2010 Roadtrip

Siobhan's Memories of Paddy

2010-09-22T23:28:00.002+02:00

Written by Siobhan Walls, Paddy's younger sister by 16 months.

. .

Fighting over opening the blue foil paper on the chocolate fingers Daddy used to bring home to us from work.
Opening the cardboard box Daddy brought home with two kittens inside
The two of us squished in the boot of the VW Beetle with a single of chips on the way home from the baths on Friday night in Cork.
Going for a picnic in Corry’s field.
Hitting my head on the wall when he was teaching me how to flick my fringe.
Looking at each other as we crouched together by Mother’s armchair in the sitting room in Glounthaune in the late afternoon of Sunday March 24^th, 1968 and deciding that as everyone else was crying we probably should too.

Swanning around the Phoenix Park in Uncle George’s chauffeur driven car when me and Paddy were staying with them, but all their kids were at school.
Arriving at Carrickbrack in the chauffeur driven car.
Playing out the back garden in Carrickbrack.
Leapfrogging over the trees Grandad had just planted in the front garden of Carrickbrack.
Meeting Paddy at the top of the stairs on my way to bed where he’d be waiting to make me talk. I had a self-imposed rule that stated I could talk to no-one once I’d kissed Mother goodnight. Paddy would wait for me, somehow make me talk and I’d have to go all the way back down to say good night again.
Him telling John to dance on my head while he held me down.
Playing spin the bottle with Scorie, Brenda McLoughlin and Gerry and Brendan Hannon (Paddy had that sussed in that I was his sister and Scorie was his cousin, so no matter where the bottle stopped he got to kiss Brenda).
Going to Fintan’s disco on Friday nights (I had such freedom being accompanied by my big brother).
Him and Claire and Eamonn swigging a drinks mixture behind the bushes at Sutton Cross before going to Fintan’s disco (I’m not called Miss Mustard for nothing.).
Going to the disco in Howth Community Centre and head-shaking to Black Betty till our heads hurt.
Waiting for the bus at the top of the Baldoyle Road in the freezing cold to go visit Claire and Eamonn.
Walking home from the bus stop at the top of the Baldoyle Road in the freezing cold after visiting Claire and Eamonn .
Covering for him for some misdemeanour that Grandad was on to (having friends in the bedroom if memory serves).
Seething with him for inviting the whole of Sutton and Howth back to Carrickbrack one Easter Saturday night when Ma was away.
Going around the next morning with a nail scissors and glue to repair the cigarette burns in the sitting room carpet.
Making him a birthday cake that consisted of 20 pancakes stacked high.
Dancing with him to Earth, Wind and Fire on the chairs in the kitchen.
Walking home from the Summit at 2am.
Buying my first car which he drove to the petrol station in Portmarnock for me before I dared get behind the wheel myself.
Being collected by him from Heathrow when I moved to London in ‘88.
Being dropped by him to Luton when I moved home from London in ‘89.
Going to his and Shelagh’s wedding in Kingston.
Asking him for advice on a boy thing when Michael was a baby.
Listening to Michael ask 30 times “What doin’ Paddy?” as Paddy re-tiled the bathroom here when Mother had split the house into two flats.
Listening to Paddy answer 30 times “Sticking those tiles on the sticky stuff Michael”.
Listening to Michael telling Paddy (after due consideration and reflection) to “Dick dose diles on de dicky duff Paddy”.
Ringing Paddy for advice some years later on how to “dick diles on dicky duff”.
Eating his savoury mince dinner in the upstairs flat at 38 Bayside Walk.
Eating dinner with himself, Shelagh, Stevie and Savanagh in Baldoyle.
Going to the Hillybilly in Dingle with him and Muiris on my 30^th birthday.
Watching him and Mother argue with and against each other in Kerry.
Playing cards with him and Mother terrified I’d make a mistake.
Getting to Kerry with a 3 week old Rachel to find no floor in the sitting room.
Running out to Paddy with a 3 week old Rachel in my arms screaming at him to chase down the hill after Robert who was chasing Nick who was chasing Michael who was chasing Mister the dog who was chasing a sheep over a cliff edge.

Watching him watching Sam on Coomeenole as we all played in the waves.
Putting my head in the kitchen door in Kerry to tell himself and Robert to drink less gin, carve more meat and make more gravy.
Getting a lesson in how to wear a peaked cap at just the correct Dingle angle.
Accompanying him on the train as far as Mallow when Rachel and I were going to Tralee to visit Mother in hospital in September 2005 and watching him get off to meet Dessy to go to re-hab.
Refusing to give him money the night before that and buying him phone credit online instead.
Watching him take photos all night at Robert’s 50^th birthday about a month later – he wasn’t drinking.
Feeling so relieved when he got to Beaumont before Mother died.
Going on a wonderful winelands tour with himself and Claire in South Africa.
Being so touched the week the house in Slea Head was being cleared out when he gave me and Rachel a 50 euro note cos I was so broke.

