South Africa (National Football)

South Africa finally wheeled out the big guns against Colombia last night as Soccer City echoed to the sounds of the vuvuzela and another World Cup-friendly success.

This one was not pretty, but hey, for a side ranked 83 in the world before the tournament kicks off here on June 11, who's nit-picking?

Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said his players were "a little nervous at the end" but continue to defy expectations of chronic home failure on the pitch.

The American journalists out here called these pre-World Cup friendlies "exhibitions"... this was never that! Three successful penalties resulted in a 2-1 win over the side ranked 35 in the latest rankings.

South Africa's opening Group A clash with Mexico may be a little tougher, but there are tentative signs Bafana Bafana could avoid being the first host nation not to reach the knock-out stages.

With Premier League stars Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth), Steven Pienaar (Everton) and even the controversial Benni McCarthy (West Ham) all playing a part, Brazilian boss Parreira is now unbeaten in nine since he returned to the hot-seat last November.

To be honest, they were probably better at the Super Stadium in the nearby Soweto suburb of Orlando last week, when they only managed a 1-1 draw against Bulgaria. But a sell-out crowd of 75,000, with their blaring plastic football horns, wasn't going to be denied.

What was it former England captain Bryan Robson said last week after his Thailand side were beaten 4-0 in Nelspruit?

"An atmosphere like that could work in South Africa's favor. The Vuvuzela could be their 12th man!"

Two local lads out of the unimpressive South African Premier League, midfielder Teko Modise and striker Katlego Mphela, scored the South Africa penalties either side of Giovanni Moreno's spot kick.

Parreira even gave McCarthy, under fire for a lack of fitness (and an abundance of fatness according to sources inside the camp), a run. But he was unable to add to his record 32 goals for the Rainbow Nation.

Colombia, who has failed to qualify for the last three finals, will likely be aggrieved by the Kenyan ref Samwel Kipngetich’s decision to retake the first Modise penalty, which was saved by the "Coffee Makers" No. 1 David Ospina. The France-based goalkeeper was adjudged to have moved early and Modise was luckily able to make it the second time.

South African goalkeeper Itumaleng Khune, of the Kaizer Chiefs, appeared to hurt himself early on when he clashed with Jackson Martinez. Khune fouled Adrian Ramos to give away the equalizer, tucked away by Moreno. Worryingly, Khune was substituted at the break.

Pienaar, South Africa's great hope (and probably their only truly world-class player), came on at half-time before Valencia fouled the dreadlocked Siphiwe Tshabalala and Katlego Mphela sent Ospina the wrong way with 58 minutes on the clock.

South Africa has two friendlies to go before the opener against Mexico. Guatemala, ranked in three figures, are first at the new World Cup stadium in Polokwane on May 31.

Fellow qualifiers Denmark —who beat Senegal 2-0 last night —play their final warm-up at Atteridgeville's Super Stadium near Pretoria on June 5.

In other “exhibitions,” Uruguay, who are also in Group A with South Africa, France, and Mexico, produced an encouraging 4-1 win over Israel.

Honduras, who are drawn in Group D with Chile, Spain, and Switzerland, could only draw 2-2 in Belarus. Their group rivals Chile crushed Zambia 3-0.

But for true football fans, last night's friendly efforts around the globe were overshadowed by the news that Ghana's Michael Essien has been ruled out of the tournament.

Chelsea midfielder Essien, one of Africa's greatest footballing exports over the past decade, has been struggling with a hamstring injury, followed by a knee injury.

His last competitive match was for his country during the African Cup of Nations in Angola, but he hasn't played for club or country since then. Tonight, the Ghanaian FA announced he wouldn’t be fit until July. That leaves Ghana —in the Group of Death with Germany, Australia, and Serbia —struggling.

SOUTH AFRICA – received an automatic berth as host nation.

MEXICO – finished 2nd in CONCACAF Qualifying, one point shy of the United States.

URUGUAY – Finished 5th in CONMEBOL Qualifying and earned their spot in the World Cup Finals by defeating Costa Rica (who finished 4th in CONCACAF) in an intercontinental playoff.

