South Africa (National Football)

After two years and 848 qualification matches, the World Cup is almost ready to start. Host South Africa will kick off the month long tournament when they take on Mexico June 11. Later that night, Raymond Domenech's French team will entertain Uruguay as the competition begins in earnest.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

South Africa (83) were the first team out of the hat, as hosts they were awarded a first seed ranking and will play their opening match in the 94,700 Soccer City stadium.

As one of the lowest seeds in the tournament, 83rd, Bafana Bafana were hoping for an easy draw. However, even before the groups were made, bookmakers had made South Africa favourites to be eliminated whichever group they ended up with.

Currently, Carlos Parreira's men are unbeaten in 11 games and head towards the World Cup on something of a high. It must be noted that none of their good results have come against what would be regarded as good teams though.

Initially, the draw was kind to the home nation, Mexico and Uruguay are there for the taking, but with France coming out of the bowl last, the group has taken on a very stiff task. Most depressing for Parreira was Benni McCarthy's decision to show up having put on a ton of extra weight since the end of the season. As a result, the West Ham striker was sent packing and South Africa's best striker went home.

Carlos Alberto Parreira has the unenviable task of getting South Africa through to the knockout stages. The Brazilian will have to use every trick in his wide repertoire to achieve this unlikely task. The end result is most likely to be the hosts exiting the tournament after 11 days and England picking up a lot of extra fans.

Javier Aguirre was the man who picked up the pieces in Mexico (17) following Sven Goran-Erikkson's disastrous reign. And they may have found the right group, some of their matches will be played in high altitude, something that favours the Mexicans and their flamboyant playing style.

Recent in-fighting over Aguirre's decision to axe Barcelona youth Jonatan Dos Santos has caused some consternation, mostly to his brother, Giovani. But when all is said and done, El Tri have a team that could easily qualify from this group.

Uruguay (16) were the last team to qualify from South America after a tight play-off victory over Costa Rica. Gone are the stars of yesteryear, and the over-reliance on the Ajax star Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan makes them very one dimensional. Midfield and defence are traditional strong points for La Celeste Olímpica but Oscar Tabarez does not the same quality of players at his disposal as previous managers.

Having qualified through the most controversial way possible, France (8) will be thanking their lucky stars for such a favourable draw, especially when you consider that they were unseeded.

Despite the good draw, Domenech has refused to include the likes of Samir Nasri, Patrick Vieira, Lassana Diarra, and most amazingly Real Madrid's Karim Benzema.

Before the final squad announcement last week rumours began to flow that he was going to leave Thierry Henry at home, only for the Barcelona star to talk his mentor around and now it would seem as if the striker will play the part of a "super-sub."

Raymond Domenech will continue to scupper Les Bleus' chances, and it will be interesting to see if he ever gets around to playing his best team, one that could conceivably win the tournament. Judging by his poor recent history, expect France to qualify and then crumble when they are questioned.

Winners: France

Runners Up: Mexico

Group A Fixtures:

Match (01) June 11- South Africa vs. Mexico (Soccer City, 94,700)

Match (02) June 11- France vs. Uruguay (Cape Town Stadium, 69,070)

Match (17) June 16- South Africa vs. Uruguay (Loftus Versfield Stadium, 51,762)

Match (20) June 17- France vs. Mexico (Peter Mokaba Stadium, 46,000)

Match (33) June 22- Mexico vs. Uruguay (Royal Bafokeng Stadium, 44,530)

Match (34) June 22- France vs. South Africa (Free State Stadium, 48,000)

Players to Watch:

Steven Pienaar (RSA), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (MEX), Franck Ribery (FRA), Luis Suarez (URU)

Interesting Fact:

Mexico has played more World Cup Qualifiers than any other team, 141 in total between 1930 and 2010.