Pic courtesy of Deirdre Kearns' facebook page (Dee Keating I think .)

Meeting him in Banna in June of last year.
Meeting him in Dingle a couple of times in July of last year.
Meeting him and Maura, her daughter and Peadar in Dingle last June.
Meeting him in Peter’s house in August.
Talking to him for the last time a few Sundays ago while I was walking the dog up in Howth.
Seeing his bloodied, bloodless nose when I walked into the ICU in Tralee on Sept 4^th
Wanting to hold my nose for the smell of decay coming from him.
Kissing his face and holding his hand and telling him that I loved him.

Christine's Memories of Paddy

2010-09-17T21:30:00.004+02:00

Written by Christine Brennan (nee Walls), Paddy's older sister by 18 months.

Have been feeling very low since we came back from Kerry and have written down some of my abiding memories of Paddy to help me. I thought I might share them with you all.

Sneaking a look together at the builders in Glounthane with fascination as they were allowed drink their tea with their teaspoons in their cups.

Walking the old road to Flute head's and meeting Paddy coming out of the Ashbourne House hotel with a pack of cigarettes. He was seven maybe eight. Of course we all had to have one. Siobhan was six years old..

Dreading a family quiz as I knew he would always get the answer before I did.

Listening to the Doobie Brothers at least 20 times a day.

Paddy telling me The Facts of Life.

Dancing with him up and down the kitchen in Carrickbrack to Elton John and Kikki De after I received my leaving cert results

Laughing with him until we cried at Morcombe and Wise jokes.

Paddy running away from boarding school and being sent straight back.

Paddy and Tim hanging around Carrickbrack when they were meant to be at school.

Watching him and snoops come down the road in his triumph car. Always hard to work out whether it was dog or human driving.

Paddy tying the feet of my tights together (when they were on me) and making me walk up and down the dinning room. I couldn't walk but only because I was laughing so hard.

Holding me down on the ground and telling John to 'Dance on her head'

Visiting Paddy and Shelagh for Sunday dinner when Eoin and Stevie were toddlers.

Paddy working in our house. For the past fifteen years I have been trying to find some fault in his work but never have.

About 5 years ago,sitting in my car with Eoin at the traffic lights at Sutton Cross when Paddy passes, wearing his hat and the coolest shades I had ever seen, driving a Mercedes. He looked like he had been driving this style of car all his life. I remember looking at Eoin. We both just laughed and said. The jammie .........

Lunch with him and Claire in Gardenworks one sunny day, when he was not drinking and really enjoying the company of a real gent.

Listening to his excitement about his first trip to Spain with Claire.

A wonderful chat we had in Mam's porch a few nights before we closed up the house. He never complained to me, although I know the selling of the house was breaking his heart.

Giving all he had to give playing against the nephews on Ventry beach. Think he excelled in cheating!

Sitting at the bar in Foxy John's one summer's afternoon just talking shit...

Taking his hat off to push his hand through his thinning hair.

A bloated face in Banna strand. (you're pretty fat yourself !)

Once again playing soccer but this time as a druncle in a very stylish nightdress and of course his hat.

Wearing shades when the sun was definitely not shining as his eyes were so sore.

A short but lovely trip down memory lane with him at Declan's 40th birthday party.

A dying brother in Tralee hospital on Saturday 4th September.

I loved him dearly and will hold on to these precious memories as long as I possibly can.

Christine x x

Eulogy for Paddy Walls, Died 4th Sept 2010, Aged 49.

2010-09-14T21:05:00.011+02:00

Delivered at his cremation in Cork on 9th Sept 2010.

"Let's have a quick 60 before we go" said Paddy. The house was silent and completely bare. The removal men had long since removed themselves and we were about to leave Carrickbrack House for good. This was the house I grew up in with Paddy.....Paddy, my big brother, a huge and ever-present influence in my journey to adulthood. Now we were leaving the only home I had ever known, but Paddy wanted 'a quick 60' before we left.

'A quick 60' was nothing more than a game we played in the back garden involving a football and a shopping trolley. Most respectable homes in Dublin at the time had at least one shopping trolley in the garden. We had 2....but kept one hidden behind the hedge so as not to lord it over our neighbours, 'the Beirnes', who had to make do with a Superquinn basket which they kept all their tennis balls in.

'A quick 60' involved one of us crossing the ball 60 times in a row. The other person had to try and head it in to the shopping trolley, more difficult than it sounds, believe me.

Well, the record had stood at 14 for weeks now despite hours spent trying to break it in between packing up the house.

Our final 'quick 60' in the back garden of Carrickbrack House has since passed into legend. With one cross left, the sun setting and the house already locked up, the score stood on a record-equalling fourteen. I crossed the final ball.....and Paddy soared into the air like a man desperate to catch a glimpse over the wall of his neighbour's wife sunbathing......and planted that ball squarely into the shopping trolley.

