South Africa (National Football)

Whilst the first day of the Africa Cup of Nations ended goalless, with little advancing within the group dynamic, the state of stasis has left it all to play for in the remaining two days of Group A action. With two teams left frustrated and dejected, and two taking solace from their performances, how will the rest of the group unravel?

South Africa, the hosts, were expected to take to the field buoyed by the home support and by the promise of a tournament held on their own doorstep.

Unfortunately, whilst the eyes of a nation can inspire the greatest of men, they can also cause weaker-willed characters to crumble under the weight of expectation.

Sadly for Bafana Bafana, their much-maligned team tended to display the second characteristic, as their bravado vanished in Johannesburg. Facing tournament debutants Cape Verde, the island nation with a well-publicised population of half a million, the match could, on paper, have been the easiest break-in for a host nation who have found victories hard to come by in recent fixtures.

However, the Sharks promised resiliency and organisation—as demonstrated in a recent friendly draw with Nigeria.

The home team were initially frustrated by the West Africans, and as their confidence and fluidity diminished, the islanders grew in stature and cohesion—even crafting (and wasting) several good chances.

With Gordon Igesund, South Africa’s experienced coach, fuming on the sidelines, the boys labored. Unable, or unwilling, to implement their subtle attacking game, they resorted to long balls—totally unsuited to the talents of Lehlohonolo Majoro and Bernie Parker.

It is back to the drawing board for Bafana, who need to pick up the tempo and rediscover their composure as soon as possible. For Cape Verde, the AFCON holds no fear—and the islanders are perhaps one shock result away from an unlikely qualification from the group stage.

In the second game of the day, North Africans Morocco tackled Angola, who despite their petrodollars and a splattering of creative talents have flattered to deceive in recent tournaments. With both teams set to face an unenviable date with the hosts within the coming weeks, the pair will have been keen to kick off the tournament with three points—thus taking control of a group that appears to be blown wide open.

Unfortunately, it was not to be.

The day’s second 0-0 prompted a state of stasis which descended over Group A. It is perhaps Morocco who will be most disappointed by their inability to hoist themselves into the driving seat. Despite the absence of the likes of Adel Taarabt and Marouane Chamakh from their squad, the team have creative and attacking options, the like of which would be the envy of any of their Group rivals.

Unfortunately for the Atlas Lions, the team’s quadrant of talent—Abdelaziz Barrada, Oussama Assaidi, Mounir El Hamdaoui and Nordin Amrabat—failed to inspire the team.

Even the late introductions of Younès Belhanda—one of the continent’s most prized players—and Youssef El-Arabi were unable to provoke a breakthrough.

Angola will rightly be encouraged by their performance and subsequent point. They were ineffective in the first half, but the introduction of Guilherme at the break gave them increased options, and they looked far more threatening after his arrival. A late chance, spawned by Manucho after perhaps being put-off by his fellow frontman, could well have changed the complexion of the group. But Os Palancas Negras, led by cosmopolitan Uruguayan coach Gustavo Ferrin, could well be eyeing up a place in the quarterfinals.

So, there was no scoring, and admittedly the goalmouth action was at a premium, but opening day performances and results will have mattered a great deal for the four teams in Group A. Now with a maximum points total of only seven available for all teams, the next two games will doubtless produce the kind of drama fans have come to expect from this tournament, even if the football remains, for the moment, conservative.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations kicked off on Saturday with two Group A matches played in host county South Africa, but a pair of disappointing goalless draws was the outcome as the competition waits to fire.

GROUP A RESULTS: Angola 0-0 Morocco, South Africa 0-0 Cape Verde Islands

Having enjoyed plenty of high-profile buildup, the AFCON would have preferred a more exciting first day of action.

South Africa were hoping to pick up their first win in the tournament for close to a decade but missed a great chance to do so after an uninspiring 0-0 result against the unfancied Cape Verde Islands.

Head coach of Bafana Bafana, Gordon Igesund, criticised his team for lacking nerve when it came to the big occasion, as reported by the BBC.

Not too many of my players came to the party in the first half, which was a total waste of time. We weren't much better in the second. Too many balls were played over the top at 100 miles per hour, which is something we don't want to do. Some of the players seemed to freeze when the whistle blew and lost their nerve. Perhaps for some of them the occasion was a bit too big. We are not doomed yet. But we need to improve.