FRANCE – qualified due to a now infamous handball by Thierry Henry in France’s playoff match against the Republic of Ireland.

CURRENT FIFA RANKINGS

No. 83: South Africa

No. 17: Mexico

No. 16: Uruguay

No. 9: France

BEST WORLD CUP FINISH

Uruguay – Champions in 1930 & 1950

France - Champions in 1998

Mexico - Quarter-Finals in 1986

South Africa - Qualified for the World Cup in 1998 & 2002 but failed to advance beyond the group stage.

BEST PLAYERS

France: Franck Ribery

Uruguay: Diego Lugano

Mexico: Rafael Marquez

South Africa: Steven Pienaar

THE MATCHES (ALL TIMES PST)

South Africa vs. Mexico (June 11, 10:00 am)

Uruguay vs. France (June 11, 2:30 pm)

South Africa vs. Uruguay (June 16, 2:30 pm)

France vs. Mexico (June 17, 2:30 pm)

Mexico vs. Uruguay (June 22, 10:00 am)

France vs. South Africa (June 22, 10:00 am)

MY PREDICTION

France will finish first in Group A. Although their form has been shaky recently under the leadership of Coach Raymond Domenech, they have more much talent than the other teams can deal with.

Patrice Evra was a constant staple in Manchester United’s injury-riddled defense this past season and Franck Ribery led Bayern Munich to the Champions League Finals, although he missed the championship match due to suspension.

Theirry Henry is still a world-class striker despite a less-than-stellar club season at Barcelona, where he had only four league goals in 21 appearances. Nicolas Anelka had a much better season at Chelsea, scoring 15 goals in all competitions, and helping his other Blues win the Premier League as well as the FA Cup.

I’m going to go out on a limb, or play it safe depending on how you look at it, and say that South Africa will take Group A’s second spot. No host nation has ever failed to progress to the knockout stages and one third of all World Cups have been won by the host nation, so don’t underestimate the power of a home-field advantage.

France will most likely qualify for the Round of 16 with their first two matches. If this proves to be the case, look for them to rest some of their key players, thereby cutting South Africa a break in their final group match.

There's a sangoma on the front page of the Johannesburg Star today, leaping in the air outside Soccer City, the venue for the World Cup final on July 11.

All twirly bits, loin cloth and head band, this is the kind of guy Europeans and Americans take one look at—and run the other way.

Especially when they discover he has just slaughtered a cow to bless the 94,600 capacity stadium and performed the uKuphahla ceremony to please the spirits of his ancestors before the big kickoff when South Africa take on Mexico here on June 11.

According to the Star , tribal chiefs and traditional medicine men—some still call sangomas witch doctors—came from all over the region to make the vast "kalabash" or cauldron-shaped stadium ready for their side to triumph.

Given they are the fastest rising team in today's FIFA rankings—Bafana Bafana rose from 90 to 83—they may be having an effect already, though their Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira may want to share the credit.

Black magic? Voodoo?

Hey, it could be worse.

How about this for a frightening incentive? Diego Maradona has promised today he will run naked through the streets of Buenos Aires if Argentina win the World Cup.

That's the point. These guys aren't just about superstition and spells, they're about confidence boosting, aiding belief systems, in a more natural way that our sports psychologists or Rudy Geller could ever manage.

I have a unique insight into this. Apart from the passages in my novel A GAME APART (in case you hadn't heard, it's the book you must read before the World Cup, see www.nealcollins.co.uk) where I describe scenes I have witnessed inside African dressing rooms, we have a gardener at the old family home in Centurion.

He is the same age as my father, born in 1933. He's lived in a little room out the back since 1975. For years, dad called him "Smart the garden boy." Until I got back from university, my eyes opened, and got chatting to a man also known as "The Reverend James Sibanda."

