The non-return of Football Fridays

I was driving home from work this evening when over the radio came an advert for Football Fridays, telling listeners to wear their Bafana or other African jerseys to celebrate the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in the country and support the national team. I was surprised when I heard this as it had taken until semi-final day for this to reach me. Now I haven't had my fingers in my ears or my eyes closed throughout this tournament so to only find out about this now is indicative of the weak interest in the Afcon. This was designed to get South Africans 'behind the boys' but the lack of evidence of this happening reveals the muted reaction that the tournament has received, at least here in Johannesburg.

Rewind to the 2010 World Cup and Football Fridays were a much different phenomenon. The initiative created by the Southern Sun hotel chain and subsequently endorsed by the tournament's organising committee, encouraged all South Africans to wear their Bafana jerseys to work on Fridays leading up to the World Cup. While designed to foster a nationwide support for Bafana, it actually reinforced divisions. The official Adidas shirts ranged from R300 to R1000 but those who couldn't afford it/ didn't want to spend that much turned to the vibrant black market in pirated, unofficial Bafana shirts. Football Fridays were a visible success with Bafana shirts seemingly everywhere on Fridays. In the aftermath of the tournament, Football Fridays became "Fly the Flag Fridays in which South Africans were encouraged to continue wearing their Bafana shirts although this quickly flopped.

 

Today, the attempted resurrection of Football Fridays has been the brainchild of Lead SA. The problem has been that there has not been the level of anticipation in the build up to the Afcon as there was for the World Cup, which had built up a critical mass of hype beforehand. It turns out that this time around, the initiative was dead in the water before it was launched.

Still, I shall belatedly enter into Football Friday and wear my Bafana shirt this Friday. Any excuse not to dress smart...

Just like watching England play

Over the weekend, we found out which nations will be competing in the semi-finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. While Nigeria shocked favourites Cote d'Ivoire, the more significant result from a Jo'burg perspective was South Africa's penalty shoot-out defeat to Mali. Prior to the tournament, South Africa wasn't fancied to progress far. After all, they had failed to qualify for the 2010 and 2012 editions and were only in this one courtesy of being hosts. The form book wasn't favourable and coach Gordon Igesund had only been with the side for six months. Still, after a sluggish (and very boring) start against Cape Verde, signs of improvement were clearly visible in the win against Angola and the battling draw against Morocco. We learned that Dean Furman and Itemelung Khune should be playing at a higher level.

With Bafana's progression out of their group came the overenthusiastic, and sometimes wildly over-optimistic, dreams of grandeur and success that many football fans go through, no matter how irrational. Instead of apathy or a quiet acceptance of Bafana's "inevitable" exit from the group stage, a belief that Bafana could win it emerged, and with that came the comparisons of the Afcon-winning side of 1996. Maybe it was fate that South Africa should win it again on home soil? From nowhere, street vendors had started selling South African flags, which had clearly not been the case earlier in the tournament. Bafana shirts were more visible than before.

What encapsulated this was ticket sales for the semi-final in Durban, in which Bafana would have featured had they beaten Mali. The day before the Mali match, over 30,000 tickets had already been sold and a much larger crowd than in many of the previous games this tournament. A friend had persuaded me to get tickets for this game should Bafana qualify. Four hours before the quarter final, I headed to my local Spar to get these tickets. When I got to the front of the queue, I found out that the ticket machine only had 33 tickets left in it. It turns out that Spar do not hold spare reams of tickets in store but instead have to get someone from the ticketing company to load their machines for them. This supply wasn't going to last very long and the extremely flustered shop assistant was only going to get more fraught.

Worse still. When I asked for tickets for the Durban semi-final, they had all been sold out. Clearly, there were enough people with blind faith in Bafana that they were prepared to gamble on them progressing further. Spare a thought for these people. Mali versus Nigeria could be a great fixture but when you're banking on your team playing, it's going to be an anti-climax. I wonder how many will actually attend this game?? With Bafana out, the atmosphere is flat but hopefully the remaining matches can still be a celebration of the best of African football.

So, Bafana were subject to wildly unrealistic expectations and got knocked out on penalties. It's just like watching England play...

Finding a fan park

In a recent post, I claimed that there were no fan parks in Johannesburg for the Africa Cup of Nations but it turns out that I was wrong. Well, sort of.

I had come to this conclusion when driving past the sites of the main 2010 World Cup fan parks in the city to find that nothing was happening. During the World Cup, Mary Fitzgerald Square had giant screens, banners, live music, a large beer tent and numerous stalls selling food prepared by local vendors and local goods such as makarapas (a quintessentially South African football item). A giant figure made up of Coca-Cola crates loomed large and was instantly recognisable from the highway. Crowds of fans from different parts of the city congregated to watch some of the matches, notably Bafana's win over France and the final, in a party atmosphere. This park was run by the city, in contrast to the other two in Sandton (in the north) and Soweto (in the south), which were official FIFA Fan Parks where only 'official' merchandise could be sold and consumed. These parks haven't re-emerged this time, and it has deadened the beat of the Afcon in Jo'burg.