It was a glorious and perfect way to say goodbye to our childhood home. It also reminded me what it was exactly about my big brother that so inspired me growing up. Quite simply, Paddy always delivered when it really mattered.

Paddy always caught a fish when we went up to Howth Harbour when the mackerel were running. Paddy always hit the shot of the day at Deer Park golf course and he made the pressure putts more often than not. Paddy always got the sparrow first time with the catapult. Paddy always chose exactly the right moment to click the shutter and capture the perfect shot.

And Paddy always got the girl. Not just any girl, but the best girl, the one that everybody else wanted........something which, I am pleased to say, he continued to do right throughout his final years.

I suppose you could say he had a great sense of timing, an essential characteristic if you're going to be funny. And Paddy was funny. I remember another occasion in that same back garden watching Paddy expertly direct the football right into the middle of the enormous 3 metre x 2 metre dining room window. The noise of a thousand pieces of falling glass was quickly replaced with a stunned silence. Three, four, five seconds passed and then Paddy, with perfect timing, said "Do you know how much out of 10 I hate that ?"

Paddy's sense of direction wasn't quite as good as his sense of timing. In particular he seemed to struggle to locate his own bedroom after visiting the bathroom in the middle of the night. Now while this might have produced a night of excited anticipation for any of Siobhan's friends who were staying over, it probably only further added to Paddy's morning-after confusion as he tried to piece together the hazy memories of another night.

When people hear of the death of someone not directly related to them...the mother of a work colleague for example, they tend to try and pigeon-hole that death. It's not malicious, it's just how we cope and how we explain the world to ourselves. Like..... "Ah, your mother was 87? At least she had a good innings." Or if a person led a troubled life then maybe their death is somehow more acceptable than that of an untroubled person. We think we can measure a person's contribution to this world just by looking at their achievements or their 'happiness barometer.'

I don't agree. I think the true value of a person's life is measured by what others learn from them. Paddy's true beauty often got obscured by his pain. But the fact that his most beautiful traits endured despite that pain.....to me that's what makes those traits even more powerful. I learned a fortune from Paddy. From watching him and listening to him; from his successes and from his mistakes.

Paddy taught me about patience.......the patience required to catch a fish every time, and the patience to know that the answers might not come in this life.

He knew how to catch a fish.

Paddy taught me about gentleness. He had compassion for the smallest and most helpless. His love for animals was well known and and the names Snoopy, Jessie and Cara would feature prominently in his biography. My mother-in-law from South Africa was struck by Paddy's gentleness. She had been so taken by the beauty of the fuschias growing wild all over Kerry that Paddy picked a number of slips and then spent a long time wrapping and packing them carefully in newspaper so as to keep them from dying on the journey back to South Africa. Needless to say, the fuschia slips survived because not only was Paddy gentle, but because when he decided to do something he generally did it very well.

Paddy taught me about fear. I think he had a lot of it and I think it paralysed him. Where it came from we can only speculate, but I know for certain that he doesn't have it any more.

Paddy taught me about loyalty. At the age of 9 I tried to switch from supporting Leeds Utd to supporting Man Utd. I was distraught because Leeds had slipped to 5th place in the top division. Paddy gently explained to me the importance of sticking with a cause through thick and thin. "Hang in there" he implored me, "it's only a matter of time before Leeds start winning again." And so I did. I hung in there and waited........and 34 years later I'm still waiting.

Thanks for that Paddy.

The flip side of loyalty is stubbornness and, oh yes, Paddy could be stubborn. Back in 1978 he told anyone who would listen that U2 were overrated and that the Bogey Boys were much better. This was back when U2 were playing the Community Centre in Howth. In 2010 Paddy would still have told you that U2 are overrated and that the Howth Community Centre is too good for them.

Paddy even taught me about girls. I remember as a teenager feeling down cos' I couldn't get a girl. So I consulted The Master. "Look at how you make us, your family, laugh John. Just be yourself, make the girls laugh and they'll fall for you." Well, whaddya know? It worked ! Girls have been laughing at me for nearly 30 years now.

And finally, Paddy taught me about love. He taught me that some people just have that special quality about them that makes others want to love them. Paddy had it. He drew people in. They couldn't help themselves. I sometimes think he was the only one who couldn't see it.

But he had plenty of love to give, especially, I found in his later years. I know I felt the warmth and intensity of Paddy's love these last few years. I don't know if he had mellowed or what, but he just seemed able to express himself better than he used to.

And he knew how take a pic...Table Mountain on fire 2006

Since the weekend I've been trawling through my memories of you Paddy...and I have to say I am astounded at just how many there are. You have been a massive part of my life, maybe bigger than I realised, certainly bigger than you realised. I suspect a lot of people here today feel the same. Your impact on this world was much greater than you ever gave yourself credit for. You only have to look at the havoc you created when you finally jumped on that bus last Saturday night.