South Africa will not find the going any easier as the tournament progresses. The other two strong sides in Group A also shared a point in the day's second match.

Angola and Morocco were in action in the later kickoff, and although the match was more eventful than the tournament opener, there was still a dearth of goalmouth action.

Younes Belhanda of Morocco was only fit enough to manage half an hour off the bench, but even that was almost enough to pop up as the match-winner after his winding run ended in a shot wide of the post.

Angola's biggest threat came from Manucho, but he was similarly off target with a headed attempt late in the game.

Day 2 will see Group B take centre stage, where either Ghana, Congo DR, Mali or Niger will hope to be the first to hit the back of the net in the Africa Cup of Nations. But for Group A, it's still everything to play for after the first round of games.

Follow @karlmatchett

There's no World Cup in 2013. No European Championships or Olympics, either.

But there is the African Cup of Nations from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10. If you haven't paid any attention before to this mammoth tournament, well...you're in for a serious treat.

Between well-known international powerhouses like the Ivory Coast and Ghana, superstar players like Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure and the World Cup-style elation and excitement of host nation South Africa, these three-plus weeks of soccer are bound to be spectacular.

We're here to keep tabs on scores and group standings throughout AFCON, so keep checking back for updates. 

GROUP STAGE
Group A	W	D	L	GD	PTS	Group B	W	D	L	GD	PTS
South Africa	1	2	0	+2	5	Ghana	2	1	0	+4	7
Cape Verde	1	2	0	+1	5	Mali	1	1	1	0	4
Morocco	0	3	0	0	3	Congo	0	3	0	0	3
Angola	0	1	2	-3	1	Niger	0	1	2	-4	1
Group C	W	D	L	GD	PTS	Group D	W	D	L	GD	PTS
Burkina Faso	1	2	0	+4	5	Ivory Coast	2	1	0	+4	7
Nigeria	1	2	0	+2	5	Togo	1	1	1	+1	4
Zambia	0	3	0	0	3	Tunisia	1	1	1	-2	4
Ethiopia	0	1	2	-6	1	Algeria	0	1	2	-3	1

Saturday, January 19
South Africa	0-0	Cape Verde Islands	Group A	Johannesburg
Angola	0-0	Morocco	Group A	Johannesburg

After retiring from international football and making himself unavailable for the impending African Cup of Nations, according to the Sunday Express, Steven Pienaar is now considering reversing his decision.

Regardless of the accuracy of that piece and the instant dismissal of approval from most Everton fans, this is a scenario Pienaar should certainly consider carefully, both for himself and his nation.

The Toffees midfielder has been Bafana Bafana's leading man since making his debut back in 2002.

After 10 years of loyal service, during which he's amassed 60 caps and appeared in two World Cups, this final tournament—on home turf—would be a fitting send off for his continual contributions.

From a personal point of view, there's considerably more chance of actual success.

South Africa are still ranked as one of the tournament's outsiders, but playing at home, roared on by a partisan crowd—and, of course, a few thousand vuvuzelas—there's far more possibility of causing an upset.

Additionally, several top teams have missed out on qualification. Heavyweights; Eygpt, Senegal and Cameroon won't be making the trip and just two winners from the past eight tournaments are due to attend.

Starring in a few hard-fought wins would be the perfect way for Pienaar to sign off for his nation and enthuse a new batch of players. He could genuinely leave on a considerable high. 

It's also worth noting that Pienaar would be travelling far less than during a typical African Cup of Nations.

South African authorities have reduced the number of venues at this tournament, to prevent teams from hopping around venues—something sure to be appreciated by European clubs.

Whilst traipsing off to Africa for two months won't be a notion Evertonians will appreciate, especially given their impressive start to the season, at least the traveling would stop once the players arrive.

A decade leading a struggling side has undoubtedly taken its toll on Pienaar.

As the poster boy, he has been expected to put in Man of the Match displays every game, despite those around him being far less competent at highlighting his artistry.

Having re-signed for Everton in the summer, for over £4 million, he will feel he owes his club, yet just his presence around Bafana Bafana over the coming weeks would prove priceless in shaping the nation's latest generation—especially at a home tournament.

There's no doubt his country need him and there have already been those labelling Pienaar as selfish and egotistical for his recent choices. Whilst those words are extreme, the views that this one last commitment for all the early help his country gave him does at least carry substance.