To Read Other World Cup Previews Click The Group:

Group B Preview: Argentina, Nigeria, Greece, South Korea

Group C Preview: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia

Group D Preview: Germany, Serbia, Australia, Ghana

Group E Preview: Netherlands, Japan, Cameroon, Denmark

Group F Preview: Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia

Group G Preview: Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast, North Korea

Group H Preview: Spain, Honduras, Switzerland, Chile

This article was first published on Tiger Beer Football where Willie Gannon is the featured blogger.

Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey joined the pre-World Cup fever in Johannesburg last night, adding his considerable weight to the growing optimism surrounding the tournament in South Africa.

Morrissey, filming a series called Men Brewing Badly for ITV4, has been bitten by the African bug after travelling through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa to reach the World Cup.

Morrissey, currently starring on British television’s Waterloo Road , is also renowned as the voice of children’s television icon Bob The Builder.

“I’ve had a great time travelling through this continent. I’ve done a lot of charity work further north, but this trip had it all," he said. “We travelled all the way down, we had our problems, but there was always an African solution, a man with a heavy hammer to fix our truck.

“I can’t believe how cheerful the African people are, despite the poverty you see. I don’t understand the negative stuff we’ve seen in the press about this World Cup. It’s going to be the best ever.”

Morrissey and his lively crew of six, will film the end of their series in an ice cream truck with shoots in Soweto, the Pirates sports club in Johannesburg and at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, venue for England’s opening Group C game against the USA on June 12.

He grins. “All we need now is tickets for that game. It’s bloody sold out! I can’t believe it, can you help?

“We’ve been to the stadium and left a message of encouragement pinned to the wall in the England dressing room. Who’s going to win the World Cup? England! It’s got to be England! And I’m backing Wayne Rooney to win the Golden Boot as tournament top scorer.

“Look, whatever happens, it’s going to be a great tournament. We’ve travelled around, everybody has been so wonderful. I haven’t seen any sign of the crime and deadly snakes everybody talks about.

“I just want England fans to come out here and enjoy it. It’s not too late. Get on a flight!”

Morrissey did reveal one worrying fact. He’s a Crystal Palace fan.

The southeast London club are on the verge of bankruptcy, but the 47-year-old from Stoke, who also starred in a recent run of Rain Man on stage in London’s West End, insists, “The club has been saved. I can reveal they’ve found buyers who will rescue the club.”

See the video of my night out with Neil Morrissey at the Giles pub in Craighall Park in Johannesburg at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asGdvgZWKSk .

5 Reasons Why South Africa Hosting the 2010 World Cup Will be a Resounding Success:

Atmosphere:

Whether you like vuvuzelas or not, there has never been a country more excited or deserving to host the World Cup and this tournament will be uniquely African. In South Africa they don’t refer to it as the World Cup, simply “2010” because that is the only thing of importance happening this year!

South Africa deserves to host and contrary to the speculative reports coming out of Europe for the past four years regarding stadiums, safety and tickets, all of these fears have been eased. Get ready for one of the great World Cups of all time, just make sure you have your earplugs!

Bafana Bafana:

South Africa should steal the USMNT’s slogan here and change it to read “Don’t tread lightly on us”. Watch out for the Boys, you simply cannot understand how much this World Cup means to South Africa and we all know in sport the home crowd can do amazing things. Just look at South Korea and Japan in 2002. While the soccer world expects them to fail, enjoy watching them pleasantly surprise.

Disregard everything you saw in their friendlies, remember this South Africa team pushed Brazil all the way in the Confederations Cup semifinal and is much improved since then, with their old boss back in charge. Look for South Africa to push the other three teams all the way and sneaking out of their group is certainly within their realm.

Weather:

Everyone tends to agree that an athlete’s body reacts much better in 70 degree weather than 100 degree weather. A South African winter will ensure that temperatures are much lower than previous tournaments, with temperatures getting a bit chilly during the night matches. While the spectators might not enjoy the cold weather, the players certainly will.

