skillful, fast, powerful and determined Uruguayan side. Uruguay looked fluid at times in possession, as well, when they went forward and with their usual solidness in defense, they could prove to be tricky opponents for whoever emerges from Argentina’s group. However with fewer Uruguayan fans in attendance than other visiting brigades, they have no sizable twelfth man and frenzy around their campaign such as Mexico or Argentina have. I wonder if this less than insane support may inhibit their further progress beyond the Round of 16?

One could go on about how disappointed South Africans are with this defeat but don’t be mistaken. South Africans love to ‘get on with it’ and have a dark and at times wicked sense of humor, turning tragedy into comedy. More importantly, they will never shirk at the possibility of ensuring that the party goes on. Even on Wednesday evening, the party rolled on at SIX Cocktail bar in Melville and no doubt at venues across the country as in victory or defeat, the opportunity to celebrate this festival of football is bigger than the fortunes of any single team.

Okay, the tele is on in the background… The Germans have just missed a penalty? What is this world (cup) coming to? Do we still have to pay taxes? Have they banned the vuvuzela? Wow, I can’t believe what is unfolding before my eyes in Port Elizabeth.

A brief word on Argentina. The one thing about watching live football is, at one level, the total viewing experience is actually often less satisfying than watching the match in the comfort of your high definition living room with cups of tea and instant replays readily at hand. Soccer City on a normal winter’s day in Joburg is about two thirds in the shade and one third in the sun. Our seats by the one corner flag received approximately 90 minutes, plus stoppage time, of full beaming sunlight. As we sat in the glare, in the first half by the Argentinean goal, it was difficult to fully appreciate Argentina’s neat, around the box, attacking interplay taking place down the pitch in the So Ko box.

The second half was much more enjoyable spectacle, from our seats, and while living rooms have their comforts, there is something quite special about seeing the current greatest Lionel Messi, so unassuming a specimen, a mere ten meters or so in front of you at the corner flag. Hats off to Messi on a sublime performance and Higuain’s noteworthy hat-trick.

I’ve been told by those running the post match press conference that the larger than life Argentine trainer Diego Maradona was at his prima donna best, showing up with a cigar, obviously Cuban, and refusing to interact with the journos in the ‘mixed zone.’ While I was in the Mighty Reds corner on the day and still hope that the So Kos progress from the group, given Nigeria’s no hope displays, all praise to Argentina on this most masterful and frightening display. The only wrinkle for Argentina, conceding a soft goal at the end of the first half, may raise a few doubts about their defensive resolve as the tournament progresses.

The Polokwane trip, to enjoy the French demise and Mexican wave, was spontaneous and inspired by some French FIFA volunteer friends based at Soccer City. From the Soccer City parking lot up the N1, past my home and comfy couch, through Pretoria in under an hour and I knew making the 20.30 kick off after a 16.00 departure was well within reach.

As witnessed on the opening day, for me thus far, the Mexican fans have to be the most endearing and entertaining to the neutrals. With their sombreros and wrestling masks and Aztec feathers, they are somewhat less intense and manic then the Argentinean supporters, who you feel could go riot breaking down fences and barriers, banging pots and breaking ATM machines if their beloved team were to fail. The Mexicans rather seem to be along for the ride – jubilant and in full voice when the team succeeds, but ultimately less expectant or entitled than the Argentine or Brazilian fans and simply happy to see their team in the competition putting in a good fight.

The less said about the French performance the better. Its hard to see how Ribery can be spoken about in the same breath as Zidane and Platini or for that matter Messi and Ronaldo as one of the current greats. The sooner France go home, the sooner they can dump Domenach, bring on the Laurent Blanc era and press the reset button. Always a lover of French football, c’est tragic to see how Domenach has continually mismanaged his pack and failed to marshall a decent generation of French footballers to success. One wonders how well this group of players could have done under a Wenger or a Houiller.

Well, the Germans are about to lose to Serbia. With Spain crashing, the Ivorians holding Portugal and Italy held by the Paraguay, the continentals are faltering. Maybe its going to be South America’s year?

A brief word on England. It would be shocking if they were not to beat Algeria. Word has it that David ‘calamity’ James is to start in goal instead of the hapless Rob Green. Dom Fabio Capello usually does not name his team until they are on the bus to the match two hours before, lest his players become complacent or someone pulls up injured late in the preparations. This leak from the England camp only further reveals that Dom Fabio is not running as tight a ship as had been imagined. Breaking his cardinal rule by bringing unfit players to the tournament, England are increasingly looking threadbare and reliant on some magic from Wayne Rooney or an 'x' factor in the form of Joe Cole. Let’s see if the Mother City is kinder to the Three Lions then Rustenburg was last Saturday when they faced the Yanks.

The Germans have lost! The footballing gods have blessed this day. USA v Slovenia from Ellis Park to come. After 7 matches in 7 days in 5 cities, the couch is more than adequate place to watch the country of my birth do battle against another former Yugoslavian break away. Tomorrow it is a pre-dawn departure for Durban, a further 600 kms away, for an early Holland v Japan kick off. Love Oranje and can't wait to see that sea of Orange by the Indian Ocean. Then its off to Nelspruit through god’s country in Mpumalanga (the former Eastern Transvaal) on Sunday for, the holders, Italy, the Azzuri v. the All Whites. Let the party roll on. While the big chill still keeps holds over the Highveld, the tournament is just beginning to heat up and I'm heading the sunny seaside Kingdom of the Zulus!

