South Africa (National Football)

A few months ago things looked grim for the South African soccer team.They were floundering with a string of poor performances including a 1-0 loss to Iceland. 

The prevailing opinion, even among the most optimistic, was that Bafana Bafana (as the team is known) would be the first host in history to bow out in the group stage. 

The coach, Joel Santana was fired and Carlos Alberto Parreira who guided Brazil to the cup in 1994 was brought back.

He had been the coach until his wife fell ill and he had to return to Brazil.

Since then Bafana have been unbeaten for 12 games, albeit mostly against inferior opponents but wins against Colombia and Denmark in the last couple of weeks are significant.

The South African Football Association did some smart things, the first was compacting the domestic season to give the locally based players lengthy training camps in Durban, then Brazil and Germany. 

Parreira is a fitness fanatic and lengthy workouts were standard.  The result was visible on Saturday against Denmark when Bafana ran the Danes ragged for 90 minutes. 

South Korea did the same in 2002 and it showed. The speed and talent of the midfield will trouble all their opponents. 

Steven Pienaar, Everton's player of the year is a known quantity but watch Siphwe Tsabalala who I think is every bit as good as Pienaar in reading the game with the added ball skills to take on any defender. 

I expect him to become a major target of European teams after the tournament.

Their second weapon is the altitude. 

Johannesburg is the other 'mile high' city and many of the other venues such as Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg and Polokwane are not much lower. 

This will be a huge advantage for South Africa against both Uruguay and France although Mexico is the one other team used to the altitude. South Africa will play all three games at altitude.

While it doesn't take much time to acclimate to the altitude it does affect the flight of the ball which carries further. 

Even after a player has got used to the altitude, it can take longer to get the right touch to control crosses and long balls. This was clearly evident as the Danes over hit many balls. 

Then there are the fans. 

Today at noon they celebrated across South Africa a, " vuvuzela moment," as fans flooded the streets dancing, singing and playing those ubiquitous vuvuzela. 

Over 100,000 were outside the teams's hotel in Sandton just north of Johannesburg.  The opening game on Friday against Mexico will be an explosion of noise and passion like no other with the presence of South Africa's talisman, Nelson Mandela adding to the emotion. They will be Bafana's 12th man on steroids.

The noise of the vuvuzela's can drive opponents to distraction. Players have complained that they can't hear each other on the pitch, and the more people complain the louder we play.

Group A

South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

One of the most interesting and wide open groups. Any of the four teams can finish either first or last.  Yes, I know most are giving South Africa little hope to advance and I am more than a tad biased but this isn’t the same team that endured a prolonged slump and failed to even qualify for the African Cup of Nations. 

Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazil ’94 coach) was brought in and since then Bafana has gone undefeated in 12 games, albeit mostly against weaker opponents.   Home support will obviously be a huge factor despite limited success in their two previous appearances. 

Consider that South Korea who had no wins in 14 prior games before they made it.

Bafana has a solid defense although it is mistake prone at times.  Their strength is in the midfield where they match with up with any of their opponents.  Their biggest problem is up front where they always struggle to score against quality teams. 

A big plus for South Africa is that the local season was shortened by two months to allow for extended training camps.  They are well rested and Parreira is fanatical about fitness which will help in the later stages of their games. 

Mexico was in the same bad shape as Bafana when they fired the overrated Sven Goren Eriksson halfway through qualifying. It looked as though they wouldn’t qualify, something that is normally automatic for them in the weak CONCACAF region. 

Javier Aguirre worked the same magic he did in 2002 in Korea, guiding ‘El Tri’ to qualifying comfortably.  The team has a good mix of veterans and youth and the Dos Santos brothers controversy seems to have died down. The altitude will not be  a problem for them.  They’ve looked lively in their lead in games and beat a lackluster Italy team earlier this week.  

They have excellent speed up front with Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez and solid midfield support from Andres Guardado and Giovanni dos Santos, making arguably the best attack in this group. 