Bafana v France at Mary Fitzgerald Square in 2010. This was the vibe that I was hoping for in 2013

Still, a reader had corrected me on the lack of fan parks in the city so I duly did a Google search. Lo and behold, I found that the city had organised nine fan parks in the greater Johannesburg area. Yet these are not like the fan parks that I've described above. During the World Cup, the city also set up a number of smaller fan parks located in the poorer parts of the city, under the Township TV scheme. Football fans, for whom tickets, transport and television were financially out of reach, could communally watch the games on a not-so-giant screen. However, when I went to these places, I found only small groups of people quietly watching the games. Not the celebratory environment that had been expected by the organisers.

For 2013, Township TV has again been used to reach those who cannot afford to go to the games and to watch them as part of a larger group. The organisers have said that they are expecting thousands to attend the nine parks, where you cannot wish for a more vibey celebration of this continental football extravaganza. It was also promising to read that security has been beefed-up as well.

So I headed down to Joubert Park in the centre of Johannesburg last night. To give you a brief taste, Joubert Park was a whites-only residential area under apartheid but today suffers from urban decay and borders the notorious Hillbrow and slightly less notorious Berea. Part of me thought that I shouldn't be there at night but my research experience there combined with the fact that I had never had any problems there before put my fears to rest.

Problem was that when I got there, there was no sign of the vibey celebration, nor the beefed up security. Only a few handfulls of people were sitting on the grass, watching the match. The screen itself was only three-quarters working, with the score permanently obscured. Commentary was fairly audible, but was underwhelming against the bustling sounds of the surrounding city as people made their way home. I had a few confused stares from people watching the game, as the only white guy there, but there was a general sense of apathy. Elsewhere in the park, the multiple chess games and especially the giant chess game appeared to draw more interest from passersby than the football did.

The 'crowds' at Joubert Park

Where is the vibe?

Yet, I have to make it clear that South Africa have not had long to organise hosting the tournament, which had been scheduled to have been in Libya. They've made a pretty good go of things considering. Burkina Faso v Zambia and Ethiopia v Nigeria were probably not fixtures that were going to alter Furthermore, Joubert Park was not one of the four parks that have been adorned with the local flavour of makarapas, SA flags, vuvuzelas and the patriotic fervour of our soccer fans in support of Bafana Bafana.  

Burkina Faso v Zambia and Ethiopia v Nigeria were probably not fixtures that were going to alter people's daily routines but come Saturday's quarter-final between SA and Mali, these parks may yet take on a new lease of life. Hopefully.

Trapped by race

For the first time in ten years, the South African national football team (Bafana Bafana) progressed beyond the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. Siyabonga Sangweni’s late strike secured a 2-2 draw against Morocco and first place in Group A. Cape Verde’s shock second place has to be the surprise of the tournament, although knocking out Cameroon in qualifying may have suggested that they weren’t going to be pushovers.

Yet what interests me is how Bafana Bafana have been reported in the papers, especially in the light of their 2-0 victory over Angola. The following morning, much praise was heaped on man-of-the-match midfielder Dean Furman. The Oldham Athletic captain received plaudits from critics and supporters alike for his domination in the centre of the park, nullifying most of Angola’s attacking play. While this was clearly a great personal achievement for Furman, the papers picked up on something that Furman could not help; he is white.

Is the most important thing about Furman is that he's white?

The Sowetan, a daily aimed predominantly at township readers, described Furman as a token mlungu (umlungu is zulu for white person), mentioning that he is one of two white players in the squad, the other being goalkeeper Wayne Sandilands. This begins to hint at just how important race and racial identity still is in post-apartheid South Africa. As a researcher on the social significance of football in the country and having attended many local football matches, I was often the token mlungu in the stadium. I was regularly a novelty and spectators would ask to have their photo taken with me, just because I was white. In Johannesburg, white soccer fans at domestic matches are rare (Bidvest Wits games are the exception) and white first-team players similarly so. Furman and Sandiland’s presence in the Bafana squad have similarly been constructed in the press as unusual, and therefore newsworthy.

John Robbie’s column in the Saturday Star went further:

In a country that, sadly but understandably, is obsessed with race, it is good to see a white player in the side… The whole idea of transformation is to work to change the profile of sports in which discrimination is widely practiced. That was the case in rugby and cricket and this is the reason for such sensitivities about sides and their profiles. Our major soccer league since its inception, and the national side since re-entry, have never had such a policy. As such, it doesn’t matter a toss who is selected as long as it is on merit.

There have been high profile incidents of rugby and cricket struggling to adhere to racial transformation policies post-apartheid. The Rugby World Cup winning team of 2007 had only two players were not white, despite the fact that it was thirteen years since the end of apartheid. Cricket too has had its scandals surrounding racial quotas; the spat between bowler Makhaya Ntini and now former coach Mickey Arthur springs to mind. Inversely, Bafana Bafana hasn’t had such a problem. The likes of Neil Tovey, Mark Fish, Matthew Booth, and now Dean Furman have shown that an inverse transformation policy hasn’t been necessary. I think that Bafana reflects the national demographic much closer than the Springboks (rugby) or the Proteas (cricket) ever have although in recent years, Bafana squads have been short on white players.