WE NEED TO LEARN FROM OUR FAILURES IN EDUCATION

2010-06-18T13:32:00.008+02:00

by Terry Bell

The great youth uprising of 1976 was properly commemorated on June 16; the terrible sacrifices remembered along with the brutality of a racist and oppressive regime. There were also reflections on the changes wrought by those sacrifices and the events flowing from them.

All too often — and with considerable justification — the youth of 1976 were referred to as the lost generation; the students who forsook education in the cause of liberation. However, as many commentators have noted, the nature of 1976 schooling offered to those not classified “white” was of a standard that fell well short of any ideal of education.

So the students rebelled in the wake of the industrial resistance of the emerging modern trade union movement. The eruptions that followed arguably made the greatest contribution to the pressures that finally resulted in a negotiated transition. We owe much to the rebellious youth of that generation.

Today, despite all the gross and still racially biased inequalities that dog our schooling system ...

and provide a major reason for the high dropout rate at tertiary level, what we have, on a national scale, is still an improvement on what went before. How much of an improvement can be debated, but there can be no debate about the fact that the inequalities of the past have been deracialised: wealth and not pigmentation is the general determinant of whether a student is offered good, bad or inadequate schooling.

But we can learn much more from the errors of the past 16 years than we can by proclaiming how much better the situation is now than it was in the days of apartheid. The informed consensus is that our schooling system is in a mess, despite the relatively high percentage of national income spent on it.

But we need a long, hard and honest look at the past in order to understand what went wrong, when, where and how. And that should take us beyond our borders to the greatest failed educational opportunity ever presented to a new, anti-racist and democratic South Africa; back to the thousands of young people, many with greater initiative and commitment than most of their fellows, who decided — or were forced — to flee into exile.

Like the rest of the ’76 generation in South Africa, they had no choice but to fight or continue to suffer academically inadequate schooling with generally poorly qualified teachers in vastly under-resourced schools. Their fleeing persuaded an ANC newly revitalised by the rebellions on the home front to establish a school that would provide “education for liberation”.

Such a school would be based on the most modern, democratic principles as befitted the country’s premier liberation movement. This would include none of the coercive methods of Bantu and, indeed, Christian National schooling, primarily corporal punishment. It would abolish the distinction between mental and manual labour and equip students with the motivation and academic and technical skills that would help shape a new South Africa. This was the sort of school many students dreamed of, but most of the hierarchy of the ANC saw as their model, the authoritarian, strap wielding mission schools of yore.

This conflict between policy and intended practice was not evident at the time and the Tanzanian government provided a large tract of land on a former sisal estate, north of the town of Morogoro to house the school complex. Solidarity support poured in. On paper the project seemed marvellous. And it was something of a public relations coup: a liberation movement gearing up to prepare motivated, democratic and anti-racist students who would eventually spearhead the development of a new South Africa.

The promise was to create a school based on self-sufficiency and that would meld mental and manual labour in a co-operative and democratic environment. It never happened. Brutal punishments were the order of the day and manual work was used as a form of punishment. The autocratic cultures of Bantu and mission school education dominated in an environment where nationalists battled for control with members of the SA Communist Party.

Staff also enjoyed grossly disproportionate privileges and the bulk of the manual work — including domestic labour in some staff houses — was carried out by Tanzanian workers. Students — representatives of the ’76 generation — often maintained that conditions in Soweto were preferable to those in Somafco, with the result that there was a constant mood of sullen rebellion.

I was there from 1980 and left with my family in 1982 after a particularly brutal episode where three young women were sjambokked so severely that two required hospital treatment. Although the myth continues to be promoted that these were isolated incidents and that the situation improved in later years, documents from the ANC archive reveal a different story: in 1985, for example, the rebelliousness — it included large scale truancy from classes and thieving — had reached such a level that “the big stick” was ordered in to restore order.

That “Big Stick” — referred to as such by ANC president OR Tambo — was a man notorious for his brutality and abuse of women: Andrew Musondo. His tenure at Somafco eventually resulted in his removal and a commission on inquiry, the results of which have yet to be released by the ANC.

However, throughout this frequently shameful period, there existed a plethora of sound policies formulated by ANC educationalists, usually living and working abroad. Many of the students also arrived with innovative ideas. Together, these called for a new form of education that would be needed to help truly liberate a future South Africa; it would not be good enough merely to adapt the old. Yet that is precisely what happened in an often exaggerated way.

The same errors have again been perpetuated although — at least to a fairly large extent — corporal punishment has been done away with. However, in an atmosphere where many teachers still agitate for its return. And so we keep reliving our history.

Perhaps we should heed the words of writer Maya Angelou. She noted: “History, despite its wrenching pain cannot be unlived. But, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

* Bell was the founding principal of the Somafco primary division. He was in exile from 1965 and banned from 1966 to February 1990.

Vuvuzela is ancient African tradition like BMWs, R Kelly, says defiant SA

2010-06-17T11:30:00.029+02:00

PRETORIA. The SA government has come out strongly in defence of the controversial vuvuzela, describing it as an ancient African tradition invented in Mexico in 1973.

“The vuvuzela is as proudly African as R Kelly, BMWs, Breitling watches and thousands of other inventions from the Motherland,” said an outraged spokesman this morning.