He hails from Malawi. He is both a local priest and a doctor. A traditional healer. He drives a Mercedes—Dad drives a beat-up Toyota. Every 45 minutes, on a good day, a new patient arrives to have the bones thrown, the ailments healed, the nerves unfrazzled in an ever-changing Rainbow Nation. Smart still mows the lawn between appointments.

What a bloke.

I was out talking to him and his son Nicholas before I wrote this piece.

I've seen him at work. Throwing the bones from a little velvet bag, giving herbal remedies, offering wise counsel. Just as I've seen the sangoma hunched over his bubbling kalabash before a major game.  I've felt the beneficial affect. Honestly—It works.

"The purpose is to say to the ancestors that the world is coming to South Africa. So that everything happens in harmony," said Mandla Qeleqele, a member of the Traditional Healers Organisation, of today's "cleansing" ceremony at Soccer City.

I hope it went well. I hope the highly-educated fans from the developed nations don't just snicker at such Africanisms.

Maybe, just maybe, there's something in it.

When I tied a ribbon soaked in "muti," or magic around my waist as a young footballer around these parts, I certainly felt it. A honing of the instincts, a settling of the nerves.

Beware Soccer City on June 11, Mexico.

There's magic afoot. And 90,000 blaring Vuvuzelas!

ENGLAND fans, have a look at the picture above. Those who remember Marseilles in 1998 and Stuttgart in 2006, where hoodlums bearing the cross of St. George disgraced their nation, had better beware.

In South Africa, where violent crime is a daily occurrence, the cops don't tend to take prisoners. Literally.

The local police staged a major show of force through the streets of Rustenburg yesterday before England's opening World Cup clash against the USA on June 11.

Armoured trucks, bomb disposal units, guard dogs, mounted police, and patrol motorbikes sent out the message: We're ready for anything.

Sleepy Rustenburg awoke to the sounds of police sirens as a vast armada of security forces made their way down the main street.

A parade nearly two miles long ended with dramatic simulations of some of emergency and disaster management responses.

The "Security Show of Force" as the local NorthWest police dubbed their march, comes the day after a bomb hoax at the official World Cup fan park.

Lesego Metsi, one of the men tasked with keeping peace among the fans (England and the USA are the two biggest ticket buyers for this World Cup) also has to deal with terrorist threats and high, though declining, local crime rates.

He said: "Our intelligence team is working around the clock with Interpol. Security will be high for the teams at their base camps. We have enough forces and capacity to deal with any threats."

Nationwide, World Cup security is being dealt with by genial General Bheki Cele. I've spent some time with him. Big chap. Got a glint in his eye.

This week, he was grilled on television over his eagerness to encourage his forces to shoot first, talk afterwards, when confronted with problems.

In Durban last week he told me: "I have the England fans on my radar. I've been over and talked to your police. I know all about them. They will be dealt with."

Cele will send out buses known as "Jaws" with a full-functioning court and cells on board. He grins: "When we get them, we'll charge them and deal with them. If it's a serious offence, they go to jail. Or we take them straight to the airport and send them home."

Guess we've got the message, loud and clear.

Sneak preview of the US World Cup base at Irene Lodge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OtSyTVjDOc

Subscribe to my YouTube feed for the Greek, Italian and New Zealand bases. Coming tomorrow: England's base at the Royal Marang. 

For reaction (53 comments at the last count) to the Sun's "Deadly Snakes threaten England camp" nonsense, see:  http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3102&art_id=vn20100525111223421C329520

Gun crime in London has risen sharply. There were 429 more offences than the year before—a rise of 14.1 percent—according to the Metropolitan Police.

According to the London Evening Standard, knife crime has also risen in London, with 266 more crimes in the last financial year, taking the annual tally to 12,611. A total of 117 killings took place in the London—yet this is where the Olympics will be held in 2012.

Yesterday, the Met Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson was forced to respond to two recent incidents—Nathan Allen was shot dead in New Cross and 16-year-old Nick Pearton was stabbed to death in a Sydenham park.

He said: “These problems are of an old age. What are the real issues that force young people to choose the wrong family—the gang family rather than the family at home?