Speaking of buses.......while Colette, Siobhan and Christine were sitting having lunch just outside Tralee on Saturday, waiting for Paddy to be transferred to Cork......his ambulance sped past them at high speed. With a sense of timing that Paddy would have been proud of Colette turned to to the others and invoked the spirit of Eric Morecambe and one of Paddy's all-time favourite jokes; "He won't sell many ice creams going at that speed !"

Sorry Christine...not an ice cream van.

Paddy wasn't used to ambulances or hospitals...but he did spend the first few weeks of his life in hospital. Our mother had had a minor complication after Paddy's birth and so needed to stay in hospital while they sorted it out. When we asked her why Paddy had stayed in hospital with her and not come home she uttered one of her famous 'Ma-isms': "You have to remember", she said, "that Paddy was very young when he was born."

As it turned out Paddy was also very young when he died.

I wish we had time for 'a quick 60' right now Pads. I reckon we'd break the record again.......even with you lying down.

Thank you for everything you taught me Paddy. Goodbye....for now. We will always love you; our brother, our father, our lover, our son, and our friend. It has been a privilege to know you.

What's wrong with a draw Sepp ?

2010-08-15T01:58:00.004+02:00

Sepp Blatter says Fifa is considering scrapping draws at the group stage of future World Cup finals by introducing penalty shoot-outs after 90 minutes.

Quarter Final penalty heartbreak for Ghana vs Uruguay

"We are considering doing away with draws in the first round... and also ending extra-time play."

Here's a question for you Sepp:

What makes you think a team playing for a draw will be any less negative if there's no extra time, and if a penalty shoot-out is guaranteed in a group game ?

All you're doing is making it easier for negative teams to achieve their objectives. As we stand, an unbearably boring but defensively sound team like New Zealand can go unbeaten through 3 World Cup matches without ever remotely looking like they might win a game. Under Sepp's new system they would have gone to 3 penalty shoot-outs. Even if they'd only won one of those shoot-outs they would have ended up with 3 points....which is what they actually did end up with in this World Cup. Under Sepp's new system all they would have had to do was win one more shoot-out and they would have been into the last 16.

New Zealand equalise in injury time vs Slovakia

Having reached the last 16 without actually trying to win a game why on earth would they now start playing adventurous football ? (By the way, I'm Irish, and I came of age in the Jack Charlton era so I know what I'm talking about!) Another heroic rearguard display from the All Whites against Japan in Pretoria leads to another successful penalty shoot-out and a place in the quarter finals against Spain.

Ray Houghton scores for Jack Charlton's Ireland vs Italy in 1994 World Cup in USA.

I could go on and trace a plausible path to the final for New Zealand but I'm sure you get the picture already. If you want the best teams to thrive in a World Cup you need to give them more chances to break down frustratingly unambitious teams like NZ.....not less.

I really enjoyed the Golden Goal rule, for the simple reason that it rewarded teams who could score during the match and not just during the penalty shoot-out.

David Trezeuguet wins Euro 2000 with a Golden Goal vs Italy.

Not sure what the problem is Sepp. This World Cup had a shockingly low number of goals in the first round of group games (25 in 16 games)...but, thereafter, it more than made up for its slow start. The second set of 16 games saw a total of 42 goals, almost 3 per game. The third round of group games saw 34 goals, over 2 per game. Other than Algeria and New Zealand I can't really think of any other team who played for the draw.

For the record, the 16 knockout games produced 44 goals, as opposed to the 30 seen in Germany 2006.

As for doing away with extra time in the knockout stage and going straight to extra time I am even more baffled by Mr Blatter's latest pronouncement. This tournament saw only two games decided on penalties (as opposed to four in Germany 2006). If Sepp's system had been in place this year we would have been robbed of the drama of Gyan's extra time winner for Ghana in the Round of 16 against USA, not to mention Iniesta's 116th minute winner in the Final.

Asamoah Gyan cannot believe what he has just done in the Quarter Final vs Uruguay !

To prove my point.....can you name the man who scored the winning penalty for Italy in 2006 ? Perhaps you can, but I guarantee you he'll never be as famous as Andres Iniesta.

Grosso.....and Iniesta to the right.

So, please Sepp, fix the things that are broken...like teams qualifying for the finals because you're not brave enough to use video technology. But don't fix things that aren't broken. The World Cup had a complicated and bizarre format as recently as 1982. We've had it right for the last 7 World Cups. It works. Leave it alone.

"South Africa... much better, brighter and bigger-hearted than you'd think."

2010-07-17T22:11:00.017+02:00

Cape Town Fan Walk before the semi final. Pic by Jeff Ayliffe.

This month has changed South Africa, I think for good.