The raucous plastic trumpets have been accused of destroying World Cup spirit by preventing fans from singing uplifting traditional songs such as Ronaldo Is A Wanker, Henri Is A Wanker, Messi Is A Wanker, and the evergreen German fave, Rooney Ist Eine Wenker.

from Hayibo.com. Read on here

The Significance of June 16th

2010-06-16T14:39:00.013+02:00

JOHANNESBURG. The June 16 uprising in 1976 was a student led protest against the forceful introduction of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in Black schools. Organised by the students themselves, the events of June 1976 took place at a time when liberation movements were banned throughout the country.

While the protests started off peacefully, they soon turned chaotic when the police opened fire on unarmed protesting students. As the unrest gained momentum and spread to the townships around Soweto and other parts of the country, the face of South African protest was to change forever and a new chapter in the liberation struggle was written. See http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/governence-projects/june16/index.htm

As noted by AZAPO, FIFA and the LOC missed a beat today by not ensuring that a moment of silence prior to kick off be observed for the fallen youth of 1976.

Perhaps it is not such an oversight, given that the ‘trumpeters’, many probably unaware of the days historical significance, may not have been able to contain themselves. Now known as Youth Day, officially adopted by the African Union as the day of the African Child, today is public holiday in South Africa. It’s bitterly cold in the country and Johannesburg in particular. It snowed in the Western Cape mountains on Monday bringing a chill across the entire country. It’s a winter World Cup. The first since Argentina 1978. Thus far, the conditions should not have too much impact on the players most of whom ply their club football trade in northern wintery conditions. For the fans, trying keeping warm on a sub-zero Highveld evening, means the conditions have more of an edge to them – compared to say what this World Cup may have felt like on a summer’s day in January.

For sure, there was an edge around Ellis Park last night for Brazil (the people’s team or most fan’s second favorite) v. the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), (North) or ‘No Ko’ for short.

Ellis Park is one of the historic stadiums used for the World Cup and is situated at the edge of the Johannesburg CBD (Central Business District). It’s an urban stadium with older infrastructure and is not in the most gentile part of town. The police presence was particularly high including the unfortunate sight of mounted horseback South African Police Service (SAPS) harassing informal traders, no doubt those traders without FIFA permits, looking to make a few bob selling vuvuzelas, fan paraphernalia and other knick-knacks, including woolens. We were looking for blankets having not dressed properly for the match and I was happy to score a pair of gloves for 30 rands.

The Samba Boys didn’t disappoint.

The No Kos impressed and exceeded expectations. Am I the only one left wondering what a force a unified Korea and Korean team could have on the world stage? The So Kos were thoroughly impressive against Greece, including JS Park’s fantastic goal. Now the No Kos hold Brazil for one half and score an impressive late consolation goal.

After the stalemate between Portugal v Ivory Coast, increasingly Group G is living up to its pre-tournament billing as the Group of Death. Commonly referred to as ‘secretive nation,’ Kim Ill Jong probably never envisioned that in ‘group of death’, the reference would be to the nation’s real secret weapon – the national football squad. Ivory Coast and Portugal beware.

The Brazilians it has been said, unlike the Germans and Argentineans, didn’t actually work through the gears last night and cruised for much of the match. A focus rather on the sublime goals including Maicon’s wonderful near post strike, and Robinho’s perfectly weighted and angled pass to Elano for the second, and any criticism of the Brazilian performance seems over-stated. Brazil has announced their intent and they remain my pre-tournament favorites to take title for defense on home soil in 2014.

Having said that, my preference is to see a new team win the World Cup and especially a break the 30 year strangle hold of: Italy, Argentina, Germany, France and Brazil. These 5 nationals alone have been the contesting finalists in every World Cup since 1982.

While I have only admiration for the Brazilian approach to football including their pro-African credentials playing warm match in the week proceeding South Africa with matches in Harare and Dar-es-Saalam, I hope they don’t win it on July 11th (depending on who they play in the knock rounds). However along with 100s of millions worldwide however, I won’t be surprised if they lift the World Cup at Soccer City given their total approach, quality in all positions, defensive foundation and attacking flair.

Its Honduras v Chile on the tele at present from Nelspruit, so far a lively and open encounter. By reputation, Chile will look to play an expansive attacking game while Honduras will seek to defend and hit on the counter-attack. I’m looking forward to this. Its 1-0 to Chile as the first half closes.

Later today its Spain v Switzerland from Moses Mahbida in hopefully warmer conditions in Durban. Despite craving a new World Cup Champion, I hope it is not Spain. Many pundit’s pre-tournament favorites, the Spanish did not endear themselves to South Africa on their visit last year for the Confederation Cup, with an arrogant approach and insensitive criticisms of the vuvuzelas. If they play beautiful football like they did when becoming European Champions in 2008, then who can begrudge them success. I just don’t fancy them and predict at best a semi-final exit. On the day, today, they should have enough to prevail over the Swiss.

Then this evening 20.30 local time, it’s the Bafana Bafana roller coaster again this time from Loftus Versfeld, Arcadia, Pretoria just a daily commute away from home. I am hoping to make it down to the stadium to roar on the Boys.