As much as he's done over the past decade, turning his back on his nation here, under these circumstances, will irreparably tarnish his reputation.

Just another month of service and it could all end so differently, with Pienaar celebrated as he should be.

Perhaps the real issue here is simply timing, as it always seems to have been with this tournament.

Were the festivities taking place over the summer, or squeezed between a Premier League winter break, there would be far less pressure from clubs and supporters, and Pienaar would probably be making the trip.

As it is, this seems a sad end for one of South Africa's most successful exports.

Follow @Matt_Cheetham 

The strength of a league is often assessed by how many of the home-grown players have gone on to play for the national side. But for smaller footballing nations such as South Africa, a measure of the strength and talent within the league is assessed by how many players go on to have success in bigger, stronger leagues in Europe.

South Africa is a country known for many things sporting, most notably its rugby and cricket teams. However, thanks to the recent success of the 2010 World Cup, interest has grown in its third sport, football. A number of players recently plying their trade in the South African domestic league have been snapped up by big European clubs.

Now, South Africans playing for European clubs isn’t a rare thing, in fact, one of the finest Premiership defenders of the 1990s was a South African (Lucas Radebe), and a number of his national colleagues have represented Premier league sides, including Mark Fish and Shaun Bartlett (who both had spells at Charlton) and Benni McCarthy.

More recently, players such as Steven Pienaar have attracted big attention for clubs. Pienaar was recently the man in the centre of a tug of war between Chelsea and Tottenham, with the latter side winning.

Tottenham are one of the top employers of South African talent, having two national-side players, Pienaar and Khumalo, on their books. The London side have recently showed an interest in the future talent that may be coming out of South Africa, having undergone a preseason tour of the African country and playing several of the nation’s top sides.

Dutch side Ajax are another investor of South African talent and recently signed striker Thulani Caleeb Serero from the club Ajax Cape Town. Serero scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win against Danish side Brondy and went on to create two goals in a 5-1 win against Club Atletico Independiente.

The coaching staff at Ajax hold the 21-year-old in high esteem. Coach Frank de Boer has said, “Serero is a player with talent dripping off him. He is incredibly quick and a very clever player.”

Many South African football fans will see this ringing endorsement but still remain cautious, as players such as Bongani Khumalo and Kagisho Dikgacoi have been signed and then immediately loaned out to clubs in lower divisions. But even the clubs in the lower divisions of the English football league have better facilities and a higher level of competition than their counterparts in South Africa, so it can only serve to improve the skill level and fitness of South African players who are loaned out to them.

In the long run, this can only be of benefit to Bafana Bafana.

Ibrahim Chaibou. Not a name you might instantly recognise, but one worth remembering as the latest round of FIFA match-fixing allegations rocks football.

With Greece, Finland, South Korea and even Sumo wrestling in Japan under scrutiny, FIFA have now turned their gaze to a couple of bizarre games in the build-up to last year’s World Cup in South Africa.

A strange but clearly powerful man, short in stature but big on lip, was ordering people about. I chatted to him. He told me he was the “agent” for the game. Bodyguards surrounded him. He told me how he organised such friendlies, sorted things out (for a reasonable fee, I imagine)...before driving off to the ground looking suitably self-important.

The Holiday Inn was chaotic, filled with journalists, fans, officials, players, ex-players and, unless I’m very much mistaken, the referee that night, a man called Ibrahim Chaibou, flown in from Niger.

A couple of hours later, Mr Chaibou saw fit to award two penalties to South Africa, both for handball. The first, after just 12 minutes, was a travesty. Katlego “Killer” Mphela stuck both spot kicks away. Job done.

At the time, I saw both the Colombian and Guatemalan wins (and the subsequent 2-0 win over highly-ranked Demark in Atteridgeville) as perfect preparation for the World Cup for the hosts, who started the tournament on a run of 12 unbeaten internationals.

Sure, the refereeing was a little generous, but hey, Guatemala had just suffered a series of earthquakes and their players didn’t look too bothered about the result or the refereeing.

First, as they opened the World Cup final venue at Soccer City, Bafana Bafana (The Boys, The Boys) beat Colombia 2-1 on May 27, 2010.

Amid the blaring vuvuzelas, Kenyan referee Langat Kipngetich saw fit to award two penalties—one of them distinctly dodgy—to South Africa that day, leaving the Latin Americans a little irked. I seem to recall Colombia coach Hernan Dario Gomez getting quite angry about it.