In the back a lot will depend on Rafael Marquez who hasn’t seen much playing time with Barcelona this year.  Their opening game against South Africa will answer a lot of questions.  Mexico is a little more polished than Bafana, especially up front.

But home support should negate that.  It might come down to a bit of luck for either team in the opener.

Uruguay’s strength is up front where Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez are formidable.  Forlan won the scoring title in Spain this past season and can be a gamebreaker.  Suarez has all the tools and can both create and score goals.  Close them down and it becomes a lot harder for Uruguay. 

As you work your way back back from the front, Uruguay’s weaknesses become more apparent.  Goalkeeping has been dodgy although Walter Gargano, who plays for Napoli, stands out in defense.  Martin Caceres has become a regular on the Juventus squad.

But considering their lame performance this season that might not be much of a recommendation as there is little depth beyond those two.

Since winning the Cup for the second time in 1950 they haven’t done much other than a semi-final appearance in 1970

Zidane was France’s talisman.  Consider the record.  With Zidane France won in ’98, won Euro 2000 and if not for a moment of sheer insanity might have won in Germany. 

With Zidane injured they crashed out in ’02 without scoring a goal and didn’t make it out of the group in Euro ’06 (although they did manage to score.)  They only made it to South Africa when Thierry Henry turned volleyball player against Ireland. 

If there is justice in soccer France ought to be sent home early but sadly there is little.  Their warm up games include a 2-1 win against Costa Rica, a draw with Tunisia and a 1-0 loss to China.  There is a measure of gloom in their camp and with a number of their players rapidly approaching their ‘use by date,’ more problems are likely. 

Then again, they have the talent with Ribery, Gourcuff, Malouda and a trio of Arsenal defenders. France could just as easily win the group.

Their first game against Uruguay might be their easiest as long as they can contain Forlan and Suarez.  Ribery, Gourcuff and Maluda are all coming off excellent seasons and should stretch the Uruguayan defense beyond its capabilities.  The game is at sea level but their next games are at altitude against the two teams that are comfortable in the thinner air. 

A couple of the more fancied teams will crash out in the first round and France is a prime candidate. 

My fearless forecast:

1—South Africa, 2—Mexico

(It’s the week before the kickoff when hope springs eternal for all fans and I have to go with my heart)

History will be made on Friday, June 11 when the biggest sporting event kicks off in South Africa.   It’s the first time the soccer World Cup is taking place on the African continent, but more importantly it’s being played in a country that was an international pariah less than a generation ago. 

As recently as 1990 South Africa was barred from all sporting events because of Apartheid and racial discrimination that embroiled the country in prolonged violence that threatened to become a full scale war.  

As someone who grew up in South Africa during the time of Apartheid, I believed that if change came it would be accompanied by a war so brutal few would be left standing at the end.   Instead we saw sworn enemies sit down to discuss the country’s future as Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in prison in 1990 to help forge a new South Africa.   Four years later he was elected President when all non-white South Africans were allowed to vote for the first time. 

South Africa was readmitted to the Olympic movement in 1992 for the games in Barcelona, but the country was still fractured when Mandela, in a remarkable gesture for unity, after overcoming his own party’s objections, donned the jersey of the South African team to preside over the rugby World Cup final won by the South African team in Johannesburg in 1995.  Rugby was and is still the sport of the Afrikaaners who had ruled so brutally since 1948 and was thus a hated symbol of Apartheid for all non-white South Africans. 

It was a truly powerful moment depicted in the movie “Invictus” where the power of sport brought a fractured nation together.  The sight of a stadium full of the very people who considered him evil incarnate rising to chant his name is forever etched in my memory.   Thus the ‘Rainbow Nation’ that is the new South Africa came into being. 