For the sake of the tournament and the nation, Bafana Bafana need a result tonight. Uruguay were more than competitive and enterprising against the French and will be no push-over’s. For us locally based, the tournament will really hit another level of intensity and emotional investment if Bafana can prevail on this Day of the African Child. Besides decent nutrition, housing, and education, the African child needs to regain that inspirational intangible – hope – that Obama ‘yes we can’ spirit. Without being too naïve, for many children (and adults) across this land tonight, that’s exactly what a Bafana Bafana victory will mean!

World Cup Buzzzzz and the Vuvulezas

2010-06-15T10:22:00.020+02:00

HOME. Apparently, the Brits are complaining to the BBC and they are considering whether they can broadcast 'clean' vuvuzela free feeds. Its disturbing to read the derisory comments from sections of the British media in particular about the vuvuzelas and African culture, while Britons are buying the plastic horns in their thousands.

While they do take some getting used to, unless they are actually having an impact on the players ability to communicate and concentrate as stated by Messi and Denmark's Sorenson, then certainly they are harmless and part of the local show, so let's move beyond this debate.

The goals are coming in slowly for sure and apart from the opening match, Argentina's attack, South Korea's free flowing ball, and Germany's all round play, the tournament thus far has failed to completely spark.

Its early days.

The tendency of the opening matches are often 'a don't lose' mentality which means tight and tactical encounters. The goals will come, the drama will build, and the vuvuzelas won't stop. Deal with it, even it it requires earplugs, in your living rooms!

NOTE. If the Earth's bee population were suddenly to decide to rise up and overthrow humanity, it has been suggested that the time to act is now, no one would hear them coming until it was too late...

The Best Stadium on Planet Earth?

2010-06-14T22:45:00.040+02:00

HOME. And Paraguay SCORES! The first audible screams of the tournament from our living room echo off the TV! If a football fan screams in an empty flat when a goal is scored, does it make a sound? Bitterness remains after Italy’s hollow victory in 2006.

The disappointment that accompanied Zidane’s red card and Italy’s eventual penalty roulette win still stings.

The sooner the Italians are dethroned, the better it will be for the evolution, the growth, of international football.

Please, not another anti-football Mourinho-esque cantor to the final.

Paraguayan joy in the Cape of Storms. Against the Robben Island backdrop, another set piece goal is well taken by Alcaraz (escape from?) in the ’39th minute.

Paraguay’s first effort on target. Shoo, Cape Town looks miserably cold, wet and windy tonight. Its getting brisk in Joburg but dry enough to go heavy on the moisturizer, a stark contrast from the humid Sunday afternoon in Durban where the Germans braaied kangaroo, dried it and made biltong!

I think many South Africans took a perverse anti-Australian pleasure in seeing the hiding dealt by the Huns to their antipodal rivals....

Let me hang my colours to the mast. Not exactly black, gold and green, but the Moses Mahbida Stadium in Durban is the best stadium I have ever had the pleasure of visiting, superior from an objective spectator perspective (from my R140 cheap seats) to Old Trafford and Soccer City. I realize different experiences, different emotions, but there is something quite special about this venue including the long promenade that leads into the open south side of the ground. I anticipate great matches to come from Durban before the final draws on July 11th.

Moses Mahbida, the Durban Stadium's namesake was born in Thornville near Pietermaritzburg on 14 October 1923. Mahbida was a trade union activist and ANC and SACP liberation struggle leader. In November 1979, he was elected general secretary of the South African Communist Party, replacing Moses Kotane. In his eulogy of Mahbida, after his death from a stroke and heart attack in 1986, Oliver Tambo observed that Mabhida had been educated in "the stern university of mass struggle.... It is rarely given to a people that they should produce a single person who epitomises their hopes and expresses their common resolve as Moses Mabhida did. In simple language he could convey the aspirations of all our people in their magnificent variety, explain the fears and prejudices of the unorganised, and sense the feelings of even the most humble among our people."

Please see Omar Badsha’s utterly brilliant SA On-line website by clicking here.

6 hours back from the East coast to Joburg following the fortunes of Oranje and the Indomitable Lions on Radio 2000. Maybe time for a rename – Radio 2010? Normal service resumes for the Dutch and disappointment for Cameroon and Africa. I remain cautiously supportive, since I can remember, of the Dutch. I come from the wij houden van Oranje school of total football and reminisce about the defeated 1974 and 1978 teams - those under achieving finalists, Johan Neeskans and Cryuff, not to mention the Rijkaard, Guillet and van Basten generation of the 1990s. I hope the Dutch progress far.

Still in front of the TV… and Italy equalizes. It reminds me of the Mexican goal on Friday. It’s a fickle game and its even stopped raining in Cape Town. 10 minutes to go and Paraguay look like they are just about holding on for the draw.

Tomorrow its Brazil v the People’s Republic of Korea (North) at Ellis Park. North Korea? With both Koreas and Slovenia and Slovakia, New Zealand and Australia, this is a peculiar set of qualifyers. No preview for the New Zealand v Slovakia, needless to say, its a bit tricky to support a team whose moniker is the All Whites... sounds like a bad 70's punk band.

Having never seen the greatest footballing nation, Brazil play in the flesh in a World Cup, for me, tomorrow is another historic day. As family arrives from New York tomorrow for a 3 week footballing extravaganza starting with Spain v Switzerland back at Moses Mahbida, 11 matches in and the tournament is unfolding with heightened anticipation of what comes next?

Thus far it is somewhat ominous following Africa’s solitary victory (go Black Stars), Bafana’s heart palpitations, Germany’s socceroo roast and Italy’s perseverance.