Pre-tournament talk amongst the managers has reveled that most of them expect a much higher tempo World Cup as a result of the cooler weather. This can only mean good things for the fans of the beautiful game!  

Stadiums:

Ever been in a zebra patterned stadium? What about one shaped as a calabash? What about a match with Table Mountain rising above the stadium? I didn’t think so.

South Africa has produced 6 brand new stadiums of stunning quality, in addition to the 4 that already existed, which will visually create one of the most visually appealing backdrops we have ever seen in a World Cup.

Soweto:

Bringing the World Cup Final to the township where it all began for South Africa is so symbolic and a moment of such pride for South Africa.

Soccer was used as a movement of resistance during apartheid and a means of unification during the Mandela era. Soweto has always been the heart of South African soccer and there really was no other place the final could end up.

The South African security police have just brought me back to my room in Potchefstroom. I thought I was never going to make it. I have shown them my British passport. I am now a free man. Phew.

For those who doubt the veracity of the security at this World Cup, rest easy.

I thought I would never see another football match about an hour ago. That’s not a criticism, it’s a compliment.

Problem is, I tried to wander in to the grounds of the Potchefstroom University High Performance Centre, where Spain—the favourites—are due to train before they kick-off their first Group G game against Switzerland on June 16.

They arrive on June 11, a little later than the rest.

I wanted to do another of my classically amateur “World Cup base” videos for YouTube, see where Cesc Fabregas was going to stay for a month, and sample the atmosphere of one of the finest high-altitude training centres in the world.

Then Arnold struck. He stopped me at the gate. I was in a suit, video camera in hand. “Sorry sir, you can go no further.”

Fair enough. Then his pal Plaaitjies turned up. In Afrikaans, his supervisor ordered him to put me in front of the closed-circuit television camera. He said this was “baie belangrik” and added “hou hom daar.”

Problem is, I can speak the local language. He was saying it was “very important” and “hold him there.” Despite the near-freezing Highveld winter evening, I started to sweat.

My driver Samuel, from the Lemon Tree guest house, turned up to get me. By then the local police had turned up. I was in serious trouble. Then the security police joined them. And two burly lads from the High Performance Centre.

Look, I wasn’t arrested. They didn’t read me my rights. But I was certainly “unavoidably detained."

Now I know how men with beards feel when they walk through airports.

I tried to usual smooth talk, telling them how wonderful their country is, how I’d written an entire page on African football in the local Johannesburg Star that very day.

Then the phone rang. The local radio station, 702 wanted to talk about the day’s pre-World Cup goings-on. Oops. Later.

Then the fateful question: “Your passport please sir.”

And of course, I’d left it in my room. South Africans always have their identity documents on hand. I was lost. It was a life-term for sure.

I showed them my press card from the now-defunct London Lite newspaper, valid until next year. Not good enough.

I eked my passport number out of my mobile phone. Not good enough.

A bloke called Sam started making phone calls. I was escorted to see my driver and told him to go home.

God, it was like South Africa when I was a kid. Full of dark secrets and whispered Afrikaans threats.

But these weren’t the same sjambok-wielding monsters of my youth. The picture above is a stock photograph, I didn't take a real one under those circumstances!

But by now we were all getting on famously, despite the tension.

I explained I could speak Afrikaans and knew a bit about the place. The big bearded bloke assigned to guard me explained that, just last week, some “men with tattoos” had visited the centre claiming to be from “International Intelligence”.

They were nothing of the kind. They’re still tracking them down.

Spain’s multi-millionaires will soon be here. No chances can be taken. And of course, they’re right. But God, it was cold.

An hour slipped by. I found myself enjoying the conversation, whilst apologising profusely for not phoning ahead to check my visit was okay.

We talked about the old South Africa, the new Rainbow Nation...and the importance of recent events in Soweto, when the Pretoria Bulls and their notoriously conservative fans were forced to move their Super 15 rugby final to South Africa’s most notorious township.