Four days later, I drove up the N1 motorway through a forest of toll booths to the brand new Peter Mokabe stadium in Polokwane (once known as Pietersburg) to see Bafana Bafana take on Guatemala.

Though BafBaf were ranked 92 at the time (a record low for a World Cup host nation), they contrived to win 5-0, their best-ever international scoreline. Great boost for an anxious nation that as I said when I filed this video.

One year after the World Cup’s big kickoff at Soccer City, South Africans are still waiting for any sign of the £50million (R550million) promised by FIFA’s 2010 Legacy Programme.

While recently re-elected president Sepp Blatter glides serenely into a fourth term in charge boasting of FIFA’s record £1.24bn (R12billion) profit from a superb 2010 tournament in the Rainbow Nation, the money he promised as a legacy after Africa’s first World Cup—which FIFA said would benefit grassroots football as well as education, health and social projects—remains unpaid.

Fund spokesman Greg Fredericks confirmed to The Sun, "None of the £50million has been spent—not one cent. The money is still in Zurich. The delay is simply down to the amount of time it takes to establish legally recognised bodies for handling this amount of money."

Blatter, 75, unveiled his much-hyped fund in December 2010, insisting, "We always said the first World Cup on African soil should leave a lasting legacy. We trusted South Africa and that trust was well founded.

“FIFA are not a circus where we pitch our tent and remove them when the event is over. FIFA will leave a lasting legacy for the youth of South Africa thanks to this successful World Cup.

"This fund is also a reward for South Africans for having been such great hosts. We always said that the first World Cup on African soil should leave a lasting sports and social legacy. This trust is yet another concrete achievement in this area."

Although the £60m fund, administered by accountants Ernst and Young, is reserved for a wide range of public benefit initiatives, Blatter confirmed that only £10m had been actually been used—to build the extravagant South Africa Football Association (SAFA) building next to the Soccer City, where Spain beat Holland to lift their first World Cup last July.

South African president Jacob Zuma said at the time, "We wanted a World Cup that would contribute to social cohesion and national pride that would enhance African solidarity and improve the country's global reputation. Our expectations were exceeded.

"Now remains the difficult but most important task of ensuring a lasting legacy and to build world-class national teams both at youth and senior level. This legacy trust is an important contribution towards that goal."

With FIFA still reeling over bribery claims surrounding Blatter’s unopposed re-election and the decision to give Qatar the 2022 World Cup, Britain’s best-selling tabloid The Sun quotes shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Ivan Lewis as saying, "This is another example of poor leadership. South Africa faces many challenges and FIFA should release the money as a matter of urgency."

Labour MP Michael Dugher added, "FIFA is a shameful shambles. It made a vast sum from South Africa and has a duty to plough that money back as soon as possible."  

The High Court has to rubber-stamp the setting up of a trust to decide how to distribute the remaining cash. Best estimates predict a further five-month wait for any payout from the Legacy fund—while the cash remains in FIFA’s Swiss bank accounts gaining interest.

The Sun also quotes lawyer Richard Spoor—representing locals in Matsafeni, where the 41,000-seater Mbombela Stadium was built on land belonging to the local people—as saying, "Even now there's no adequate water supply and the living conditions are totally unsanitary.

"The roads are unpaved and there's no proper sewage system. The conditions are unhealthy and frankly quite deplorable."

Who on earth is Neal Collins (nealcol on Twitter)? See www.nealcollins.co.uk.

We’re nearly a year on from the World Cup in South Africa. Africa’s finest. Africa’s first. On Saturday it will be the first anniversary of Spain’s first ever global conquest at Soccer City over the Dutch cloggers.

Widely recognized as a success on footballing fronts, the only question left to be asked is this: Just how much did it benefit South Africans financially?

This week we have heard Johannesburg’s metro council claiming they made R7 from every rand spent on the World Cup, then the luxury hotels built for the tournament complained they were lying empty.

The FNB Stadium, formerly known as the 90,000-capacity Soccer City, claim they are going from strength to strength, while those other white elephant stadia in Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit and Polokwane lie largely idle.

A man who runs bike tours in Soweto says he’s been fully booked ever since launching his concept during WC2010 but I’ve just heard a mother claim her talented young lad can’t find a junior football club to play for in the Pretoria area.