The pick of tomorrow has to be Portugal v Ivory Coast. A returning World Cup finals participant, a survivor from Germany 2006, Ivory Coast under former English boss Sven Goren Ericksson should be sufficiently professional and seasoned not to be over-awed with the occasion. Portugal, coached by Carlos Queiroz former Bafana-Bafana-Real Madrid head and Manchester United assistant coach, with Cristano Ronaldo have arguably the best player in the world. The former world player of the year along with the Ivorian Didier Drogba are truly the mega-stars of the tournament. With no free kick goals yet in the tournament, I look forward to seeing what Ronaldo can do with the supposedly treacherous Jabulani ball. If Ronaldo or Drogba can match the endeavor and entertainment of Messi’s display on Saturday, finished hopefully by a goal or two, then this fixture will provide a marker for how the tournament progresses.

Portugal defeated by a Zidane inspired France in the 2006 semi-final are seeking to move beyond that final hurdle. Given Queiroz’s track record as a head coach, I doubt Portugal’s pedigree. With Mourinho and Ronaldo, Portugal may be a different story one day. As for Ivory Coast, Sven knows what it takes to coach a quarter finalist hopeful in England. May Ivory Coast emulate Ghana and cause the first real shock to the tournament. All eyes on the Friendly City tomorrow afternoon 16.00 local time.

Westfield, NJ to Tevez-Messi-Messi-Tevez, Tshwana

2010-06-13T16:07:00.014+02:00

DURBAN. Its 15.30 in the afternoon, and we’ve just arrived in Durban after 5 plus hours on the road and close to 600kms from our Johannesburg start. Durban is overcast and a bit humid, certainly feeling more summery then this morning’s fresh Joburg mid-winter chill.

Time and space are tight so briefly a few words on USA v England. The atmosphere in Rustenburg could not have been more dissimilar than that of the opening day at Soccer City. At times it was hard to distinguish the opposing fans all awash in red, white and blue. One of the stranger incidents in the pre-match build up was meeting a young American looking for beer from one of the local houses converted into a shebeen. Walking past this house, I couldn't help think it looked like some frat party so incongruous to the dusty North West back drop.

I was curious to find out the story of some of these fans. I asked this guy where he was from...

The answer was New Jersey. Curious. What town I said, his reply – Westfield… my home town. What are the chances of that? Of all the American fans to speak with (and I didn’t fancy engaging with too many of them) this kid ends up being from my home town… uncanny.

I was surprised to pick up a lack of self-belief in air amongst the English fans and that nervousness was born out by the performance. Still lacking a commanding creative midfielder, a partner for Rooney, and an adequate goal keeper, I found England generally woeful and lacking in enough creative endeavor or solid purpose from the back going forward to achieve much in this World Cup. Harsh as it may sound and easy to say after the blunder, England will win nothing with the likes of Rob Green between the poles. As for the USians, they are as you imagined they would be, solid, hard working, compact, uncreative but ultimately tenacious and capable of getting to the knock out round - but pretenders more than contenders.

Of greater interest no doubt from day two was the superb performance from Argentina and the fluidity in attack provided by the three musketeers – Messi, Tevez and Higuain. On route to Rustenburg, I was unable to watch the Argentina v Nigeria from start to finish. In fact, I had to contend with Tshwana radio for much of the match and my Tshwana ain’t too good. What I could make out from the second half was the continual interplay between Messi and Tevez. In fact there must have been a 4 to 5 minute sequence in the radio commentary when all I could make out was the announcer’s almost tennis match commentary was ‘Tevez-Messi-Messi-Tevez-Tevez-Messi.’ It was easy to fill in the blanks. Argentina has arrived in Africa and have sufficient fire power to go very far.

It was amusing to see Maradona with his silver beard and finely tailored suit. If there was ever a track suit manager it would be Maradona, there is something just not Diego to see him in a suit. Maradona, like Brazil’s Dunga, has the opportunity to make history in 2010 and emulate the Kaiser himself, the great Franz Beckenbauer and become only the second former World Cup winning captain to do the same as a coach.

Which brings me to the Germans. I start off every World Cup with the heart-felt hope that Germany fail to succeed. The reasons for this going back to the German defeat of the French in 1982 and 1986 in the World Cup semi-finals. For me the Germans have always been heart-breakers and one of the main reasons why the history of the World Cup has generally not been a happy story for me. Having said that, supporting the Australians as a South African sports fan, is something which also can unsettle. Great sporting rivals with South Africa, particularly in rugby and cricket, the Socceroos are certainly minnows when it comes to soccer and the World Cup.

The Aussie's courageous 2006 run under the leadership of Guus Hiddink, ended by a dubious penalty awarded to the eventual Italian winners, won them many fans world-wide. In Everton’s Tim Cahill, the Australians have some compelling performers. One hopes they can provide a potential banana skin for the Germans, but I for one will not be holding my breath and the unspectacular Germans are always good money for at least a semi-final run. One has to only remember Gary Linekar’s famous quip when it comes to the Germans – when its all said and done, they usually win.

As for Ghana v Serbia to shortly kick-off from Pretoria, where I spend my work days, the Black Stars remain my favorites along with Bafana Bafana not necessarily to win the tournament, but to fulfill the aspiration of African success. The Ghanaians supporters in red, black and green look well up for the Serbian test and provide a refreshing flavor from the usual sea of Blue Bulls supporters who fill the Loftus rafters. The imminent kick off is my sign off. Its only day 3, and with 3 matches in 3 days in 3 cities… I need to pace myself! Tomorrow its back to Joburg!