Still, behind the increasing hype/ decreasing apathy surrounding Bafana during this tournament, the attitude that if the Springboks and Proteas are subject to transformation policies, Bafana should be forced to field more white players still exists in some quarters. Alternatively, the conspiracy is that Bafana is already subject to a quota that keeps white players out. Robbie is right to refute such notions; the football team is not subject to a quota system.

What Furman unwittingly highlights is a key contradiction in South African life; race is both important and not at the same time. He is one of a squad of players regardless of race, wearing the Bafana jersey, singing the national anthem and representing the country. However, the sharp focus on his whiteness reveals the continued minefield of race and identity in South Africa.

For a moment we all believed

So Bafana are out of the 2010 World Cup. It wasn't that surprising considering the task they'd left themselves after the 3-0 defeat to Uruguay last week. Beating the French by a handful of goals always seemed unlikely but Bafana surprised most people by actually BEATING THE FRENCH!!! Looking back now, there's a lot of "ifs". If only Katlego Mphela had scored rather than hitting the woodwork against Mexico. If only he'd done the same against France. If only they hadn't capitulated against Uruguay. But this is now in the past. Bafana are out and have the unfortunate honour of being the first host country knocked out in the first round. When the draw was made towards the end of last year, I was glued to my computer screen in my office, wearing my Bafana shirt, makarapa and had my vuvuzela close by. When the names were drawn, I was gutted. In a group with France, Uruguay and Mexico, surely Bafana would get no more than a couple of points. In the end they got 4 points and lost out on goal difference. Maybe some South Africans will be disappointed but they ended the campaign admirably. Ranked 83rd in the world, a draw versus Mexico and a win against former world champions France is a superb return.

Walking across Nelson Mandela Bridge

Walking down to the public viewing area in Newtown, central Jo'burg, the vuvuzelas were going, Bafana shirts were seemingly worn by every other person and flags were flying. Nelson Mandela Bridge was impressive with the massive banners portraying Madiba. As we were nearing Mary Fitzgerald Square, the sound of the vuvuzelas grew ever greater. After getting through security (again they didn't check the socks - another valuable chance to smuggle in alcohol wasted!), the area was busy but by no means full. What was great about this venue as opposed to the Soweto fan park was that it was not an official FIFA fan park but run by the city, therefore it was not bound by the same restrictions. I've moaned before about the sanitisation of the World Cup but here was a venue that embraced a cross-section of South Africa. Local beer, local food and local crafts, the many stalls that displayed such goods created a vibrant ambiance. Pap and vleis, boerewors rolls, makarapas, flags, football shirts and a giant figure made from Coca-Cola crates all added to a South African experience of which I have not had during this tournament.

 Stalls at the viewing area

Looking at the Johannesburg CBD in the distance

If Bongani Khumalo's headed goal in the 20th minute was met by a cheering crowd, Yoann Gourcuff's red card for elbowing Bafana midfielder MacBeth Sibaya in the face and Katlego Mphela's bundled effort in the 37th was cause for jubilation. The improbable had become all too possible. The news came in that Uruguay were leading Mexico 1-0. More cheers. More vuvuzelas. More beer. The halftime run to the bar was chaotic as fans were singing, dancing and blowing their vuvuzelas. No longer was there just a forlorn hope but a belief that Bafana would defy the odds.

 Intensely following the game

The crowd and the Coke man

But it wasn't to be. Mphela hit the crossbar, the side netting and forced a save from the French goalie but the goals Bafana needed were not forthcoming. The French had the audacity to kill the dream with Florent Malouda's 70th minute strike. The atmosphere temporarily flattened but once people had realised that beating the French was an achievement in itself, the party started.

Walking back across the now illuminated Nelson Mandela Bridge, it struck me just how much the tournament is going to miss these crazy Bafana fans. It's just so difficult to explain what it feels like to be in the middle of all this. It's incredible!  

 Back across the bridge

The World Cup will miss Bafana, but they're not out yet

Time to abandon all attempts at rationality again as Bafana take on France this afternoon in Bloemfontein. Even if Bafana do managed to stuff the hapless French by a load of goals, they still need Mexico and Uruguay not to draw. It's a tough ask. Unlike in the build-up to the opening game, there is no longer an atmosphere of belief but one of desperate hope. The vuvuzelas are back but with a whimper, not a bang. No-one dares utter what they are secretly thinking, that Bafana have scant chance to progress. It's splashed all over the front of the papers; The Star begs Bafana to "Storm the Bastille". Archbishop Desmond Tutu is praying for a "Bafana miracle". TV and radio are telling us to get behind the team once more. Actually, there is one group that has dissented. The ANC's Youth League has criticised the performances of captain Aaron Mokoena, stating, "We believe captain Aaron Mokoena sometimes makes costly mistakes, which the team and the country cannot afford in a do-or-die soccer encounter". It may well be true but they're not doing themselves any favours by saying this before the game.