"Addressing these social problems is the key. These are jobs for the politicians at local level and the new government. I don't do social engineering, I'm a cop."

Thanks, Sir Paul. Very reassuring before London’s greatest sports event in 50 years. Here in South Africa, where local Police Commissioner Bheki Cele is 23 days short of hosting the 2010 World Cup, it’s a different story.

Though the British press—and their international counterparts—have been quick to predict “a bloodbath” for fans in a Rainbow Nation still trying to right the wrongs of post-Apartheid, post-colonial South Africa, the feeling is a lot more positive.

General Cele told me as we talked in Durban’s magnificent new Moses Mabhida Stadium last week: “Everything is in place for a peaceful World Cup. We will do all we can to assure the safety of fans visiting South Africa. And I know all about your England football fans and what they are capable of.”

Cele is a big, tough-looking bloke. But he has a sparkle in his eye. That’s probably because his much-maligned nation offers statistics to back up his argument. As the red tops in London warn England’s WAGs to stay home and instil fear in every football fan, I can provide this from Johan Burger, senior researcher in the crime and justice programme at South Africa's Institute for Security Studies.

He told the BBC this week: "Contrary to what many people think, the murder rate, while still extremely high, is down by about 44 percent since 1995. That's a huge decrease.

“What is important to understand about our high crime rate is that we know from research that approximately 80 percent of our murders happen within a very specific social context, mostly between people that know one another."

Given that South Africa’s newspapers are unlikely to call for a boycott of London 2012 given the rise in violent crime, perhaps it’s time to give South Africa a break. Perhaps the British tabloids should give the 2010 World Cup a little positive push as the days tick down to the big kickoff on June 11.

They won’t of course. It doesn’t sell newspapers. But they should.  I’ve been in South Africa for three weeks and yet to be greeted with anything less than a smile walking the streets of Johannesburg and Durban. I was the only white guy watching Amazulu play Sundowns in the big semi-final at the ABSA Stadium last Saturday. I didn’t even have a Vuvuzela to defend myself with.

But all I got was smiles. Everywhere I go, I fail to witness bloodbaths. I have hardly been mugged at all. The only crime stories are fourth-hand tales from embittered white folk of a certain age who long for the bad old days of Apartheid.

Let’s finish with this: “It is clear that the biggest concern here is safety and violence, and we are doing everything we can in this area to see a reduction." That quote comes from London’s police commissioner, not South Africa’s.

 

Strange days as the nation slips in to pre-World Cup mode. Rugby's Super 14 semi-final between Pretoria's Blue Bulls and New Zealand's Crusaders has to be played at Soweto's Super Stadium on Saturday at 5.05 PM local time.

The Bulls, who hold the Super 14 title fought for by franchises from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, usually play their home games at Loftus Versveld. But because FIFA doesn't want rugby played on their Pretoria World Cup venue, South Africa's most famous rugby side is forced to travel to Soweto, where rugby has never been played at this level.

The players trained in Soweto yesterday (see above) and are being remarkably sanguine about their change of venues, with the final due to be hosted at the Super Stadium too against the winners of the Stormers v Waratahs semi in Cape Town if they beat the Kiwi Crusaders.

It's hard to put this in an international context, but it is safe to say Bulls fans, largely Afrikaans and white, are not frequent visitors to Soweto. It's a bit like Rangers being forced to play a Scottish Cup semi-final in Dublin!

That said, all 40,000 tickets for the Super Stadium have been sold in advance as Pretorians struggle to find their way to one of South Africa's most notorious townships.

And just down the road at Soccer City, the 94,000-capacity venue for the World Cup final, Durban's Amazulu face the local Johannesburg club Wits University at 3 PM. Strangely, they are allowed to play the Nedbank Cup final, South African football's biggest knock-out cup, there despite the World Cup looming.

Ticket sales for the big soccer showdown? Currently "around 35,000". Tickets for the first rugby game in Soweto "sold out in hours".

Kjietil Sien, chief executive of the Professional Soccer League here, insists: "There won't be too many empty seats."