Mexicans n' Lime, The Pope n' Condoms, Postage Stamp Authority

2010-06-12T13:23:00.026+02:00

SOCCER CITY. Witnessing the opening match of this year’s World Cup at Soccer City in Soweto exceeded expectations. Having previous been to a World Cup opening in New Jersey in 1994 for Italy v Ireland, yesterday’s experience far surpassed the elation experienced following Ray Houghton's belter that ensured Irish glory that day.

From picking up the lads in Melville, to taking the Rea Vaya bus from Commissioner Street in downtown Johannesburg, to arriving for at carnival like atmosphere, Soccer City, it felt like we were dream walking.

Perhaps the only down side to the day was the anticipated let down of not realising a safe and timely transport return home after the match – see comments below.

Immediately upon arriving at the stadium, the highlights had to be the inter-play and fun between the Bafana Bafana fans decked out in their banana yellow and green and the Mexican fans dressed in their red, black and green regalia from the traditional sombreros to wrestling masks to scantily clad traditional Azteca wear.

There even was a Mexican pope with whom we snapped a picture. I later saw the Mexican Pope after a timely trip to the Gents toilet where boxes of condom packets were on offer. Upon taking my share, it was with deep amusement and irony that I was able to offer a sex packet to the Pope!

There was music everywhere with a brass and drum marching band and larger than life stilt puppets of various township characters. But largely, it was the sea of lemon and lime South African fans from all communities whose pre-match exuberance, anticipation and vuvuzelas dominated proceedings. Getting into the actual stadium was easier than could have been imagined and ticket collectors did not check the names on the tickets. Despite obtaining FIFA category round 1 tickets in an early ticket lottery draw, we found ourselves sitting in the upper deck row BB near the top of the stadium but on the side. While well elevated, the seats actually provided an excellent vantage to watch the development of play including some late afternoon sun after 5 pm as twilight was soon descended on South Africa’s most famous of townships.

The 4pm kick off ensured that the match was a ‘day nighter’, the first half in the day light and the second half under the lights. As if the drama to unfold was not enough. The opening ceremony was a spectacular but somehow an understated event and moved along nicely, the highlight being the brief appearance of Cheb Khaled, the King of Algerian Rai. R Kelly, Jacob Zuma and Sepp Blatter were also there but no Nelson Mandela after the tragic death his granddaughter Thursday night in a car accident coming home from the pre-tournament concert.

So what of the Bafana Bafana’s performance? Most succinctly stated, they were not over-awed and played well enough, if not dangerously so with the heart strings of the nation. They started slow and were lucky not to concede. In retrospect, the Mexicans were good value for their goal conceded by way of some naïve non-marking at the back post eventually exposing Bafana for the equalizer - much to the delight of the revelers in Mexico City and thousands of Mexicans in the ground. But it was certainly the strike of Siphiwe Tshabalala marking his 50th cap, a postage stamp finish in the upper right hand corner that proved that Bafana are ready for this competition and remain capable of moving into the next round. Tshabalala was a deserved man of the match and my sense is that the team performance was adequate for the occasion providing immeasurable drama including hitting the post late to kept South African hearts a flutter.

And getting home after the match? It was always going to be the ‘getting home’ which would reveal the real capacity of the organizers to ensure fans reach their destinations safely and in good time. Getting back to the buses involved waiting in what could only be described as human mosh pit or rugby scrum for close to 40 minutes as people slowly pushed together from all sides to get through a narrow access gate poorly 'personed' by security leading towards the buses. This process had some chaos in it and was below acceptable safety standards. The jokers in the pack started recalling great soccer disasters like Hillsborough, which was not even funny. In short, we survived and got home unscathed.

When all was said and done, it was not that bad and our 60 minute journey on the way in, took 120 minutes on the way out, but the organizers, like Bafana Bafana, will have up their game to ensure success and better safety and information flows over the next few weeks.

So, after an exhausting day, I was happy to cozy up on the couch in front of a full High Definition (HD) screen to watch France v Uruguay from the Mother City. 0 – 0 draw was the call and this predication came to form to Bafana fans delight. Of greatest irony was Henry’s call for a hand ball in penalty area in the dying minutes of the match. I found myself secretly hoping for the Uruguayians but also anticipating something special from Frank Ribery. Patrice Evra is an admirable captain and one of the best left backs in world football. But generally, the French were lack luster, lacking imagination and composure in the final third.

The French coach Domenach must be one of the least likable figures in the world football and the disunity and lack of cohesion in the French team at present should hasten their exit. Having said that, there remain magical players in the French squad who, if they can knit together, could surprise. It is with great anticipation that I await a trip to Bloemfontein in two weeks time to see France vs Bafana Bafana.

So later today, its off to Rustenburg about 90 minutes north west from Joburg for the USA v. England. Temperatures are falling so the 20.30 kick off should ensure that scarves and wool caps protect. As for travel plans, the issue remains getting to Rustenburg so we can find a TV somewhere to watch Argentina v Nigeria from 16.00.