If, and it's an enormous if, it all goes to plan, there will be partying in the streets of Jo'burg tonight! If not... well, I'm just not going to think about that possibility. I will be in the thick of it once again at the fan park in Johannesburg CBD with my Bafana shirt and vuvuzela, screaming myself hoarse until the end. For an Englishman, I'm doing a good impression of being South African...

No pap?? But this is South Africa!

Mexico's 2-0 win over France last meant that while it is mathematically still possible for Bafana to qualify for the knockout stages, it would require Bafana to score a glut of goals and hope that Mexico and Uruguay do not play for a draw (click here for the permutations). While President Jacob Zuma has said that he will be wearing his Bafana shirt today in support of the boys, the cracks are not only showing but gaping. Few people now believe that Bafana can still progress but they are clinging to a tattered hope.

Scouring the papers this morning, I came across a great, if somewhat cynical opinion piece in the Mail & Guardian by the South African film director Zola Maseko dispelling the myth that the World Cup (and the 1995 Rugby World Cup) has unified the Rainbow Nation. Of the 95 cup win, he writes: "That World Cup victory peddled the mischievous lie that centuries of racial hatred, economic exploitation and racial discrimination had been miraculously wiped away, in one fell swoop." He wants to see something more substantial than some simple flag-waving patriotism, arguing that "Wouldn't it be something to see 80,000 white South Africans go into the township and plant some trees? Or just sit and drink with their countrymen. No rugby. Just sharing, listening and understanding." I'm not sure how tree-planting would help nation-building but this dream will remain just that. There'll be a lot more of this kind of commentary in the months to come.

Last night while watching the the above game, my host asked me how much vendors were selling pap (a staple food for many black South Africans made from ground maize) for in the stadiums. Pap and steak or chicken is a common sight at South Africa domestic football matches cooked and sold by a plethora of vendors around the stadium. It is also one of my highlights of the football experience here. I replied that there wasn't any pap in the World Cup stadiums.

"But this is South Africa! They must have pap there! Why is there no pap?"

"Because only sponsors' products are allowed. There's just the American beer Budweiser, no South African beer, not even Castle. All the soft drinks are Coca-Cola products. Even the coffee. They serve bland hotdogs and burgers. No pap, not even boerewors."

"But this could be Brazil or Germany or anywhere!"

And he's spot on. The sterile corporatisation imposed by football's governing body to satisfy their sponsors is robbing the match day experience of its South African flavour. Informal food vendors are not allowed within a certain radius of the stadium, which restricts the tourists' opportunity to sample this food and the vendors' ability to sell as my host had found out to his detriment. Thankfully the vuvuzela is not to be banned otherwise the World Cup really could be anywhere.

Bafana fever is contagious but I think there's a cure

When England played South Africa in the group stage of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and lost 36-0, I was the only one in the bar with an England shirt on. I got some abuse, a lot of banter and some free drinks in sympathy. A year later, I was back in the same bar with the same shirt on as England lost 6-42 to the Springboks. Cue more abuse and banter (not sure if I had drinks bought for me that time). In both cases, the bar was packed and the atmosphere was raucous. The vast majority of the clientelle in both cases were white, middle class South Africans. In between these games, Bafana embarked on their disasterous 2008 African Nations campaign, getting knocked out in the first round. I watched a couple of these at the same bar but both times it was virtually empty. Only myself, a couple of waiters and a car guard sat and watched the games. Fiercely patriotic for the rugby, ambivelent at best when it came to the football. This neatly fitted into the stereotypes of sport in the country; rugby for white, middle class men (predominantly Afrikaans) and football for the black working class.

Although I had initially planned to watch the Uruguay game at the fan park in the centre of Jo'burg, I chickened out due to the sub-zero temperatures so I decided to return to this bar to see if Bafana fever had infected even the most rugby-hardened areas. It had. It wasn't packed like for the rugby but it was still a lot busier than those January evenings two years ago. More of a mixed crowd than I found for the rugby, nobody sang the national anthem but there were a couple of guys blowing vuvuzelas inside, which grated on me. It was a more low-key affair than what I experienced in Soweto but the fans still got behind their team. Howls of disbelief met the penalty decision but once the game was over, the atmosphere was flat. Whether people will be back for the Bafana v France game remains to be seen but when the Tri Nations rugby returns next month, that place will be packed once more with Springbok fans. Business as usual.

The vuvuzelas have all but stopped, as if in mourning. The hype of Bafana has been shown to be just that. Many are bitter towards the referee but there is much feeling that Bafana have let people down considering that they promised so much. If the talk yesterday was that of Bafana uniting the nation, the drubbing has disappointed a nation. Bafana fever will disappear as quickly as it emerged.