And it went off like a dream, all races drinking, celebrating together.

We talked about crime, the changes in the country. We discussed football—Plaaitjies reckons the Dutch will win the World Cup, Alfred was sticking to South Africa.

Then they escorted me back to Room 17 at the Lemon Grass guest house. Fellow guests were a little bemused as I led Sam, not a bloke to be trifled with, into my room with a cohort. I showed him my passport.

He leafed through it slowly. “Okay,” he said, “It all checks out. Carry this with you at all times in South Africa. I’ll call you in the morning, show your round.”

With that, they were off. I was a free man.

But take my advice, don’t take any liberties with the South Africans if you’re coming out. They’ll be all over you. But as long as you stay polite and carry your passport, you’ll be fine.

But I can’t seem to get my heart-rate down to under 100.

Who is Neal Collins (nealcol on Twitter?): See www.nealcollins.co.uk. For his classically amateur YouTube World Cup videos, try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAousno69rI  or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzwzNhaeTM

It's typically a given to predict that the host nation in the football World Cup will advance from the group stage. Even the United States (in 1994) and both South Korea and Japan (in 2002) did the trick, despite all not featuring the most talented of sides.

However, the host of the 2010 World Cup, the South African national team (known typically as "Bafana Bafana"), is in serious danger. Looking at previous tournament results, the squad selected by coach Carlos Alberto Parreria, their group, and other factors, the team could become the first World Cup hosts to fail to reach the knock-out rounds.

Looking at the last four editions of the African Nations Cup—held every two years—it's easy to see why many football observers are skeptical of the Bafana Bafana's chances of making it out of the group stage.

The Bafana Bafana have had one win in the last four African Nation's Cup, which came in 2002. Also, the Bafana Bafana even failed to reach the 2010 edition, failing in the qualifiers, which also served as the World Cup qualifiers.

The 2009 Confederations Cup saw the Bafana Bafana get out of a group which featured European champions Spain, Asian champions Iraq, and Oceanic champions New Zealand, and saw them giveBrazil a good game in the semifinals.

South Africa's track record in international tournaments has been less than stellar, otherwise. The Bafana Bafana have played in two World Cups, partaking in France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002, but missing the cut in Germany 2006.

In those tournaments, which were the first World Cups for which the Bafana Bafana were eligible thanks to apartheid, South Africa has failed to make it past the group stage, winning only one game, a 1-0 win over Slovenia in 2002.

Meanwhile, the Bafana Bafana were also given no luck by the draw, even though they were seeded in Pool A, along with seeded world power teams such as England, Brazil, and Spain.

Hoping to avoid a tough group, the Bafana Bafana were instead given a tough draw. Their group features defending World Cup runners-up France, CONCACAF power Mexico, and a good South American team in Urugay. This draw has many predicting the Bafana Bafana to finish in fourth place in the group.

Despite having featured some nice talent in the past, including Quinton Fortune, Lucas Radabe, and Benni McArthy, the squad looks lacking in talent compared to their Group A rivals.

Only seven of Parreria's roster plays their club football outside of South Africa. This list includes captain Aaron Mokoena who plays for Portsmouth (at least so far; he is a Pompey defender) Steven Pineear, who plays for Everton, and Tsepo Masilela of the Israeli side Maccabi Haifa.

The bulk of the Bafana Bafana's squad in the 2010 World Cup plays their club football in South Africa's Premier Soccer League, which although is one of the top leagues in the African continent, is simply a far cry from European football.

The Bafana Bafana, for their credit, do have efficient offensive threats in Siyabonga Nomvethe and Katlego Mphela, who have scored 15 and 16 international goals respectively. The defense also has some solid talent.

Another key strength team-wise for the Bafana is the bulk of players with experience. 13 of the 23 players on the squad have 25 or more caps for the Bafana Bafana, and that will bode well for the team as they hope to make it past the group stage.