Fifteen years on, despite a mountain of skepticism and criticism, particularly from Europe and the U.S., South Africa is ready to play host.  They said the stadiums wouldn’t be ready on time.  They said there was too much crime and not enough accommodations or public transport. Crime is still a huge problem in South Africa, caused by a high level of poverty and by the ‘Lost Generation’ of blacks who came of age in the 1980’s when their schooling virtually ceased to exist and violence was a way of life, but it is slowly declining.   Despite a myriad of problems, a new South Africa is slowly evolving with a new generation who can only truly understand the evil of Apartheid from their elders or from history books. 

There are no accommodation problems, partly due to the worldwide economic recession and partly due to people being scared off by the negative publicity.  There have been traffic glitches at some of the friendly pre-cup games but we only have to look back to the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 and the logistical nightmare there to see that even the can-do Americans can’t do everything right. 

South Africans are an expansive people. There are whites who speak two different languages and nine black tribes with different languages, although urbanization and intermarriage is dissipating these differences.  There is also the largest Indian population outside India and a racially mixed mélange originating with slaves brought by the Dutch from their East Asian colonies a few hundred years ago.

After a tragic and difficult past they are finally one people with a newly minted constitution guaranteeing rights for all.   It was the first constitution in the world to enshrine full rights for all sexual orientation.  South Africans are a people who love to have fun.  No matter what the color of their skin or their financial situation, they will unite passionately behind the unfancied Bafana, Bafana (The boys, the boys) as well as cheering on the other thirty-one teams in the tournament. 

There is a new sense of pride in the country, ready to show the world their best face for a month of festivities.  There are those who criticized the expense of building new stadiums, suggesting the money would be better spent elsewhere alleviating some of the ailments that South Africans still endure, but the morale boost for the country, already more than evident, is in many ways immeasurable.

For me as a passionate soccer fan and an ex-South African it is a dream come true.  In my younger years living there I would attend games of the local white-only semi-pro league, oblivious to the black league that played there games a mere twenty miles away in Soweto, dreaming that some day South Africa will be accepted back into the fold with a team representing the country chosen purely for ability and not skin color.   I knew that when or if that day came, it would be because all South Africans would finally be free.

That day came and South Africa is ready to show its proud and joyous face to the world. Let the games begin. 

With every newspaper article, magazine cover, radio, and television advertisements all capturing some angle on this global show piece, South Africa has become something like a National Arena filled with patriotic supporters.

In the past, South Africa had the opportunity to host major sporting events, The Rugby World Cup in 1995, the Cricket World Cup in 2003, and many other events that drew large audiences.

But the Soccer World Cup—or Football as it's known in Europe—brings some extra spice and flavour, a known fact is that football attracts more people, a global audience, an unimaginable spectacle.

In a country that's still suffering great effects from the apartheid era, racism, religious differences, and class issues, in some ways the World Cup has brought people together.

While many would have taught that we have embraced democracy and the new ANC leadership, the recent spat of violence and controversial political comments has divided many, but we seem to have put that aside for now and welcome the world to our great nation.

South Africa has embraced the World Cup, the hype, excitement, and fever can be felt everywhere you go. Flags almost on every car that drives by, mirror socks, the National Team Jersey now holds more respect, Football Friday has become more like football week, as the time nears towards the kick-off on June 11th .

From retail stores to supermarkets, wholesalers to car dealership, they all fly the South Africa Flag in support of our Boys, the fact that South Africa are ranked in the mid 80's in terms of the FIFA Rankings doesn't in the slightest bit affect the growing support of the National Team.

Another motivational factor that has made South Africans believe more than they did a few months ago is the current performances and winning attitude that the team displays.

Personally I'm a very patriotic South African, a devout cricket fan no matter how many times we faltered during big competitions, naturally proud of the Springboks, our Rugby team, who are the current World Champions. So the belief that Bafana Bafana can progress beyond the group stages is not one of hope, but rather confidence in the players.

When people think of South Africa they somehow are able to come up with ten facts, but more than often eight out of the ten are negative. Crime, corruptions, Apartheid, racism, theft etc.