The front and back pages of The Star and the Sowetan this morning describing the disappointment of the night before

Bafana v Uruguay - an armchair critic's perspective

Bafana promised much this World Cup. From claims of making the nation proud to declaring that they could win the tournament, the squad carried an air of confidence and belief and many South Africans duly followed. Last night's 3-0 drubbing at the hands of an above average Uruguay restored some perspective as to where South Africa really are in the echelons of world football. A bright enough start by Bafana was cancelled out by Diego Forlan's vicious strike from outside the 18-yard area. Goalkeeper Khune was partly to blame as the ball sailed above his head. Maybe he was briefly unsighted by his defence, who allowed Forlan so much time and space to line up the shot. The confidence and enthusiasm shown by Bafana in the opening match was sadly lacking in the second game. Even at 1-0, Uruguay looked assured in possession as Bafana showed little attacking intent and an inability to string a row of passes together. The goal-scoring hero from the last game, Siphiwe Tshabalala, offered little apart from a few wild shots and Modise on the right had another ineffective performance. Worryingly still, playmaker Steven Pienaar looked a shadow of his former self and captain Aaron Mokoena continued his run of defensive mistakes. While there were legitimate claims for offside (decide for yourself) , there can be few complaints about the referee's decision to award the penalty and send Khune off. Despite the Uruguayan number 9 looking more at home in a swimming pool than on the football pitch such was his inclination to dive around for the entire game, Khune did get the man not the ball and denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. His defence however had left him high and dry. A third for Uruguay at the end was just the final hammer blow in an inept Bafana performance.

With Dikagcoi now suspended for the France game, maybe now Mokoena will get moved into his preferred defensive midfield role with Matthew Booth in at centre back? Doubt it though.

Let's hope that France and Mexico play to a draw tonight and then Bafana to beat France while Uruguay beat Mexico in the last group games. On last night's perfomance, that is just cloud cuckoo land.

Uruguay, Youth Day and sub-zero temperatures

Tonight Bafana Bafana take on Uruguay in their second Group A clash. With all the teams in the group on one point and me being unable to resist football cliches, there will be all to play for. Coach Parreira has said that he will take risks in the team selection and tactics in order to progress into the second round but has not specified what. 

What is more significant is the day that this match is being played on. June 16th is Youth Day, one of the biggest public holidays in South Africa. It commemorates the Soweto Uprising on the same day in 1976 when over 20,000 students in the now-famous township protested against the use of Afrikaans (seen as the language of the oppressor) as the medium of instruction in schools. Clashes with police and the ensuing violence during the following few weeks saw approximately 700 hundred people killed. The image of a mortally wounded young boy named Hector Pietersen being carried in the arms of another man. became internationally recognisable as  the world woke up to the horrors of apartheid. The uprising is often heralded as the catalyst for change that set South Africa on the road to democracy. Star player Steven Pienaar has said that Bafana squad feel "the weight of responsibility resting on them". If Bafana, who are ranked 83rd in the world can beat 16th-ranked Uruguay, there will be massive celebrations nationwide, even with temperatures expected to hit -3C!

It can't be a coincidence that Bafana are playing today. As hosts, they were automatically team A1 in the draw. Perhaps it was set up like this by the organising committee in an attempt to foster national pride? Or maybe I'm just being cynical.

I had planned on heading down to the public viewing area in central Johannesburg this evening for the game but with such temperatures, I'm not sure that I'm willing to freeze for the sake of football and I doubt many South Africans who think that 15C is cold will think differently!

An experience like no other

The morning after, when things have quietened down a little, I look back on what I experienced with feelings of amazement and excitement. It started in central Jo'burg at the Noord Street taxi rank. Not the safest/ nicest of areas but a bustling hub of commuters, market stalls and shoppers. Flags and Bafana shirts were everywhere with the sound of vuvuzelas piercing the commotion of everyday life. The locals seemed confused to see 2 abelungu (white guys) walking around there, even more so when they saw my Booth shirt combined with my new Booth hairstyle (i.e. completely shaved). Meeting up with one of my Kaizer Chiefs supporter friends, Dan, Mzolo and myself used the new bus system to head to Soweto. Akin to the London Underground at rush hour, we were packed into the bus along with a mixture of daily commuters and football tourists. There was even a Mexican fan wearing a kilt! The atmosphere in the bus came alive when a few of us at the back started to sing Shosholoza and soon half the bus burst into song!

 The crowd at the Soweto Fan Fest just before the game

Walking from the bus stop to the fan park, we saw the side of Soweto that many forget or are unaware of. It's not just shacks and poverty but in places, a suburban lifestyle. After arriving at the fan park early to avoid the traffic, we joined in a game of football but without goals. Soweto has rarely seen so many white people there, although the first bunch in Bafana shirts that we met were actually American! The park really came alive after the opening ceremony when K'naan came on stage and sang Wavin' Flag, one of the World Cup songs. Thousands of people singing along to this raised the party to fever pitch, everyone waving their flags and vuvuzelas in unison.