Instead of me trying to explain why, I'm going to leave it to the respected English journalist, John Carlin. Believe me he's well qualified. Carlin is the author of 'Playing The Enemy,' an account of how Nelson Mandela used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to win forever the hearts of white South Africans. His book was recently turned into a movie called Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Springbok captain Francois Pienaar.

I remember Carlin writing for the UK Independent in the late 1980's when I lived in London and I always enjoyed his writing back then. He spent 6 years in South Africa from 1989 to 1995 and saw the beginning of transformation firsthand. He now lives in Barcelona and writes for El Pais. How perfect is this World Cup for him?Not sure how he worked that one, but you must think, well done, well done indeed John Carlin.

His article amounts to a take on the 2010 World Cup and was published in the Weekend Argus and Weekend Star last Saturday. It also appeared on www.news24.co.za. What makes it such a fascinating article is that it is essentially the view of an outsider, albeit an outsider with a thorough understanding of what makes this country tick. It's long but well worth the read......

Yes, South Africa can

July 10 2010 at 08:24AM

By John Carlin

It's been a spectacular success. Everything according to plan, smooth as silk;

South Africa

successfully re-branded; no unpleasant surprises, and plenty of pleasant ones.

Not a cheep, for example, out of the ludicrous Julius Malema, who the ANC wisely locked up in the attic, as you do with the mad live-in relative when important guests come around.

No reports of any new Zuma off-spring, or even wife. As for the bigger and far more important picture, the games all started on time and were broadcast live around the world without a hitch (though I gather there were some power-cut problems in England "mercifully, perhaps" during one of their national team's relentlessly hapless displays). No massacres of foreign visitors, either, as long advertised in the foreign press.

Crime generally seems to have sunk to Swiss levels of innocuousness during

South Africa

's four-week World Cup honeymoon.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu famously declared on April 27, 1994, the day all South Africans went to vote for the first time: "It's like falling in love!" Well, 16 years later, it was a renewal of the marriage vows; it was

South Africa

falling in love with itself all over again.

All those stories, promoted by Fifa, among others, about this being Invictus II, about 2010 being the 1995 rugby World Cup all over again, about healing racial wounds, uniting the fractured nation and so forth, were off the mark. It was much, much better than that.

What we saw was just how united and racially healed

South Africa

really is, how far we've advanced since the nervy 1990s. The word for what we have seen in these past few weeks is consolidation. Nothing new, these past years, to anyone who has walked about South Africa, done ordinary everyday things, in seeing black and white people getting along just fine.

All the racial tension stories that surfaced after the death of Eugene Terre'Blanche ("South Africa on the brink of racial war" etc), have been shown to be, as a British friend of mine who knows the country well, succinctly put it the other day, "just so much bollocks".

I've been to watch loads of games at the stadiums, but by far the best memory I take away from the World Cup was the atmosphere at Melrose Arch, in Joburg, during the South Africa-France game. From what I saw there, and from reports of friends and fellow journalists who have taken part in identically joyous events of this kind up and down the country, I'd like to ask a question: "If

South Africa

is not a united country, then what country is?"

As I have written in these pages before, the thousands gathered before a big screen at Melrose to watch Bafana Bafana's heroic exit from the competition knew in their hearts that it was a lost cause, that their team would not make it to the second round of the competition. But the solidarity was absolute. People of all colours and religions, in what until not very long ago had been an exclusively white residential area, heaving and swaying and singing, celebrating their common South Africanness with proud, unforced energy: what a blow for the legion of dismal sceptics that flood the opinion pages of this country's newspapers!

Never mind black and white, there were a number of Jewish people with yarmulkes on their heads at Melrose and a number of Muslim men with long beards and Muslim women wearing veils on their heads. Where else in the world would you see such people mingling without tension, their national identities trumping ancient religious divides? Not too many places, believe me.

And the great thing is that the world has got to see all this. The rebranding really has kicked in.

Via 15 000 fellow journalists that have descended on this country (please, don't anyone tell me ever again that the World Cup was a waste of money!), the entire planet has got to see South Africa's best face - in my prejudiced view, the best face in the world.

I have spoken in the past four weeks to journalists from Mexico, El Salvador, the USA, China, India, Britain, Germany,

Spain

- you name it. The first thing that has surprised them has been the total absence of racial friction. Most of them being white, or white-ish, they concurred that the contacts they had had with black South Africans had been consistently civil, cordial, respectful, good-humoured, even fun.

As for the panic in their hearts at the prospect of murderous hordes chasing them down dark alleys, the predominant sensation among those who acknowledged they had succumbed to these terrors was embarrassment.

I did a bit of work early on in the competition for a big

television channel, some on-air punditry about South African politics and society. The recording studio was at Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton, just above the big statue of the great man. About 100m away was the television station's tented base of operations.

I and an American producer walked from the studio to the base camp and back half a dozen times. Our trajectory was through a crowded mall. The only potential peril I was aware of was that we might trip on the mechanical escalators and bang our heads.