For every South Africa claiming it was the best thing to happen to the Rainbow Nation, we hear another on the radio phone-ins claiming the nation has been ripped off. Who’s right? Can we ever be sure?

The single dominant fact, as far as one can glean from the limited information available, is that FIFA made a record $4.3 billion from the event, though as we shall see, that figure varies and may just be for public consumption.

Let’s switch to pounds sterling for a simple profit-loss analysis. And it makes uncomfortable reading. According to London’s Daily Telegraph, South Africa recouped just £323m on the £3bn it spent on the event. FIFA may be laughing. South Africans should be sobbing. Bitterly.

While the World Cup unquestionably helped to boost the image of South Africa and the so-called Dark Continent in general, the Telegraph insists: “Financially it turned out to be a major disappointment”. Construction costs for venues and infrastructure amounted to £3 billion (€3.6 billion), and the government expected increased tourism would help to offset these costs to the amount of £570 million (€680 million). However, only £323 million (€385 million) were actually taken in as just over 309,000 foreign fans came to South Africa, well below the expected 450,000.

Even the little men, the local vendors around the stadium, had to disappear for six weeks – or cough up a registration fee of R60,000 (approximately to $7,888).

Michael Defteros, managing director of Headline Leisure Management who ran stadium concessions for FIFA, admits: "We didn’t make what we’d budgeted for, or hoped for. But it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And thankfully, we didn’t lose any money."

Optimists (particularly a report in the respected Economist magazine) suggest South Africa recouped a projected total in “direct economic value for GDP” of approximately $21.3 billion.

But given the Telegraph’s figures, published last December, unless FIFA make a monumental u-turn (perhaps the opera singer and new FIFA monitor Placido Domingo can recommend this to his president Sepptic Blatter) and offer President Jacob Zuma a share of the revenue, South Africa will make a huge loss on the deal. Can that be right?

A tournament which ran with barely a glitch, which avoided comfortably the expected pitfalls of crime, poisonous snakes, earthquakes, traffic jams and politics trumpeted by the European (and largely British) press, began and finished with glorious ceremony and gave Spain their first ever World Cup.

Okay, not everyone liked the plastic vuvuzela trumpets unique to South Africa football, but hey, nobody’s perfect. And they sold like hot-cakes.

Some might say a positive judgement was confirmed by the events of March 3, 2011, when FIFA announced they had earned $4,189 billion dollars in the financial period from 2007 to 2010.

President Blatter, re-elected for a fourth successive term without opposition last week, told worldsoccer.com: "I am the happiest man to announce that the World Cup in South Africa was a huge, huge financial success for everybody, for Africa for South Africa, for FIFA.

"For the first time in FIFA's four-year accounts we are over four billion dollars."

When Blatter took over the running of the global football body in 1998, they were in less secure financial straits. But FIFA, a non-profit association under Swiss law, has blossomed since Blatter, now 75 and set to preside until 2015, took over the reins from Brazilian Joao Havelange in 1998.

According to their deputy secretary general and financial director Markus Kattner, they now have a surplus of $631 million.

And he says 87 percent of FIFA’s revenue, that’s $3.655 billion dollars, was earned from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The World Cup doesn’t just earn from ticket sales and franchise rights around the stadia. The bulk of the money comes from global broadcasting rights and and marketing or sponsorship contracts. Adidas, Visa, Emirates Airlines and Coca-Cola, all critical of the current state of FIFA before Blatter’s one-man election last week, are among the major players.

Kattner added: "The sale of television and marketing rights was more successful than expected.”

Four months after awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and, controversially, the 2022 event to tiny Qatar – but two months before suspending Qatar’s Mohamed Bin Hammam for corruption – Blatter told us: "We are very proud we delivered the World Cup to Africa. For the first time our turnover in one year has been more than one billion dollars.

"The market trusted South Africa.”

But should South Africa have trusted FIFA? Jerome Valcke, the FIFA secretary general who forged a strong personal relationship with South Africa’s Danny Jordaan from what I saw of the pair of them last year, admits FIFA did even better in 2010 than they did in highly-developed Germany four years before.

He said: "Commercially it has been a success, we have increased our income by 50 percent since 2006 in Germany to 2010 in South Africa."

But Valcke insists the profits would be invested in African football. He said 80 percent of countries in Africa "would not have football" were it not for Fifa's funding. "If we don't have money, it means football will collapse."