Of course, having 94,000 screaming fans blowing vuvuzelas would help South Africa in the tournament's opening match against Mexico, in which an upset over El Tri would help South Africa's hope.

The opener, which will take place on the 11th of June in Johannesburg's majestic newly-refurbished Soccer City, will be televised all over the world. And despite featuring less talent than their Mexican rivals, the opener would be the time to shine for the Bafana Bafana's veteran-laden team, many of whom still are stung from their shocking failure to qualify for the 2010 African Nations Cup.

To Parreria and the Bafana Bafana's credit, they have experienced a good stretch of football. They have an 11-match unbeaten streak dating back to the 14th of November, when the Bafana Bafana drew 0-0 with World Cup participants Japan. The Bafana Bafana even had their record win over the weekend—a 5-0 victory over Guatemala in Polokwane.

However, and I don't mean to dampen any South African supporter's spirit here, but much of that 11-match unbeaten streak was played against countries that are at a far lower level than their World Cup rivals.

Collectively, South Africa's last five opponents—Guatemala, Colombia, Bulgaria, Thailand, and Jamaica—were ranked 115th, 34th, 39th, 105th, and 79th. Sure, Colombia and Bulgaria are nice teams, but playing minnows such as Guatemala and Thailand don't help your reputation.

South African sports teams have pulled off shockers when hosting tournaments however, which may or may not ring true here in 2010. For example, the 1995 Rugby World Cup saw the less-fancied Springboks side win the William Web Ellis trophy by beating favorite New Zealand 15-12 in an overtime thriller, a victory which helped the nation heal after apartheid ended.

Just a year later, the underdog Bafana Bafana team won the African Nations Cup on home soil, defeating Tunisia in front of over 80,000 at the older Soccer City stadium. The team watched the trophy be handed over by President Nelson Mandela, which healed the nation and helped, at least for that night, unite the nation as one.

Could today's Bafana Bafana pull off the shocker and advance from Group A?

Eh, not likely.

But I sure hope it happens, as it's always nicer to hear the vuvuzelas blown during a Bafana Bafana match.

The team will surely enjoy the best support out of all the countries in this World Cup. Let's just hope it takes place for more than just three matches.

Benni McCarthy is out of South Africa’s World Cup squad. It’s a shock for the hosts, but they were warned. On February 26, the Star in Johannesburg ran a story saying McCarthy would not make it. At 32, South Africa’s top scorer had just moved from Blackburn to West Ham for £2.5m. Injured on his debut, he never really recovered as the Hammers battled for Premier League survival. Towards the end of the season he made a couple of substitute appearances but looked well short of his best.

South African readers may recall a few days after the “Injury set to rule Benni out of the World Cup” story, his agent Rob Moore told the Star’s rival, The Citizen, that Benni would be fit and that the story was “speculative” and a result of “lazy journalism”.

Big mistake. The story was written by me. Just google my name and Benni’s. The story is still there: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2871&art_id=vn20100226094021691C834936 . I quoted a West Ham source as saying "Benni's not looking good. That knee is a problem. South Africa may be in trouble if they think he's going to be their major World Cup striker."

To his credit, McCarthy responded to the axe tonight by saying: "The final squad is a tough call for any coach to make and I am sure it was not made without heartache. My fitness level came into question after weeks recovering from my knee injury, but the coach still believed in me, as did I and the rest of the team, and I am grateful for that."

"No-one's place in the final squad is a given. We all gave it our best and pushed ourselves to our limits to make the cut. In the end it comes down to a head count. I am proud to have been given the privilege to have been capped in the South African national squad; unfortunately this time it was not to be."

"All the players who made the national call-up should be proud; we did not fail, we just didn't make the final 23. We are still a part of the team, if not the squad."

"We have a strong team that everyone will be proud of and I am in no doubt we will make our mark with the ground swell of support the team has been receiving of late."