There'd better not be. It may be a little embarrassing witnessing Soweto sold out for rugby while Soccer City will be barely a third full for football. But hey, that's South Africa.

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France

With South Africa (and their automatic bid) as the No. 1 seed for Group A, it was expected to be the easiest group to advance out of. However, the drawing has revealed the exact opposite.

Group A seems to be one of the most competitive groups in the World Cup, regardless of the lack of a prominent world power as the No. 1 seed. The fact that the other three teams in the group all rank in the Top 20 of the FIFA World Rankings provides the setting for a hard fight to the second round.

South Africa

Bafana Bafana have a long road ahead of them if they want to advance to the group stage. The South Africans lack superior star power or the cohesiveness to really make an impact in such a difficult group. However, the RSA have three distinct advantages going for them.

Home field advantage has proven to be a valuable force in the recent World Cups. France won the 1998 Cup at home in France, and a 40th-ranked South Korea came in fourth in the 2002 campaign. With that being said, the extremely loud South African crowd could be the key to a mediocre team advancing on to the knockout stage.

The second advantage South Africa carries into the World Cup is their coach. Alberto Parreira is the perfect man to coach an amateur world team to a more-than-expected result. He already has one World Cup win under his belt, winning with Brazil in 1994.

His tactics may fit South Africa very well, using the lack of talent to hold the ball in the middle third and play the long ball to the likes of Stephen Pienaar and other strikers. This stalling may be the way to keep the scoring down and allow South Africa to capitalize on a mistake from another team.

The third thing going for the South Africans is their momentum. They haven't lost a match since last October and have only lost two of their last 10 matches. Since they performed so admirably in the Confederations Cup last summer, Bafana Bafana have played well and proven that they can compete (although not necessarily win) against higher-level competition.

There is an entire nation behind this team, and if they get a couple of breaks, we might see an improbable advancement from the South African team.

Mexico

One of the most explosive teams in the finals, Mexico also enter as one of the most inexplicable.

At points, El Tri seem to be able to make a run deep into the finals. A well-balanced team, they show an exceptional ability to score in bunches—they scored five goals on a weakened but sturdy US team in the continental final last summer.

However, that same offense has often turned anemic, turning into near disaster for the Mexican side (recently their match with Iceland resulted in a 0-0 draw). The lack of consistency is the real problem for them.

The defense seems to be holding up quite well. Anchored by veteran keeper Guillermo Ochoa and Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez, the Mexicans haven’t allowed more than two goals in a match since April of 2009. The offense seems to be what is causing real distress.

A main reason is the enigmatic Carlos Vela. Vela is a true force to be reckoned with on his day. However, those seem to be few and far between. His introduction to the game against the USA in Azteca stadium proved to be the turning point—he provided a needed pressure on a defense that just needed a little strain to crumble.

However, his recent play has been nothing to be proud of. Vela transferred to Arsenal in the middle of the 2008/09 campaign and has barely anything to show for it. In almost 50 games with the Gunners, Vela has only 6 goals, even with the prolonged absence of Robin Van Persie in the most recent year.

Another possible savior for the Mexican side could be Giovani Dos Santos. The talented young attacker has shown brilliance in World Cup Qualifying but is yet to find a foothold in either England or Spain for his club teams.

It could be a problem if Dos Santos’ lack of time in a competitive role turns into lack of fitness before the Cup finals. The young man could provide a pivotal performance for El Tri, which could be what pushes them out of the group stage and into the round of sixteen.

Uruguay

One of the most overlooked teams in the World Cup, Uruguay have a real chance to advance out of the group stage.

Sporting an amazingly talented front line, the CONMEBOL contenders look to score their way into the later rounds. Diego Forlan provides an attacking prowess that most teams only dream of.

At any point in time, Diego Forlan can explode into a goal-scoring frenzy. In his 2008/09 season with Athletico Madrid, Diego led the Spanish Primera Division in goals, scoring 32 goals in 32 games in the league.