But you know what? The television station's rules required that on each of these strolls we should be accompanied by a beefy security guard - a dark-suited Nigerian, in this case. The producer I was with honourably squirmed at the timorousness of his employers. The Nigerian kept a poker-face, but inside he was laughing, all the way to the bank.

Worse was the case of the English journalists covering the

England

camp. The bus they travelled in always had one security escort in front and one behind; four Afrikaner former police officers or soldiers kept watch on them everywhere they went.

At first the journalists were not displeased to have them around. I heard that before the World Cup the bosses of one major British newspaper (won't tell which, but it wrote about the looming racial bloodbath following Terre'Blanche's death) had the brilliant idea, in these troubled economic times, of hiring a security consultant to address the South Africa-bound troops.

A man with a briefcase appeared (presumably working for the same outfit that would later provide the detachment in

South Africa

) and rattled off the figures for violent crime in the purportedly benighted country, for murder, for rape - not excluding male rape. He put the fear of God into the poor journalists. Four weeks later what they feel is deeply embarrassed.

Talking of journalists, on a less foolish note, the way Fifa and the Local Organising Committee set up the bureaucracy of accreditation and general facilities was a dream.

Cleverly aware of how critical we often unsavoury characters would prove in the marketing of

South Africa

, they set up a wonderfully smooth operation.

Getting your tickets for games was straightforward and the staff were as cheerful as they were efficient. At the stadium media centres and the press seats the internet connections (journalists' lifeblood these days) were excellent, whether you were in Rustenburg, Bloemfontein or Joburg's Soccer City.

I covered the World Cup in

Japan

in 2002: this was incomparably more hassle-free. I heard the same from journalists who covered the World Cup in

Germany

four years ago.

Oh, and let's not forget the Fan Walk in Cape Town, a two and a half kilometre (2.5km) vaudeville show from the centre of town to that beautifully elegant Coco Chanel hat of a stadium, along which the massed hordes, thousands of children included, were bursting with bonhomie - so much so that for the semi-final on Tuesday the love in the air breathed unexpected life into the sails of old Holland.

The long-buried historical connection with the Dutch (Jan van Who?) suddenly surfaced in the Mother City in a riot of orange. I went up to one orangeman and woman after another, a number flying Dutch flags, and, to my astonishment, all the ones I spoke to turned out to be South Africans.

They were happy Holland won, not least because they avenged Uruguay's unspeakably cruel victory over

Ghana

. But what they were happiest about was, I think, that they had reclaimed the streets. Save for the odd case of pickpocketing (you get them in Vienna), nothing to fear.

I have a theory - I actually had it, rather more wishfully, before the World Cup - that the criminal classes would go on a patriotic strike during the tournament, doing their bit for Brand SA.

Whether that was it, or whether it was a pragmatic calculation that what with the emergence of these swift and severe World Cup courts and the flooding of World Cup venues with the men and women in blue it might be best to keep their heads down, the fact is that the country has been more relaxed and at peace than it has been for a long time - maybe ever.

Actually, to be serious, huge credit has to be given to the police. I came across loads all over the country and they were, without exception, polite and efficient, oozing civic responsibility. One that I met off duty in a bar in Bloemfontein sang me a symphony of racial brotherhood, banging on - in his cups, a little - about how

South Africa

was a piano. The black and white keys had to play together, he said, or not at all.

Obviously we'll have to see if all this lasts after the World Cup is over. Enough people have vented their views on this already and there is not much more to add.

Though it will be intriguing to see if the police turn out to be as assiduous in protecting the foreign Africans here, against whom murder and mayhem is threatened (especially in jolly old Cape Town), after the final whistle blows on Sunday night, as they have been in keeping the rather more welcome World Cup visitors safe. We'll have a test case right there of whether it's all been a dream or not.

Which brings us to the first lesson of this World Cup: the primary purpose of government is to protect its citizens. Well, let's absorb that thought and act on it. Sustain the good work that's been done after the show is over and watch this country go.

The second lesson, not at all unrelated to crime, is that if

South Africa

really puts its mind to something, it can do it, it can make a plan. Fifa has got a pretty bum rap from people in this country for its autocratic ways, but the Swiss-Germanic rigour that's flowed from Zurich has definitely sharpened up levels of efficiency and organisation round here, not to say - the big South African "d" word - of delivery.

Someone who works high up in the Local Organising Committee told me how at first it had been a big culture shock to work with these Swiss; they did not understand each other at all. But in time they established a rapport and the fusing of African ebullience with old European discipline ended up doing the job admirably.

The big lesson I take away from all this is one that I already knew but had forgotten, amidst the distracting babble we read about in the press and, hear and see in the broadcast media from the political classes, chatterers and newspaper columnists.