My hope for today is simply that all the teams play to their full potential. I have never been a USA supporter or an Argentinean one and feel the Nigerians, particularly the thousands living in Joburg, deserve the right to embrace this tournament as their own. Having said that, it will be great to see an Argentinean team with Messi and Tevez that is in full flight turning the tournament alight.

In England and Argentina, the World Cup provides a platform for two of best players in the world to shine, namely Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi. My experience of watching both these sides in qualifying and recent friendlies is that this may not happen.

The USA match in particular should be a tight low scoring affair. Capello’s instincts remains Italian and England will likely play with Rooney as a lone striker, 5 across the middle and hope to keep it tight, not too expansive. Having left Theo Walcott at home, of particular interest will be how Capello uses his wide men, Lennon and Wright-Phillips, perhaps as impact players later in the match if the question needs to be asked. Also a question remains who partners the cheating John Terry at the centre of England’s defense in Rio Ferdinand’s absence. An unlikely early goal may just trip the script and open up the match, but this should not be anticipated.

As for Korea Republic (South) v Greece soon to kick off, it is difficult to predict. The Greece nation has been through a nightmare. It is unclear whether such events galvanize or demoralize a team. As for South Korea, they should not be forgotten for their fortuitous semi final run at home in 2002. The fitness and running of the Koreans, if short on flair, will no doubt characterize their endeavor. I hope JS Park has a successful tournament. Then of course, there are the amazing Korean fans! May the best teams win, the goals arrive and the referees keep it flowing.

Lastly, as the England match remains today's focus, if England fail to win or draw playing badly, be sure that Fleet Street won’t let them hear the last of it. While I see England as a likely quarter final loser, one expects them to have enough to beat the well travelled and solid USians.

Madly, from Cantona n' Zidane to The Hand of Henry

2010-06-11T09:07:00.014+02:00

JOHANNESBURG. The day has finally arrived, June 11, 2010. Like the release of Nelson Mandela from prison 20 years ago on February 11, 1990 and South Africa's first democratic elections on April 27, 1994, June 11th will now join the pantheon of South African milestones

Having been fortunate enough to take part in the events of April 1994, mobilizing voters in Cape Town, its hard to believe that the nation could match the excitement and anticipation of that time.

It has. Let's just hope the queues to get onto the train from Park Town Station to Soweto are not as long as those in 1994.

As I nurse last nights tequilas, at 6.00 am this morning, I was woken by the sounds of the vuvulezas in my northern suburban complex.

The vuvuleza has recently been described by one British journalist, as a raucous ear-splitting trumpet....

No doubt mass produced in China, the vuvuzela has been adopted as African becoming the official 'instrument' of South African soccer fans and will no doubt dominate much of the discussion by international journalists and broadcasters alike as the cacophony invades living rooms across the globe. Vuvuleza virgins be warned!

Opening match checklist, prior to venturing out in the cool and cloudy Joburg morning heading towards Soccer City - earplugs, check! While I remain a great lover of music, the hope is a dim one that today we will hear the odd football chant or better still that a Mexican Mariachi may filter through today. The realist in me knows that the dominant sound this afternoon will be above all about the vuvuzela. Maybe the opening ceremony will pack a surprise or two but Shakira's shaking hips and booming anthem at last night's opening bash is as melodic as its going to get today.

Back to reality, there is too much to be said about this most historic day, certainly the most important day in the history of South African and African football. If we accept the long shot that South Africa will not reach the World Cup final in one month's time, then certainly today is the day - Ke Nako - where history will be made. Despite thinking I know something about football, predictions can be fickle as a winter's day in Cape Town and its difficult to imagine how it will actually all unfold in a few hours. Needless to say, despite the Messis, Ronaldos and Rooneys still to come, there will be new names and new heroes waiting to emerge this 2010.

South Africa is fully behind Bafana Bafana like never before. After a 12 match winning strike, my superstitious side has some anxiety about facing the Mexicans for number 13. The question remains, like Madiba walking out of Victor Verster 20 years ago to chaotic scenes and an uncertain future, how will this afternoon unfold for the nation in general and in particular for us fans trying to get down to the stadium to catch the opening ceremony on time. Can Bafana Bafana rise to the occasion and fulfill the dreams of the nation and the continent or will they fluff their lines? My heart is with Bafana as their victory will vindicate the emotional investments of millions and announce the African presence at the tournament. As in 1994, running around the Cape Flats with my friend and struggle icon, Johnny Issel, I feel privileged to be here today holding a ticket for this opening match.

As for France v Uruguay later tonight from Cape Town, it would have been special to be in Cape Town for this opening match. For ever a fan of French football and in particular the genius and madness that was Zinedine Zidane and Eric Cantona before him, after France's disgraceful qualifying campaign culminating in the less than godly 'hand of Henri' goal against the luckless Irish, the pragmatist in me hopes for a result that suits Bafana Bafana's chance of getting out of the group - a scoreless draw perhaps? I suppose its a case of be careful what you wish for. While a dour unspectacular affair from the Cape may suit Bafana Bafana's aspirations, the romantic in me still hopes that the beautiful game and bags and bags of goals wins out in the end.

Its hard to believe that today has finally arrived! I better get into the shower, can't miss that train! May the Bafana Bafana express roll on. To my friends in Mexico City, South African and New Yorkers alike, have an awesome party tonight win or lose. We plan to in Johannesburg regardless the result, it will just be that much sweeter if Africa holds on today!

