Matthew Burbidge
Some reflection on our nation seemed called for as Bafana Bafana and Iraq faced off in the opening match of the Confederations Cup on Sunday.
I felt like I was in one of those clichéd nation-building adverts as I looked at the multicultural crowd. We even managed to perform a half-decent Mexican wave, which circled the stadium at least three times. Another thing we excel at is making noise, and the vuvuzelas sounded like a thousand angry hornets.
Ellis Park looked better than it has in years, and though most of the seats were filled, I suspect many of the tickets had been given away.
There were deep blue Fifa advertising boards and huge signs reading ”Johannesburg” on either side of the stadium. This, together with adverts for Budweiser, meant a strange otherworldly atmosphere, which couldn’t have been further from a PSL match.
In domestic matches, huge clouds of dagga smoke periodically drift over the crowd. Here, I hesitated before lighting a cigarette. What if Peter Stuyvesant was not an official Fifa partner?
From mid-morning, helicopters had been circling the stadium, and there were roadblocks in every direction. There was also an army of policemen, both mounted and on foot. One thing Fifa might not have banked on were the piles of dung left in the horses’ wake.
Lucky Sindane
As I drove around Johannesburg on Sunday at about 12pm, the streets were buzzing with people wearing green and yellow and blowing their vuvuzelas. Cars were hooting and people were waving South African flags from the windows. Unlike in the big PSL matches, there was order around the city and I didn’t see anyone hanging out of a taxi window.
The streets were clean and traffic was flowing around Ellis Park. When I got out of my car, I could feel that a Fifa event was about to take place — firstly, there was no one shouting ”cellular” (a nip of brandy), and I couldn’t smell the famous pap-en-vleis. All I could see were signs advertising Budweiser and a small restaurant selling a pap meal for R35 — R15 more than the normal price.
I went to find my seat and it wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined. Volunteers were all over the stadium offering assistance. I was ushered to my seat and couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked at field. The slick opening ceremony had begun.
There were hundreds of children carrying tins of blue, yellow, red, green and black paint. They began painting their chests in the colours of the national flag. Shortly thereafter, a white sheet emerged from the group. The children painted the white sheet until the Fifa Confederations Cup logo appeared in all its beautiful colour. The crowd was cheerful and enjoyed the opening ceremony, which lasted for about 30 minutes.
It was truly a great experience, which makes us look forward to the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Bafana Bafana should have put the cherry on top by winning their match against Iraq. We are indeed ready for 2010, but I’m not sure if the team is ready.
Jane Franz
The national team’s performance was disappointing, ”particularly in view of the fact they made such payment demands before the Confed Cup started”.
”I think they have overestimated themselves and would do well to eat a slice of humble pie and rather try to deliver what they claim they are worth.”
Phathisani Moyo
”Terror Fanteni?” Is that a nickname or his real name? This is the question a French journalist asked me in the media box after enduring 60 minutes of the match.
Before I could even respond, he went on to say: ”It must be his real name because he is certainly not living to the hype that may have prompted football fans to give him that name.”
Clad in my Bafana cap and scarf, I found no defence to offer Thembinkosi Fanteni and his strike partner, Bernard Parker, after also being frustrated by their lack of hunger for goal.
My French neighbour was evidently a supporter of our national team, screaming: ”Come on Modise!” every time Teko touched the ball.
I asked him for an independent opinion of our team. ”The problems surrounding Benni McCarthy and Nasief Morris are unfortunate because your team is quite thin on quality,” he said.
The man was right. Every team needs that special player who can turn the game around single-handedly when the rest of the players are struggling. Clearly this special individual was lacking in the 11 men that carried the hopes of the nation on Sunday.
”It is unfortunate that after putting on such a spectacular opening ceremony and the great crowd here, your team fails to respond on the pitch,” he said.
Lebo M and his team charmed our visitors and millions of television viewers. The volunteers were also impressive and the park-and-ride idea was refreshing. The usual traffic congestion and mayhem at the stadium was not in evidence. Entering and leaving the stadium for those with tickets was a breeze.
My French friend agreed. ”South Africa is ready to host the World Cup,” he predicted.
As in any big tournament, there will always be one or two glitches, such as there being a need for more food outlets.
However, it was the performance of the team that left me with the feeling that they are far from ready to take on the top teams in the world — after all, they cannot score a single goal against an average Iraq side.