South Africa

is much better, brighter and bigger-hearted than you'd think from paying attention to all that lot. The society is great, and it is the reason why (never mind the safari parks and the fairest Cape) so many of us foreigners who've spent time here find this country more beguiling than any other on Earth. Ordinary people have so much more wisdom, grit, resilience, invention, courage and generosity than you find in most countries.

And some of these ordinary people are to be found, for sure, in the ANC. Even in the upper reaches of the government, if you look hard enough. There are the looters, the hypocrites and the frauds, too, as we all know. We can just hope that the experience of the World Cup might have awoken their better angels, brought out the good that lurks in many of them, that sparked their commitment to politics in the first place.

Failing that, as a friend here says, let's pray that they remain content with taking just five or 10 percent of the national cake, instead of 30 percent or the full damn monty.

Your Julius Malemas - and I use him as a generic term for all that's rotten and silly about the South African political scene - are best ignored. Or rather, friends in the media, try, if you can resist the temptation, not to publish and broadcast what he says. Delve deep, rather, into what he and his like do.

As for Zuma, he is a nice guy and has many of the best instincts of the best

South Africa

. The problem is that he lacks gumption and sexual maturity. Not much we can do about the latter, but maybe we can prod him to show a bit of principle and character and lead the ANC back to what it once was, abandoning its lootocratic ways. A leader must not be a jellyfish, said PW Botha. Heed those words, Mr President.

Though, perhaps, he won't. In which case, let's take comfort in the knowledge that the country is, I repeat, bigger and better than the state.

If the state does not get in the way, if it actually helps, as it has done with this World Cup (notably the policing, but also the building of infrastructure) then great.

If not, well, South Africans have it in them to make a plan. The big message from this spectacularly successful staging of the greatest show on Earth is that, yes,

South Africa

can.

Now, with more confidence and pride and calm than ever before, get on and do it.

· John Carlin was the correspondent for the London Independent in

South Africa

between 1989 and 1995. He has returned to

South Africa

frequently since then, including nine times in the past 18 months, chiefly to work on television documentaries. He wrote Playing the Enemy, the book on which the Clint Eastwood film, Invictus, is based. The book has been translated into 16 languages, including Spanish and Dutch.

This World Cup really can change South Africa.

2010-07-17T18:55:00.007+02:00

I heard someone describe Cape Town this week as a ghost town.

In reality it's no different to how it is any July. Three million people going about their daily lives; schools back; roads busy. But I know exactly what they mean. There's an eerie lack of World Cup in Cape Town, and across the whole country, this week. Nothing seems quite real. There's a kind of numbness about. I can't even feel properly upset at the Springboks losing to the All Blacks this morning, for the second week in a row !

Slowly, the enormity of what we pulled off is settling upon us. Our mood swings from intense pride to a melancholy sense of loss. Mandela's 92nd birthday is tomorrow and most people will be doing their 67 minutes of helping others. It's particularly pertinent this year given how we have got to know each other over the past month..

The best thing about this week has been hearing the World Cup stories of so many South Africans. I knew the World Cup would put this country on the international map but what I underestimated was just how much ordinary South Africans would get swept up in the event. I have yet to speak to even one person who was not deeply moved by what happened this past month.

This is the story of one Afrikaans family who sent their story in to Kfm radio station this week;

Hi
The Schreuder family just had one of our most amazing months ever. To truly appreciate how big the world cup impacted our lives you need to understand that we are a very conservative Afrikaans family who passionately follows rugby and cricket. Until the world cup, we have never watched a full soccer game together before. With the build up to the event my wife and kids was not too excited and did not expect it to be too big a deal....

Wow, were they wrong.

I literally cried when Bafana did not go through after playing so well against Mexico and France. Still they can keep their heads high and be proud. They should also know that going forward they will always have the Schreuders from Durbanville screaming at the top of their lungs whenever they play.

The Schreuder family on the Fan Mile in Cape Town.

We realized that we had to now pick a new team to support. We had a 50/50 split in our house with the girls supporting Germany and the boys backing Argentina. So we had to do the fan mile with the kids. We also made use of public transport to get there, which was another first for the Schreuders. What a great experience. The fan mile was pumping for the Argentina Germany game, with complete strangers stopping us to take pictures with us and especially our kids, who my wife transformed into
little works of art. We will never forget the vibe and the camaraderie we experienced that day.

Now it is all over, but our lives have been changed by this wonderful event and we will never be the same. If you have any doubts, have a look at this.... to see how sport can change the world.

Schreuder son with new friends on the Fan Mile.

Regards,
The Schreuders from Durbanville

11 July - The Final - Soccer City - Spain vs Netherlands

2010-07-13T14:00:00.006+02:00

Spain reign as the Dutch get all butch....

So that, ladies and gents, is that. Match number 16, the biggest of them all and most certainly the biggest event I've ever been to.

I had to shake my head in disbelief a few times. You keep saying to yourself "I'm at the World Cup Final" but it's hard to really take it all in.