Although Forlan leads a massive attacking force alongside Sebastian Abreu and Luis Suarez, Uruguay have struggled against top-tier opponents. In the past couple of years, Uruguay haven't really competed against the dynasties of CONMEBOL like Brazil and Argentina, as well as failing to capitalize on smaller, less competitive teams.

The defensive side of the ball seems to be the weak link on this team. Rarely does Uruguay play through a game without letting up a goal, the extreme being a 4-0 loss to Brazil in July 2009.

This could be a worrisome fact for Los Charruas, because although they may be able to advance out of a group full of decent opponents and those not playing up to potential, they won’t be able to advance into the later rounds having to face difficult adversaries immediately out of the group stages.

The only hope is for Uruguay’s prolific front line to attack enough to keep the other teams on their heels so they can’t score. However, this strategy may be a bit difficult against teams like France and Mexico, which have solid back lines proven to work.

France

Group A seems to stand for "Group Ambiguous" in this installment of the World Cup, and France are no exception. On paper. the defending runners-up and near champions seemed to be in a good position to make a run at another title in this World Cup.

But the long qualifying process affected the French team. Paired with injuries, qualifying almost got the best of them, only getting by with the help of one of the most controversial handballs in recent history.

Thierry Henry’s infamous blunder sent France into the finals on a wave of altercation. Let alone the verbal warfront sent by Ireland, many people had already been questioning the ability of the French side to play with the best. Although retaining many players from the 2006 campaign (save for Zidane, Makelele, Vieira, and Thuram—arguably the four most important players on that team), France’s chances were almost lost in qualifying.

After a loss to Austria and a 2-2 draw with Romania, France barely escaped a match against FIFA’s 125th-ranked Faroe Islands with a win. Their poor form in qualifying led to concern about their eventual form in the finals. 

However, if any team has the ability to turn their path around, it’s Les Blues. As evidenced in the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, France can peak at the right time, coming together right at the beginning of the group stage and blazing a way to the finals.

Supported by a firm and experienced defensive line, France hopes to return to the late stages of the World Cup and possibly give the aging members of its team one last shot at another title.

Must See Game: France-Uruguay

The two best teams on paper, Les Blues vs. Los Charruas could be the game that decides who wins the group and who could slip into an early exit.

The game is on the first day of the Cup and could tip the hand towards the outcome of the group. If Uruguay’s amazing scorers can get the best of a young keeper in Hugo Lloris, they may be able to pull out a victory. But the experience of France’s attack may prove fatal to a young and unproven Uruguayan defense.

Expected Group Outcome

Winner: France

Runner-Up: Uruguay

The former England skipper, now manager of Thailand, saw his side crushed 4-0 by South Africa in a pre-World Cup friendly dominated by the continual blast of the plastic football bugle, based on a traditional African antelope horn.

Bryan Robson became the first Englishman to face the dreaded Vuvuzela in Nelspruit on Sunday—and believes it may be a real problem for the other 31 nations at next month’s World Cup.

When the Vuvuzela drowned out commentary during last year’s Confederations Cup in South Africa, there were calls for a blanket ban—but FIFA took no action. Local fans are addicted to the instrument, and an orchestra of tuneless Vuvuzelas has been set up in Cape Town by a distinguished music professor.

“The other coaches are definitely going to have to inform their players beforehand that they will have to communicate effectively with each other on the field," Robson said of the erm...unique atmosphere.

"It's very difficult to get any message to the players from the bench—coaches are going to have to make that known to their players."

The Vuvuzela debate will continue right through to the final.

"If the atmosphere is like that in the World Cup, it will raise the level of the players a little bit. If the supporters are behind them like that, it will be a big boost,” Robson added.

South Africa can be pleased with their latest World Cup warm-up, watched by a capacity 42,000 crowd at the Mbombela Stadium, which has concrete pylons shaped like giraffe's legs. At 90th, they are the lowest ranked hosts in World Cup history and there are fears they could be the first host nation not to qualify for the knock-out phase. They share Group A with Mexico and former winners Uruguay and France.