"If the carnival spirit of the Super 14 semi-final and Final is a measure of the united support we are to expect for Bafana, then I see us excelling. My role now is to join in that support."

Today, sadly, McCarthy’s fate was sealed as South Africa named their squad in Sandton, four months after we broke the news. And I can finally reveal my source. West Ham’s first team coach Kevin Keen. His son Eddie and my boy Harry play in the same Chalfont Saints Under 15 team. He told me, quietly, that South Africa’s top striker was struggling. I didn’t want to use his name, he had spoken to me as a mate. That’s not lazy journalism, it’s fact.

McCarthy has been telling West Ham and South Africa he was fit. He wasn’t. Sad, but true.

Fresh from a record 5-0 thumping of Guatemala, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira told us: "A team in football is when somebody is sharing the same target. We are ready to make you proud."

The genial Brazilian World Cup-winner, unbeaten in ten games since his return to the hottest seat in football last November, added: “I am happy with our preparation. Our 1-1 draw with Bulgaria saw two good sides fighting each other. Our bottle was only percent full when we first got together in Brazil two months ago. I told the players we have to fill that bottle.

“It is nearly full now. We beat Colombia, we have beaten Thailand and Guatemala who were easier opposition. But each time, we have put a drip in the bottle.”

The four players axed with McCarthy as Parreira cut his squad to the stipulated 23 were goalkeeper Rowan Fernandez, youngster Franklin Cale, and defenders Bryce Moon and Innocent Mdledle.

 

My video of Monday night’s friendly 5-0 win for South Africa against Guatemala in Polokwane - without McCarthy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzwzNhaeTM

The squad in full:

Goalkeepers : Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Shu-Aib Walters (Maritzburg United), .

Defenders : Matthew Booth, Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bongani Khumalo (SuperSport United), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa, Israel), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth, England), Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk, Belgium), Siyabonga Sangweni (Golden Arrows), Lucas Thwala (Pirates).

Midfielders : Surprise Moriri, Lance Davids (Ajax Cape Town), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham, England), Teko Modise (Pirates), Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Siphiwe Tshabalala (both Kaizer Chiefs), Steven Pienaar (Everton, England), Macbeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Thanduyise Khuboni (Golden Arrows).

Strikers : Katlego Mphela (Sundowns), Siyabonga Nomvethe (Moroka Swallows), Bernard Parker (FC Twente, Holland).

Goalkeepers:
Itumeleng Khune, Moeneeb Josephs, Shu-Aib Walters

Defenders:
Siboniso Gaxa, Matthew Booth, Lucas Thwala, Aaron Mokoena (captain), Bongani Khumalo, Siyabonga Sangweni, Tsepo Masilela, Anele Ngcongca, Lucas Thwala

Midfielders:
Steven Pienaar, Teko Modise, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Thanduyise Khuboni, Kagisho Dikgaco, Macbeth Sibaya, Surprise Moriri

Strikers:
Katlego Mphela, Bernard Parker, Siyabonga Nomvete

In a surprise announcement Brazilian coach Alberto Parreira named his 23-man squad which excludes the all-time top goal-scorer Benni McCarthy.

The former Blackburn Rovers striker was not given much game time since his arrivals from the UK, fitness could be the main reason for his exclusion, as complaints regarding overweight condition.

Another major talking point is in the goal-keeping area with Rowen Fernandez left out in place of Shu-Aib Walters.

For millions of South African fans the shock of a World Cup squad without Benni will cause many with doubts if we can beat Mexico in the opening match.

But many will remember that Bafana Bafana played the Confederations Cup without the England based player.

Parreira also said that he will look to have a balanced team out for every game and "counter attack" is the name of the game.

THE key quotes from Polokwane on Monday night came from Guatemala's coach Francisco Melgar—nice bloke.

His nation is struggling with volcanic eruptions and general devastation, he’d just been on the end of a 5-0 defeat (South Africa’s biggest since the end of international isolation in 1992) and he insisted: “Yes, they can beat Mexico.”