He said, with more justification, FIFA received a lot of criticism for "taking over South Africa", including allegations that the World Cup was "just about money". Valcke’s verdict: "It is to protect football."

Yes, that smooth Frenchman Valcke. The man who said in that infamous “private” email last month: “Qatar cannot buy the FIFA presidency like they bought the World Cup.”

The Economist magazine offers this perspective. They reckon the World Cup alone grew the South African economy by an “astonishing” extra 0.5%, quoting Grant Thornton, a firm of accountants, who predicted overall 2010 growth of 3 percent.

Those slightly less than expected thousands of World Cup fans came, saw and enjoyed, staying on average for 18 days, attending five matches and spending R30,200 (around $4,000) each.

They say the total effect on South Africa’s economy was around R93 billion ($12.4 billion).

But hold on, FIFA is responsible only for the prize money paid to the teams along with the cost of their travel and preparation, which amounted to just $279m in Germany, where the tournament last took place, in 2006. Four years on, while raising the prize money 60 percent to $420 million, FIFA said it would contribute an extra $100m  to ensure that all the facilities are ready in time.

And that’s it. Cash from television and marketing rights all go to FIFA, so does the money from ticket sales and franchise profits. South Africa had no way of checking exactly how much was leaving the country.

Potential World Cup hosts have to agree, when bidding for a World Cup, to give FIFA the right to ship foreign currency around the country untouched, untaxed, uncounted. Great when FIFA is based in Switzerland and the president is a Swiss national with access to those desperately confidential Swiss bankers.

Citi, the research arm of Citibank, said FIFA’s profit in Germany came to a far lower $1.8 billion, equivalent to 0.7 percent of South Africa’s GDP. FIFA say they will recycle much of that money into football development worldwide. But nothing goes to South Africa, despite spending an estimated at $5.29bn on stadiums, airports, motorways, accommodation, infrastructure and security.

Those profit and loss guys at Grant Thornton say South Africa spent R33.6bn, plus another R20bn on the Gautrain. They add: “Has it put us in insurmountable debt? No. Should we do it again? It’s clever to go for the Commonwealth Games next. They are a bit smaller than the Olympics, and a good test and preparation for a possible Olympics at less cost.”

More than 3.1 million people attended the 64 games, the third highest figure behind the United States in 1994 and Germany in 2006.

Some six million people watched the games in public viewing areas around the world.

FIFA said the average television audience in Spain for the final was a record 15.6 million.

Jordaan, the local force behind the World Cup, said the tournament "was an incredible moment, a dream has come true...we are very, very happy and very proud to be Africans and South Africans."

Jordaan did a great job. He deserves a crack at the CAF presidency, perhaps even the FIFA job once Blatter eventually fades in 2015, if UEFA’s Michel Platini opts out.

But how proud should South Africans be of a tournament which may have cost the Rainbow Nation their fabled pot of gold?

In a fascinating paper called World Cup Economics: What Americans Need to Know about a US World Cup Bid, Dennis Coates, PhD, Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland Baltimore Count reckons: “A study of the 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States found substantial lost output, with the final result showing that the pre-World Cup predictions were up to $13 billion off-target.  Hopefully, this report will get politicians, economists, sports fans and all Americans demanding answers.

“The existing evidence of negative economic impact from other World Cups, combined with the self-interested motivation of the Bid Committee members and the lack of disclosure of the economic impact study all point to the conclusion that the US taxpayers are better off saying no to an expensive and secretive World Cup bid.”

There it is, neatly summed up in a couple of paragraphs. The only people who profit from a World Cup? FIFA and their “self interested” executives.

We may have to wait ages for a real profit and loss account of the 2010 World Cup. We may never really know how much it really helped the country, FIFA’s Swiss bank accounts are hardly open to public scrutiny.

But a year on from Soccer City’s finale, we have to ask: Apart from Bafana Bafana rising from No90 to No38 in the world and leading their African Nations qualifying group with Egypt a continent adrift, has the 2010 World Cup really profited the Rainbow Nation?

And will Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 benefit the world game... or just FIFA? I guess you know what I think.

Who the hell is Neal Collins (nealcol on Twitter)? Google me, or see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena has revealed the full extent of the nerves that troubled Carlos Alberto Parreira’s camp before Africa’s first World Cup kicked off at Soccer City last year.