Ghana!? Are you Cameroonian? No, I am a...

2010-06-10T10:07:00.018+02:00

HOME. In 1961, in his treatise I Speak Freedom: A Statement of African Ideology, Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s founding father and the continent’s greatest proponent of Pan-Africanism wrote,

‘So many blessings flow from our unity, so many disasters must follow our continued disunity, that our failures today will not be attributed by posterity only to faulty reasoning and lack of courage, but to our capitulation before the forces of neocolonialism and imperialism… with innate respect for human lives, the intense humanity that is our heritage, African unity will emerge not as a Great Power whose greatness is indestructible because it is build on fear, envy and suspicion, nor won at the expense of others, but founded on hope, trust, friendship and directed to the good of all mankind.’

For me as a non-national living in South Africa, the lowest point, (dare I say the darkest hour) were the xenophobic attacks of May 2008 directed primarily at non-South African Africans leaving many dead and injured and countless other displaced in makeshift refugee camps from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

It is against this bleak backdrop that one reflects upon South Africa’s journey from post-apartheid liberation, national reconstruction and reconciliation, to hosting the 2010 World Cup.

From 1976 to 2010, tomorrow, Soweto will again be the centre of the world!

Its amazing to drive around Johannesburg today and see the flags of the competing nations prominently displayed and sold by hawkers on virtually every street corner. Since I thirst for...

Since I thirst for African success in this World Cup, I decided to go for the Black Stars of Nkrumah’s Ghana (sadly without the great Michael Essien) and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon as my two flags to fly from the back windows of my car. Yesterday, I was asked by passing motorist at a stop light ‘what is that flag?’ ‘Cameroon’, I said. He then asked me tongue in cheek – ‘are you Cameroonian?’ Not to be stumped by this clearly snide and sarcastic comment, my only reply was ‘I am a Pan-Africanist.’

While this World Cup will not reduce poverty, redistribute wealth or generally - beyond the temporary jobs and infrastructure boost it has provided - have any sustainable impact on the destitute lives of the masses of the people in South Africa and beyond in the continent , my small hope is that the positive energy and goodwill engendered from this footballing festival (bringing the nations of the world together for the first time in Africa) contributes towards restoring a spirit of humanism, Ubuntu, and unity which characterized the most aspirational aspects of Africa’s liberation struggles.

But can football really unite? From Glasgow to Istanbul to Buenos Aires, doesn’t our experience of football show us that it actually divides communities? The contradictions are rife for sure but the experience on the streets of Johannesburg are beginning to tell a different story. Yesterday close to 100,000 people – many of whom from the non-black community whose support soccer in the past as a community is at best questionable - showed incredible enthusiasm and support for Bafana Bafana’s open bus tour. Let’s hope this spirit is carried through into the tournament and beyond so that after the visitors have left and flags are removed we ensure that never again can xenophobia take hold and uproot the common humanity we all share.

Next stop, Soweto!!!

Mexico are no World Cup minnows

2010-06-09T10:52:00.021+02:00

HOME. Two days to go and here I go… an opening salvo!? I blog therefore I am… not exactly. I will dispense with a blogger’s manifesto. Simply, what I seek to create here is space to talk about this beautiful African World Cup.

South Africa is my home.

I’m excited. The atmosphere is electric! For, it is under the Africa skies where I lay my weary head at the end of the day and in the mornings where I rise to the fresh, cool, Highveld air.

I love living in South Africa. I love football. A footie ‘player’ for over 30 years, today more than anything I am simply a fanatic!

Poverty, corruption, neo-colonialism and the erosion of the rule of law remain the scourges that we fight against.

Will the arrival of the World Cup on African shores do anything to eradicate these evils?

I think not. In fact, indications are that the stench of corruption is not far off when it comes to the allocation of World Cup tenders.

Further, the indemnity agreements signed by the South Africa government immunizing FIFA from litigation - even limiting free speech rights to protest during the tournament - makes one question whether this World Cup proceeds from a vantage point of impunity and neo-colonial profiteering.

As for poverty alleviation, let’s not begin to think about the housing and sanitation investments that could have been made as opposed to fruitless billions for stadia – some of which, particularly in Nelspruit and Polokwane, will soon become white elephants soon after the Elephants of Ivory Coast have rumbled on home. As for the repatriation of World Cup profits to FIFA headquarters in Switzerland, the story slowly unfolds.

The socio-political flavour will never be far away from the comments herein, but the fanatic in me can’t help from getting carried away about the Beautiful Game and anticipation about the feeling that will come from arriving in Soweto on Friday June, 11, 2010, Soccer City, for Bafana Bafana v Mexico.

Its difficult to find a more auspicious opponent for Bafana Bafana than Mexico for this opening match. Mexico, the land of the Aztecs is home to so much footballing history. Hosts in 1986 to the infamous ‘hand of god’ goal from Diego Armando Maradona and of course, 1970, the year of my birth, and Pele’s team of the century. Mexico are no World Cup minnows.

Having recently beaten Italy handily in warm up friendly last week, one has to fancy the Mexicans to present Bafana Bafana with more than a friendly wave.

While anti-nationalism remains at my core (more to come on this contradiction), for the nation, for the continent, for the tournament and for my fellow South African fans, let’s hope Bafana Bafana can light a spark under this tournament and ensure that this is a World Cup of dreams and not another Marco Matterazzi, anti-footballing nightmare!