 Getting into the party mood

The performance of Bafana in the first half dented the enthusiasm of the crowd. Thwala had a nightmare at left-back, his lack of pace brutally exposed. The central midfield pairing of Dikagcoi and Letsholonyane were clearly nervous while Teko Modise on the right side of midfield was having a howler (yet again) as he constantly lost possession. Towards the end of the first half, Bafana clawed themselves back into it, creating a couple of half-chances but had to thank a combination of Mexican profligacy in front of goal and a string of fine saves from Itemelung Khune for going into the break at 0-0.

 

The big screen

It was in the 55th minute that changed everything. Dikagcoi's brilliant long diagonal though-ball release Siphiwe Tshabalala on the left, whose pinpoint top-right corner finish was exquisite. Soweto just could not believe it. Not only had Bafana ahead but they had done it with such style. The crowd simply erupted in jubilation. I jumped in the air, shouting and screaming along with thousands of others. People were hugging strangers in celebration. It's these moments that are difficult to describe. Such a feeling of mass euphoria has to be experienced to understand. It's even more confusing that I felt like this considering that I'm not even South African. I think I've got so much emotionally invested in this World Cup that sometimes I'm not sure whether I would rather England or South Africa to win the tournament. I would be delighted with either.

 Watching intensly as Bafana search for the winner

Modise continued to be wasteful as Bafana searched for a second goal. But if the 55th minute was a cause for jubilation, the 79th minute flattened the mood in Soweto. Calamitous defending allowed Rafael Marquez time and space to drill the ball past Khune at the near post. Stunned, silent, horrified that this could happen. This had destroyed the dream start that Bafana had craved. If that wasn't bad enough, Katlego Mphela's effort against the post at the end tormented us; the swell of the crowd as we all thought it was going in turned to agony and disbelief as it rebounded away. Many would have taken 1-1 before the game but we were left feeling that it could have been so much more. There would have been partying on the streets of Soweto if they had won; dancing, a few beers at some taverns and then some more dancing. As it was, the celebrations were muted although fans were encouraged by the second half performance.

Proudly South African

As we were leaving the fan park, someone shouted BOOOOOOTH and before I knew it, I was surrounded by Bafana fans and an Asian news crew (not sure what country they were from but Ben, you might see me on TV in Japan!). A big, fluffy microphone shoved in my face, I was asked how I felt (deflated) and how Bafana would fare in their next two games (I optimistically said four points from those games). The France v Uruguay match offers much hope that Bafana could do just that.

 Dancing at half time

But before I lose my senses completely, a comment made to me by a friend as the TV was panning in on the diversity of the crowd at Soccer City restored a certain level of rationality when he said "I wish to see the whole nation AFTER the World Cup". While the feelings of yesterday were incredible, some are under no illusion that the World Cup really changes anything.

I've got a sore throat and cracked lips from too much shouting and vuvuzela playing!

Waving the flag and the black market

It seem that all the media in South Africa is currently gushing about yesterday's Bafana bus parade in Sandton. Euphoria, unity/ united and sisonke (Zulu for togetherness I believe) were the words of choice, with my favourite phrase being "basked in the glory of a loving nation". Positively nauseating. It wasn't just in Sandton that the craziness was happening. Driving around Johannesburg between 12 and 2, Bafana fans seemed to be on every street corner (and in the middle of the roads), cheering, dancing and blowing their vuvuzelas in support of the national team. This event showed Johannesburg in a positive light; a place of celebration and carnival rather than the face of crime and poverty. But almost anyone can wear the national colours and wave the national flag. If this is all it takes currently to be a good South African, this national unity is a weak and fragile one. Once the World Cup is over and the flags are put away, what is left? Just a thought.

I never made it to Sandton as I got delayed but this turned out to be a stroke of luck as I gained a window into the black market of replica football shirts.  At a stall selling football merchandise, numerous people came up asking for Bafana shirts. It quickly became apparent that they were after the cheap, pirated copies from Thailand rather than the real thing (made in another south-east Asian country no doubt). Charging R400 each for what he had left, this infuriated one Afrikaans women who unleashed a torrent of abuse towards the stallkeeper (none of which I should print!). Afterwards he described to me how he was in fear of being raided by the police for pirated goods so he mostly kept authentic merchandise on display. However he knew how to source the copies, explaining that they had steadily risen in price because of the success of such raids. For all the success, these fakes are everywhere on the streets. Even some companies are buying these in bulk for their clients and many cannot tell the difference. The two policemen that came up to the stall just for a chat with the stallkeeper were oblivious to the fake Bafana shirts on display, even as they picked them up and considered buying them. Or maybe they did know and had come to an "arrangement"? I couldn't find out.

Bafana's public training session and the media circus

The email accompanying the ticket for the public training session stated that we had to be in our seats by 2:30pm so I got there thirty minutes early to find a queue of only 20 or so people. I thought that it was a poor turnout considering that the whole country seemed to have been hit by Bafana fever but, no worries, the masses will turn up. Just give it time. Fans trickled in but there was no great rush. 2:30 came and went and there was only three hundred or so in the one stand. It wasn't well advertised (I heard about it by chance) and it was during work hours so perhaps Bafana fans can be forgiven. By 3pm, there were a few more fans but people were growing impatient at the non-arrival of the Bafana squad. The corner flags were then put into place. Surely this meant that they were almost here? Nope. They forced us to wait for another hour before they decided to grace us with their presence.