Thailand are listed at a lowly 105th in the latest FIFA rankings, but Bafana Bafana (The Boys, The Boys) triumphed without their three high profile stars.

West Ham striker Benni McCarthy was left on the bench by Brazilian boss Carlos Parreira Alberto, who says he lacks fitness. Aaron Mokoena, who did a fair job at centre-back for Portsmouth in the FA Cup final defeat against Chelsea on Saturday, and Everton’s player of the year Steven Pienaar have yet to join up with the squad.

Parreira is preparing to lead a record fifth side in Africa’s first World Cup.

“I don’t care about the quality of the opponents, this was a big improvement. Results build confidence, the players looked more comfortable on the ball. We still need more penetration, but I feel it is coming,” said Parreira.

South Africa have friendlies against Bulgaria, Colombia, and Group E qualifiers Denmark before they open their Group A campaign against Mexico with the big kick-off at Soccer City on June 11.

“We now have stronger opponents coming and they will give us a more physical challenge. We are in the final build-up phase but this is a good start,” said Parreira, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994.

South Africans, generally downbeat about their prospects, are beginning to change their view.

“If 30,000 Vuvuzelas can make such a racket in Nelspruit, what will 90,000 be able to do at Soccer City? They could be a huge advantage. It could make a difference," Robson pointed out.

This journalist has attended three local games in South Africa in the past fortnight and come away with ears ringing as the din of the Vuvuzelas—which range from four feet to three inches in length—fills the stadium.

I've put together these videos:

The world’s smallest Vuvuzela here.

How to play the Vuvuzela (badly) here.

South Africa’s secret weapon here.

Dumela is 28. He wears dreadlocks, never stops moving, and provides instant beer with a smile at the Keg & Spear pub next to the sparkling new Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

While many might assume the worst for the South African National team come the World Cup with the likes of Mexico, France and Uruguay to be their group matchups.

Sunday afternoon at the newly constructed Mbombela Stadium on the outskirts of Nelspruit was the venue for the South Africa vs Thailand clash.

South Africa claimed their first victory out of five planned friendlies prior to the Show Piece, with Bulgaria their next opposition at Soccer City.

Bafana Bafana (South Africa) ended the game 4-0, with goals from Simphiwe Tshabalala in the (22nd minute), Katlego Mphela (30, 33rd minute), and Bernard Parker (90th minute).

But the true weapon of South African football was unleashed on the Thai team, a truly South African match, packed to the rafters with 30,000 people dressed in the yellow and green blowing the "vuvuzellas."

The Trumpet that can be as deafening as ever, for many this will be key in South Africa pushing on and gaining confidence for the huge opening encounter with Mexico.

Thailand coach Bryan Robson said, "The noise out there was deafening and created a fantastic atmosphere, but it was so loud I could not communicate with my players on the field."

Last year during the Confedrations Cup, Spain led the protest against the "Vuvuzella" saying it was too noisy and interferes with their concentration on the field.

Many International journalist also requested FIFA to ban the noisy trumpet, but Fifa President Sir Blatter dismissed these requests, stating Vuvuzellas were part of South African soccer tradition.

Robson went on to say,

"I think the noise generated by the vuvuzelas will be a big plus for South Africa in the World Cup.

"If 30 000 vuvuzelas can make such a racket, what will 90,000 (referring to the opening game at Soccer City) be able to do when South Africa play in the World Cup?

"That will be something South Africa's opponents will have to try and overcome. I reckon these things, combined with this fantastic support I saw for South Africa today, could be a huge advantage. It could make a difference in the World Cup."

South African national coach Carlos Perreira was asked what he taught about the "Vuvuzella," he replied, "Make them louder, louder, louder. We want more vuvuzelas at all out matches."

South Africa will be looking forward to welcome back some star players in Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena and hope for the inclusion of Benni McCarthy for next week's friendly against Bulgaria, followed by Columbia and Denmark.

SAFA are also trying to arrange a friendly with either Brazil or Argentina prior to the June 11 kick off.