We are more than that, yes those are some of the evils that occur in our land, but we have greatness to offer, we pride ourselves on welcoming tourists year in and year out, we boast some of the best Wild Life, the best Holiday destinations, and some of the best beaches and resorts.

So as you get ready to watch your team at the World Cup, whether on television or at the stadia, enjoy, embrace and live the world cup, join the spirit of Africa and sing the songs of Mzansi .

As we blow our Vuvuzella's, fly the flag, brace our hearts to the tune of the National Anthem, cheer every goal, clap to every beat, remember that as much as the World Cup might be on African soil, it belongs to everyone.

Let the positive vibe of this rainbow nation lead you to unlimited treasures.

The pressure is great on the Bafana Bafana South African squad come Friday, when they inaugurate the 2010 World Cup against Mexico.

Not only will South Africa be forced to represent the entire continent of Africa, but they are also facing an 80-year-old statistic: No host nation has been eliminated during the group stage.

However, South Africa—the lowest ranked team in the Cup—faces an unfortunately tough Group A, with two past champions in France and Uruguay and a World Cup regular in Mexico.

History of the South African Team

South Africa spent most of its apartheid years banned from international soccer due to their racist policies at home and was only reinstated in 1992. 

It's strange, and hopefully cathartic, to have them be the first nation to host the tournament in Africa.

South Africa has only been to two World Cups prior to hosting (1998 and 2002), failing to get past the group stage on both occasions.

South Africa may be stronger now than it was then with striker Stephen Piennar at the front. They showed great form in last year's Confederation Cup, despite not advancing beyond the group stage. 

The South African team has had a successful run in the friendly matches on the cusp of the World Cup. They enter the competition coming off a 1-0 win over Denmark.

Past Host Nations

The pressure is high on South Africa. The past three host nations (France, South Korea, Germany) have made it to the semifinals or finals of the competition.

Host nations not only have the crowds on their sides, but they have a history of getting very favorable calls from the officials. South Korea's dark horse run in 2002 was aided by calls against their opponents, especially in games against Italy and Spain.

Out of the seven World Cup champions, six of them won when hosting the tournament.  Brazil is the only team to not have won at home. 

Aside from those six teams, another two (Brazil and Sweden) have been runners up in their competitions.

Group A Opponents

South Africa has been placed in a group with veritable veterans. All of the other three teams in the group have a strong history within the Cup.

Uruguay was the first winner of the tournament in 1930. They also paralyzed a nation when they beat Brazil in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 to win their second trophy.

France won the Cup in 1998 and was a runner up in the 2006 World Cup.

Mexico, coming out of the weak CONCACAF conference, has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals. Both times they reached quarterfinals were when Mexico was hosting.

Despite the prominence of the teams, South Africa may not be in as deep a hole as many make it out to be.

Uruguay's days of glory are 60 years removed, and France is coming off a weak,  controversial qualifying round.

Playing for Africa

The Bafana Bafana may also be relieved of some of the pressure of representing the entire continent. 

There are a total of six African teams in the competition, with Ghana and Ivory Coast coming in as strong favorites.

The South Africans may be able to get away with simply playing for their home country, as it is unlikely that they'll be the last African country standing. 

Regardless, for fans everywhere, hopefully the South African team is able to play competitive soccer and create suspense within the group, even if they do not qualify to the next round.

Either way, South Africa will be making history when they step on to their home pitch against Mexico. 

The entire world will be watching under the sounds of the vuvuzuelas to see what the South Africans can do with the spotlight come June 11th.

WORLD CUP fever hit South Africa hard yesterday with a stampede at one pre-tournament friendly leaving several injured, while 20,000 brought the tiny village of Magaliesburg to a standstill for the arrival of Portugal.

The more serious incident occurred before the warm-up game between Nigeria and North Korea, which left many fans trampled underfoot at the Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa, which houses around 10,000 fans.