Meanwhile, what did arrive was the media circus. All of a sudden, camera crews and journalists were in the stand, quick as a rash. On the prowl for a story, an interesting story or just any story, their ears pricked up everytime they heard a vuvuzela. Like moths to light, they descended on the individual to capture the 'local flavour' of South African football supporters, cameras and microphones shoved in his face. He lapped it up but there was fan envy. Another vuvuzela was blown and in meerkat-like fashion, the journalists poked their heads up to see where this fascinating sound was coming from. You could see it in their faces; "This person intrigues us. We must interview him".

Out came the run-of-the-mill questions, which were met with the same, tired answers:

"So who do you think will win the World Cup?"

"Bafana Bafana!!" This was followed by repeated blasts on vuvuzelas while the journalist vigorously nodded his head in agreement; a big smile appeared on his face as if he'd just discovered some major news story.

"What does it mean to you as a South African to have the World Cup in your country?"

"It means everything to us and to the whole of Africa (although I wonder if people in north Africa feel the same way)! WE ARE READY!!! And then the cacophony of vuvuzelas kicked back in. What did they expect that he was going to say? "This tournament has taken much needed money away from those who need it most. The World Cup is just a symbol of the greed of the rich man"? Not in that crowd.

Bafana sauntered onto the pitch at 4pm, clearly oblivious that they had kept us waiting. The crowd went briefly went wild, especially when Matthew Booth came on to shouts of BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH! After a few minutes, the media circus resumed. Cameramen were getting groups of fans organised to sing and dance at exactly the right moment after an interview but were getting visibly frustrated as they found that they could not reign in the celebratory mood of the fans.

I had sat back and just took this all in. A Brazilian journo came up the guy next to me and asked similar facile questions. He then turned to me in the hope of doing the same but decided not to once he realise that I wasn't a local. So my 'dreams' of being on Brazilian television were dashed.

Through all this Bafana were training but it just didn't seem as interesting.

Many, many, many, many, many thanks to Dan Hammett for getting me that ticket!

I've got a golden ticket...

Journalists on the prowl for a 'story'

Midfielder MacBeth Sibaya

Booooooooooooooooth!!!

Bafana pretending to train

An armchair critic's opinion of Bafana's chances

My first Bafana game was back in 2007 when Zambia beat a struggling South Africa 3-1 at Newlands, Cape Town, in an African Nations qualifier. That was Benni McCarthy's first game back from his self-imposed international wilderness but he seemed powerless to stop the rot. Similarly, the lacklustre 2008 African Nations finals campaign did little to inspire hope that the World Cup host nation were equipped to perform in 2010 and failing to qualify for that year's AFCON was nothing short of disasterous. Last year's Confederations Cup finally offered that glimmer of hope that Bafana fans were craving. On the surface, their tournament record of P5 W1 D1 L3 GF4 GA6 was not encouraging but their performances against Brazil and Spain (the second time around) showed that they could compete far higher than their ranking suggested; the performances of Matthew Booth and Steven Pienaar led the way. The latter half of 2009 seemingly reverted to type as Bafana went on to lose 8 of 9 matches with a 1-0 friendly win over minnows Madagascar the only break in the gloom.

Bafana are now on an 11 game unbeaten streak heading into the World Cup. The stats for this read as P11 W6 D5 L0 GF19 GA3. I'm still concerned about the defensive frailties of captain Aaron Mokoena but only conceding 3 goals is admirable. The nay-sayers would point out that Bafana have been played teams such as Zimbabwe, North Korea and Guatemala. I can't argue with that and the 0-0 draws v Korea DPR (as they apparently like to be known) and Jamaica were unconvincing. Furthermore, although knocking 4 and 5 goals past Thailand and Guatemala respectively was a confidence boost, they are hardly the calibre of opponent that Bafana are going to face in the World Cup.

Yet, the performances against Bulgaria and Columbia, culminating in yesterday's impressive 1-0 win over Denmark have raised expectations. While there are still deficiencies in the squad, they now look a far more accomplished team. Reneilwe Letsholonyane's visionary through-ball carving open the Danish defence was brilliantly finished with Katlego Mphela's near-post strike. Even Teko Modise played fairly well although he missed a sitter of a header in the first. Unmarked and yet he couldn't get it on target. From my seat in the pub, Bafana were the better team and deserved the result.

Two years ago it seemed as if progressing beyond the group was nothing more than a pipe dream. Today, it is a real prospect. France look shaky after their 1-0 defeat to China and while Mexico and Uruguay have fared better, home advantage will be key. Uruguay to win the group with Bafana in second place (meaning that I would be at Bafana's second round match!).

Bafana's final 23 announced

Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has announced his final 23-man squad for the World Cup. For the squad in full, click here.