That’s all the Rainbow Nation wanted to hear after their 11th straight unbeaten match since the return of Carlos Alberto Parreira to the hottest seat in football in November.

But there was also this, in response to my query in the press conference: “We have had a good time here. The facilities are perfect. I have no doubt South Africa can host the greatest World Cup.”

Oh, and he admitted the Vuvuzelas will have an impact on the 31 visiting nations. I grow tired of warning the European nations what a din the plastic trumpets can make.

I tried to speak to talkSport last night amid the incredible noise at the sparkling new Peter Mokaba Stadium, but it was a struggle.

I was back on this morning to explain the impact this atmosphere can have, but I don’t think they’ll get it until they witness it for themselves.

But enough of the beautiful noise. What about the result?

On a night when Aaron Mokoena won his 100th cap and nearly 40,000 arrived to the far north of the country to see their side’s penultimate friendly, they played good possession football with Steven Pienaar dictating the play from a central role.

He plays wide right for Everton (where he was player of the season in the English Premier League last winter). But he is starting to look comfortable getting forward and spraying the passes for Bafana Bafana.

Katlego Mphela converted a penalty in each half. Reneilwe Letsholonyane and second-half substitutes Surprise Moriri and Bernard Parker were the other scorers.

Though Guatemala are ranked a lowly 114th, the hosts can rightly begin to hope before June 11 when they kick-off their Group A campaign against Mexico, Uruguay and France—all ranked in the top 20.

Parreira, who trims his squad to 23 this morning, said: "Technically we weren’t brilliant but the attitude was very good considering Guatemala often had nine men behind the ball. In those circumstances, it’s good to score five."

"I’m afraid I ‘m not in a very good mood. Now I must tell five players they have to go home. For three months I have seen wonderful commitment from this team and I thank them."

The big successes last night?

Apart from Pienaar, left-back Lucas Thwala produced real creativity down the left. He made the assist for Letsholonyane goal.

And Orland Pirates' goalkeeper Moeneeb Josephs (pictured above), in for the injured Kaizer Chiefs' Itumeleng Khune, looked confident and strong, even saving a penalty from Guatemala's captain Guillermo Ramirez.

My exclusive video from Polokwane:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzwzNhaeTM

So this is how it’s going to be at the World Cup: loud, cheerful, passionate, loud, colourful, and dramatic. Did I mention loud?

I’m at the Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, in the far north of South Africa. The stadium holds 45,000. There are about 38,000 in for the hosts’ penultimate pre-tournament friendly against lowly, volcano-ravaged Guatemala. Everyone of them has a Vuvuzela and they know how to blow it.

South Africa are up 4-0. Katlego Mphela scored the first goal from the spot after a dodgy penalty decision after 12 minutes, but Renielwe Letsholonyane provided a neat second just before the halfway mark.

The aptly-named Surprise Moriri, who has shocked everyone with his contributions lately including Brazilian boss Carlos Alberto Parreira, made it 3-0 before another penalty, this time from Katlego Mphela, pushed the Latin Americans right out of the game after 56 minutes.

Every move and every pass are greeted by a rising of the Vuvuzela blast, and the goals nearly brought the house down at this magnificent new stadium. But the noise is justified. South Africa, ranked 83 in the world in the latest FIFA rankings, are now unbeaten in 10 since Parreira decided to return to the hot-seat last November. He said today that he won’t stay on after the World Cup, but he’ll have to if they win it.

Okay, it’ll never happen. But last night, as Portsmouth’s Aaron Mokoena won his 100^th cap, Bafana Bafana fans were entitled to dream and blow their horns.

After a period of consistent under-achievement since they won the African Cup on Nations 15 years ago, the giants of the continent are starting to raise hopes. They could reach the knock-out stages at the third time of asking. They could avoid being the first World Cup hosts not to reach the knock-out stages.