In the scenic Magaliesburg mountains, the rush to see Cristiano Ronaldo and the Portugal side arrive in South Africa saw riot police and mounted officers move in to clear access.

Both situations derive from huge migrant populations – South Africa is home to a huge Nigerian population since democracy dawned in 1994, while the nation has long been home to a significant population of Portuguese descent.

The Oliver Tambo International airport near Johannesburg was mobbed by nearly 5,000 fans who threatened to overwhelm security as Portugal landed yesterday morning. They lined the long road to the team’s Magaliesburg base at Valley Lodge and their training pitch at Bekker school in a solid red tide.

Only 2,000 tickets to Portugal’s first training session were handed out – mostly to locals - while 20,000 attempted to gain access. Though local restaurants and bars may have achieved record profits, there were brief flare-ups between fans and security as the session – described as “open to the public” in the local press – drew unprecedented crowds.

Traffic jams stretched for miles towards both Johannesburg and Pretoria, where large Portuguese-South African communities have developed, augmented by the arrival of countrymen from Angola and Mocambique.

Though I did my best to bond with the local force (see picture) one fan screamed at the riot police: “You are showing no respect for the Portuguese people, we deserve to see our heroes. We’ve been on the road two hours. The people with tickets don’t even have Portugal shirts.”

While scuffles broke out, security and riot police attempted to defuse tension by allowing some school parties and young children in ticket-less to see their side train at 4.30pm. Most were happy simply to see the team bus drive past.

Portugal’s three group games are all sold out – their clash against Brazil in Durban on June 25 was the first game of this World Cup to run out of tickets.

In Tembisa, Japtha Mombelo, bleeding from the head after the crush, said: "I fell down and people just fell over me. The crowd was overpowering. The police have told me to stay around and they will organise an ambulance but I am still waiting."

The first rush came when the gates opened to allow fans into the stadium. Police soon closed the gates, but when they were reopened, a second rush occurred, with more people falling and being run over.

Princess Mbali, wearing a South African shirt, said: “They were just stepping on us. I thought I was dying. I was at the bottom." 

Sixteen were taken to hospital as Nigeria carved out a 3-1 win.

I was told in Polokwane by a high-ranking official last week that Nigeria have been slightly tardy in their organising of friendlies, which is why all 8,000 tickets for today's game were issued free, causing the crush for entry.

The planning and venue for England's friendly at Maruleng on Monday night has been far more thorough. It's a brand new, 20,000-capacity stadium, though FA sources are saying they will "up security" for the clash with local club Platinum Stars. I'm on talkSPORT in England at 7.30am talking about today's goings-on and have just recorded a piece for them.

Video from Magaliesburg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nIz0GAAlzc

This isn't your usual B/R article but with the World Cup just round the corner it just seems appropriate.

We are less than a week away from the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet, and its fair to say that everybody's coming down with World Cup fever.

No matter where you are in the world reading this, the excitement, anticipation, and if your country have been lucky enough to qualify the tension are all building by the day.

Many think that this may well be the greatest World cup ever seen for a whole number of reasons. Me personally know it will be the greatest ever, due to the fact it is being held in South Africa.

I'm not South African or even African for that matter, but you just have to love the continent. The passion, the energy, the colourfulness of the support. Everything points to a superb month of football.

When South Africa were awarded the staging rights a number of parties held grave concerns over a number of different matters.

Would the stadiums be ready, was their enough infrastructure within the developing country, etc.

Little over ten years later and we are on the brink of finding out if this great country has stood up and delivered for the rest of the world.

But this is more than just about football for the people of the Rainbow Nation. The developments over the last decade in the country will set it up, as it trys to stabilise and become one of the players within the world.

Millions of pounds have been spent on motorways, airports, train services, first class hotels and restaurants, and many more improvements.

All of these will still be here long after the World Cup bandwagon has been shuttled out of town. This will improve the country financially ten-fold.