The main headline in South Africa right now is that West Ham United striker Benni McCarthy has sensationally been dropped. I say sensationally as few people expected the chunky forward to be left out despite questions surrounding his fitness. This worrying leaves Bafana with three recognised strikers, Bernard Parker of Dutch club FC Twente, the PSL's top goalscorer Katlego Mphela and Moroka Swallows Siyabonga Nomvethe. While Nomvethe is a donkey with a whopping 6 GOALS in the PSL this season, Mphela has yet to convince the public that he can carry his goal-scoring form into the international scene but he did score this peach against Spain last year. Parker has played sporadically this season but his goal v the footballing giants of Guatamala last night shows what he is capable of (it's the last goal on the clip). Midlfielder Surprise Moriri of Mamelodi Sundowns can also play up front but with a massive 2 goals in the league, it's hard to see where the goals will come from. That being said, Benni has not looked anywhere near his best form in the warm-up friendlies. In fact his form has been bordering on woeful in the past two seasons. And why has Parreira completely overlooked Golden Arrows striker Richard Henyekane?

Midfield looks as strong as it could be with the inclusion of defensive midfielders Kagisho Dikagcoi, Macbeth Sibaya and Renilwe Letsholonyane alongside the creativity of Steven Pienaar and Siphiwe Tshabalala. Orlando Pirates' "star" player Teko Modise is unsurprisingly included but yet again, he had a poor match against Guatemala; a poor first touch and a selfish streak meant that he constantly gave the ball away.

In defence, it is hard to see why Parreira has gone for the mediocre Anele Ngcongca, who plays for Racing Genk of Belgium rather than Greece-based Bryce Moon. Moon offers an attacking full back option and can be pushed into midfield whereas Ngcongca offers , well, I don't know what he offers. Not a lot. Maybe it has something to do with the furore surrounding Moon's criminal charges?

Finally, the first two goalkeeping positions were set in stone. The battle for the third spot between Rowan Fernandez of German side Arminia Bielefeld and Maritzburg United's Shu-Aib Walters was little more than a side issue, with Walters the coach's preferred choice. This squad isn't going to win the World Cup but with a bit/ a lot of luck, Bafana could edge into the second round.

Crossing the divide

Last night, Bafana Bafana defeated Columbia by two penalties to one in Soccer City, Soweto. Penalties from Orlando Pirates' Teko Modise and Mamelodi Sundowns' Katlego Mphela in either half sandwiched Columbia's spot kick reply. The victory masked similar shortcomings to that of last Monday's game; defensive frailties and a lack of ability to penetrate the opposition's back line, although coach Carlos Alberto Parreira claimed that he was happy with the performance. A packed Soccer City filled with vuvuzelas, kuduzelas, flags, banners and a man eating cabbage (not to be confused with a man-eating cabbage) created a cauldron of noise and colour that could, come the World Cup, push Bafana that extra yard needed to progress beyond the group stage. This was the game that local favourites Steven Pienaar and Benni "10 pies and a bucket of KFC per day" McCarthy finally featured for Bafana in the World Cup warm-up and both players received rapturous cheers when they entered the game in the second half. Yet while Pienaar was instrumental in the flowing move that led to Siphiwe Tshabalala being brought down in the box, Benni cut an anonymous figure in the forward line. Doubts remain whether he will be in shape for the World Cup but without any obvious alternatives in the squad, Parreira may well be forced to go with him.

A busy Soccer City at night

Watching the game, my mind went back to a chilly evening in October 2008 when Bafana took on Malawi in a friendly at Germiston Stadium, Johannesburg. It was a depressing sight to see two thirds of the ground virtually empty for the first twenty minutes until a large group of fans were let in for free. Fast forward to last night and the transformation is amazing. People who have rarely been interested in the exploits of their national football team are now buying tickets in the thousands, wearing the shirt and learning to play the vuvuzela. I'm sceptical whether this will continue into September when Bafana face Niger in an African Nations Cup qualifier but for now, World Cup fever is gripping Jo'burg. You can't walk more than a few paces without seeing a SA flag or a Bafana shirt. A Kaizer Chiefs supporting friend of mine summed it up when he said that even Bulls and Stormers fans were supporting Bafana (a reference to the Super 14 rugby final being held in Soweto for the first time ever, an event that has been heralded by the media as "another step on the path to the affirmation" of a unified Rainbow Nation). South Africans are crossing the racial divide in SA sport, more than I had expected when I left South Africa in August last year. However, before I allow myself a warm fuzzy feeling from all this new found cameraderie, this changes very little in reality. While physical barriers have been temporarily lifted, what does someone barely surviving in an informal settlement have in common with someone living a luxurious lifestyle in Jo'burg's northern suburbs other than some abstract notion that they are all South African? The World Cup is not a panacea for the social ills of the country but it is a valuable building block.

Waving the flag but what does it mean to be South African?

Oh, and by eating the cabbage, it represents the ease in which Bafana will "eat up" the opposition. I've seen people use big cakes to make the same point. I know which one I would choose!