As I type, Bernard Parker, on as a sub, has just thumped in the fifth goal of the night. A roar rises into the chilly African sky. This is the Highveld winter, at night it can hit freezing.

But not here at the Peter Mokabe Stadium, where Algeria will meet Slovenia, France will play Mexico, Greece will take on Argentina, and (whisper it) Paraguay will battle against the might of New Zealand during the World Cup proper.

And again, while the British press mount their anti-African campaign – I’ve just read a deeply flawed Daily Mail piece on the internet, it makes me puke – I am struck by the goodwill of the people. By the efforts already made to host the greatest footballing show on earth.

At half-time, the lights failed in the media refreshment room. Profuse apologies, torches. No problem. The press box has yet to be completed. Raised eyebrows. But they found us a place, found extension cables to fire up the lap tops... and away we go.

I’ve just done TalkSport radio for the English listeners, trying to explain this deafening atmosphere, this uplifting buzz...even in Polokwane, once known as Pietersburg, in the remote north of the country. It’s a three hour drive from Johannesburg, but on a brand new toll road. Dual carriageway throughout.

On and off the pitch, South Africa works hard. The days countdown. This morning the USA arrived in Irene Lodge, just down the road from my base in Centurion. The police helicopters were out, the nation is on red alert from everything from terrorism to deadly snakes.

With a smile, these people look after you, and make sure you’re safe. That’s South Africa. Not the ugly mess you read about in the less respectable British newspapers. And at their heart, Steven Pienaar, the Everton player of the year, moved to a central midfield role. Probing. Linking. The hope of the nation. It’s worked tonight. Can it work against Mexico, Uruguay and France?

Possible 23 Man Squad:

Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany)

Defenders: Siboniso Gaxa, Matthew Booth (both Mamelodi Sundowns), Lucas Thwala (Pirates), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth, England, captain), Bongani Khumalo (SuperSport), Siyabonga Sangweni (Golden Arrows), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa, Israel), Bryce Moon (PAOK, Greece)

Midfielders: Steven Pienaar (Everton, England), Teko Modise (Pirates), Siphiwe Tshabalala, Reneilwe Letsholonyane (both Chiefs), Thanduyise Khuboni (Arrows), Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham, England), Macbeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Surprise Moriri (Sundowns)

Strikers: Benni McCarthy (West Ham United, England), Katlego Mphela (Sundowns), Bernard Parker (FC Twente, Holland) and Siyabonga Nomvete (Moroka Swallows)

With the announcement of the South African National Team to take place tomorrow, players will be hoping to give a lasting impression to coach Carlos Perreira when they face Guatemala in an international friendly later this evening.

South Africa have been on a 10-match unbeaten run, but against so-called moderate opposition, with the toughest game coming against Paraguay.

Last year, the host nation proved that with hard work and a country behind you, the possibilities are huge. Bafana Bafana made it through to the semifinal, where they faced Brazil during the Confederations Cup. Brazil were held scoreless until the 87th minute, until substitute Dani Alves came and scored the winning goal via a spot kick.

Now, a year later, they will look to face another stern test when they face Mexico in the opening match at Soccer City, Johannesburg.

The possible 23-man squad, as mentioned above, includes some of the most well-known names, not just in South Africa.

West Ham United Striker Benni McCarthy, who also won the UEFA Champions League under Jose Mourinho with FC Porto, is one of the most likely names to make the squad. While current Everton Player of the Season, Steven Pienaar, is one of the starting 11, never mind just being part of the 23.

Macbeth Sibiya, well known in the Russian League with Rubin Kazan, will look to play the defensive role in the midfield.

Local boys Teko Modise and Siphiwe Tshabalala will look to be the engine room in the South African midfield creating play an distributing to the front men.

While there are 28 men currently on the roster, only 23 can be selected. With the show piece to be staged on home soil, the desire to be a part of the host team has created a real hunger within the squad.