As 2011 unfolds, Mokoena remembers 2010 as “the maddest year of my life” and remembers June 9 as the toughest moment. Two days before the big kick off against highly-ranked Mexico, the lowest ranked team to host a World Cup were preparing for their open-top bus parade through Sandton. He recalls, “We were concerned, myself and Carlos. Normally you go on a parade after you have achieved something.

“In the end, we just thought we’d go out there and thank people. We had to acknowledge them. But as we drove out of our camp, we couldn’t move, the crowd was so big. Our bus couldn’t get through. And we saw people of every race, which was something that shocked us.

“The only time we’d seen South Africans coming together like that before was when Nelson Mandela was released. And I was very young then, in 1990. At the age of 29, to see something like the crowds on that day, most of us were in tears. Carlos has been around, he’s won World Cups. But Carlos was amazed too.”

And then to Soccer City and the grand opening on June 11. After the glittering opening ceremony and a brief appearance from Mandela himself, Bafana Bafana appeared toy-toying from the tunnel, and Mokoena admits it was an attempt to calm the nerves, “Playing in the World Cup is stressful, but we thought: we can’t stop doing what we do because of nerves.

“We believe in having fun. Dance is in our football culture. The tunnel, the stadium, the national anthem, those vuvuzelas, that’s an experience. Amazing, wasn’t it?”

After 55 minutes, along came the glorious opening goal from Kaizer Chiefs’ Siphiwe Tshabalala, voted one of the best goals of the tournament. Mokoena admits, “Before this year, no-one knew Siphiwe overseas, not even me. Slowly during the build-up, the friendlies, he became promising and against Mexico, what a cracker. Has there ever been an opening World Cup goal better than that?”

How a team is expected to deal with the unique pressure of that moment is hard to say. After the months of hype and controversy, along comes a net-bulging screamer, and 84,490 fans start going mad with their blaring trumpets. Then along comes Mexico’s Rafael Marques with the equaliser 12 minutes from time—the goal which ultimately put South Africa out of the World Cup.

But Mokoena smiles through the painful memories: the defeat against Uruguay and the proud but ultimately meaningless win over fallen giants France. That epic opening night will live forever in his heart, as he and his whole family experienced those unforgettable moments. He laughs, “All my six older brothers and sisters came to the games. My mum Maria had to be at the first game against Mexico. She did interviews before it. I knew she was proud of me but she said it live on telly. And I thought, ‘Mum can speak English now!’

“I’m the youngest one in the family. My mum, my brothers and sisters, they experienced apartheid growing up in Boipatong. They protected and supported me. Everything I’ve done is because of them.”

And the legacy of the World Cup? Mokoena, a still-mystified ambassador for England’s failed 2018 bid, argues, “When I go back people are still wearing Bafana Bafana shirts. We always said the World Cup had to leave a mark. It has and it is positive. I’ve always preached about development and now there’s loads. It’s economic, it’s football, it’s education.

“People make a country. As individuals we feel different. I’m talking from experience here, I’m not just saying this.”

Those are the words of a man who has come a long way since the dark days in Boipatong, when his mum dressed him in girl’s clothes to protect her 12 year old son from the faction fighting at the local community centre. 

Mokoena has signed a new contract for his club, financially struggling Portsmouth. He scored his first English league goal against Bristol City in October after six years in England, and he’s just begun studying for a sports business degree at the local university. Oh, and along the way, he was granted the Freedom of London for the work of his Aaron Mokoena Foundation, which helps underprivileged children.

Not bad for the boy from Boipatong, the Axe from Africa. He admits, “Nothing has been as mad as 2010. When I look at this year as a whole, I look at my life. I look at when I was a young boy growing up, and my life. Last year was when I was supposed to sit back but instead 2010 showed people what kind of a person I am.

“Now I think about being the most capped player in South African football, a record I broke this year (he’s on 103 caps and counting, if Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane has any wisdom). To be the first African captain at an African World Cup, wow. I think about my Foundation. I got the Freedom of London — only Nelson Mandela had that. I got a presidential award in South Africa. It’s been amazing and emotional.

“Then you look at Portsmouth, going into administration, deducted points, relegated from the Premier League... but then getting to Wembley under Avram Grant to play an FA Cup final. And we knew the team would break up after it. Amazing.”

So who is Neal Collins (nealcol on Twitter)? Try google or www.nealcollins.co.uk.