Business opportunities will spring up over night in the next month, from people selling cheap fake goods, to providing cheap taxis for the millions of visitors to this beautiful country.

Anyway enough of the economic benefits lets talk about the people.

This is no question a poor country, poverty and crime are high.

But these people are strong and resilient, there may be talk of racial feuds, but you have to remember this country was still living under apartheid law just twenty years ago. These incidents are becoming less and less frequent and in time they will redeem themselves. The black/white divide will be no more.

Time will become a great healer for this country, in the next fifty years South Africa will become one of the most popular and easy going places in the world.

Now the football, if you don't know what to expect, expect noise. The sound of vuvuzelas ringing in your ears. Expect color, expect passion, but most of all expect a party.

Africans for all their troubles always seem happy. Great people who love to have fun and express themselves.

If South Africa make it out of the group face - which I fully expect them too- then the party could grow and grow over the course of the month.

The greatest South African of all Nelson Mandela will be at the opening ceremony. Fitting it may be that the man who has pushed this country away from apartheid will be the man to kick off a party that celebrates the new South Africa.

Laat die party op die grootste kontinent op aarde.

Steven Pienaar loves the Clint Eastwood directed movie Invictus. The 2009 movie depicts the South African involvement in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Pienaar, the Everton FC star, is about to lead his native South Africa into the 2010 Football World Cup, on home soil no less.

"I've watched the film five times," Pienaar told News of the World in a recent interview. "Everytime I watch it, it makes me want to cry because it is so true."

The movie tells the story of how newly elected president Nelson Mandela used the matches to unite the people of South Africa.

Pienaar believes a similar type of "union" can take place this month in South Africa.

"The whole country can come together," he said. "There is still a lot of racial tension, but sport builds the spirit and unites the people."

Pienaar went on to explain how he was able to watch the matches while in school back in 1995.

"We were packed into tents watching the game," he said. "There were a lot of white Afrikaners in my school, but we were allowed to watch the games together for the first time."

For this World Cup to have a similar effect on the nation, the team will have to have some level of success. This could be difficult. South Africa is currently the 83rd ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings.

They do have a four things working for them, however.

One, they are on home soil and will have great vocal support at their games.

Two, they find themselves in a group that they may be able to advance out of, despite their ranking. They are in Group A with France, Mexico and Uruguay. A lot will depend on that first game with Mexico, who may end up being the team they battle with for the second spot.

Three, they are playing pretty well. In their most recent friendly they beat Guatemala 5-0, and the game before that they beat Columbia 2-1. They will play Denmark in their final tune-up game on Saturday.

And four, they have Steven Pienaar playing some great football. He was outstanding in the game against Guatemala. If he can hold his form into the World Cup, South Africa can indeed advance.

Nelson Mandela met with the team on Thursday and said he will be at the opening game on June 11th, when South Africa plays Mexico to kick off the tournament. There had been speculation the 91-year-old Mandela would not be at the game.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter had expressed concern as recently as Wednesday that Mandela might not make an appearance at the World Cup. He had said that the event would not be the same without him, and if he did come to a game it would be the highlight of the tournament.

Steven Pienaar explained how it is to meet Mandela.

"For us (the team), it's like going to meet the father of the nation. Everyone looks up to him. He still inspires the people."

Pienaar is also out to prove not only that his team can succeed on the pitch, but also that South Africa can succeed hosting this event.

"People can say what they like about my country," he said, "but the World Cup is coming here for good reason, because we can stage this competition as well as anyone."

If indeed the hopes of uniting the nation of South Africa lie with this football team, a large portion of that hope is to be laid upon Pienaar himself, and his ability to lead his team out of the group stage.

Pienaar seems ready to answer the challenge. And, no doubt, while Pienaar and his teammates are in the process of answering that challenge on the pitch, black and white boys alike will be huddled together listening to and watching the games, just like Steven himself did 15 years ago.