Joburg was buzzing on Sunday morning. We went down to Nelson Mandela Square for breakfast and the atmosphere was electric. Dutch and Spanish fans trying to outsing each other and a real sense of something huge happening.

Then on to Gold Reef City to while away a couple of hours in the early afternoon. It was deserted and very eerie. The kids got to ride everything they wanted witout any queues but eventually the quiet became too much. This was World Cup Final day and we needed noise. A quick hop to Soccer City (we were there by 4pm) and the goosebumps started to make their appearance. Thousands of Dutch fans were camped outside the ground having their own party with their own stage and their own dj.

One of the wonderful things about a World Cup Final is how the nations of the world are represented. It's considered proper form to wear the colours of your country.......... even if they didn't qualify. So of course I wore my Irish shirt while the rest of the family wore Bafana shirts.

The closing ceremony really was as good as it looked on tv. I was following a BBC website on my phone while sitting in the stadium. They sugegsted, tongue-in-cheek, that the only reason the stadium was full for the ceremony was because Shakira was appearing. The BBC probably don't realise how close they were to the truth given the immense popularity of the Colombian superstar and her World Cup anthem 'Waka Waka.'

While waiting for the game to start I sms'ed a contribution to the BBC site........"From John, an Irishman living in SA.....I watched my first World Cup Final on TV in 1978 when Argentina beat Netherlands. Have always dreamt of going to a final since then. I'm writing this from the stand at Soccer City. Am so proud of what this country has achieved over the past 4 weeks. There might be a few tears shed tonight."

And there were. The closing ceremony was spectacular and the appearance of Mandela was the real highlight.

What chance did the actual game have after that? Even less once it became clear that the Dutch were going to try and kick their way to victory. Not a classic by any means but not as bad as people are making out. Apart from the last 20 minutes of the first half chances were being created on a regular basis, mostly for Spain, but not exclusively. I do think the referee was too quick to hand out the first couple of yellow cards. It just raised the temperature from what was already boiling point.

So, a disappointing game, but, in truth, it's been some time since we've had an exciting World Cup Final. I would say France-Brazil in 1998 was the last quality final and even that wasn't brilliant. Before that you have to go back to Argentina-Germany 1n 1986. But thank God it didn't go to penalties. That really would have been a pity for everyone except the Dutch.

At Soccer City you have a brilliant view no matter where you are sitting and I am proud to say that I saw live a goal that won a World Cup. It really was like watching it in slow motion. Iniesta looked odds on to score as soon as he got the ball. In the precise moment that I saw the net bulge I knew immediately the enormity of this strike.

To watch the Spanish celebrate there and again 5 minutes later when the final whistle went was so gratifying. To watch the Netherlands players crumple and collapse was heartbreaking.

Which is why the World Cup is as big as it is. One single shot means a lifetime of regret for one and immortality for another.

My kids got up at 6.30 this morning to go back to school . It was dark and exceptionally cold. I think they were completely shellshocked. The contrast with the last 5 weeks is so huge it's disorientating. Which is how the whole country is feeling today. It'll take us all a few days to readjust but nobody's really complaining. Successful people recover quickly and it's abundantly clear after the last 5 weeks that South Africans are particularly successful people !

6 July - Cape Town - Netherlands vs Uruguay

2010-07-09T23:03:00.011+02:00

Let The Squid Earn You Quids

Paul the Octopus has got nothing to do with this article, but relevance should never stop you using a good headline when you think of it.

Semi Final slideshow

On to matters in hand. I sat down tonight to write about Tuesday's semi final in Cape Town. I had just written such a long article on the occasion and how I admired Uruguay even though they knocked out both Bafana and Ghana. This article spoke of Uruguay's penchant for 20-year gaps in World Cups....winning in 1930 and 1950; semi finalists in 1970 and 2010; and last 16 in 1990.

I also spoke about how Uruguay have given similarly-ranked countries like Ireland hope. If they can reach the semi finals then so, perhaps, can we.

I then went on to remark how aggressive I found the Uruguay supporters outside the stadium after their defeat. What had really impressed me was how the South African Police intervened and prevented a flare-up. They remained calm and avoided antagonising the supporters. This is apparently attributable to the training they received from the French riot police. Nice to know that the French brought at least one useful thing to this World Cup.

Finally I praised Cape Town and the wonderful job this city has done in hosting 8 World Cup matches. Everything about the Cape Town experience has been magnificent ! That's according to the visitors (by all accounts). The fan walk was a revelation, the stadium was world class and the city in general was just one big happy party for the past 4 weeks.

Much, much more important is what this last month has done for the people of this city. It's incalculable. This World Cup has produced a fundamental shift in how we see ourselves and each other. Let's give FIFA credit for insisting on Green Point as a location, and let's not forget the names Arthur Wienburg and CEPA (Cape Town Environmental Protection Agency) who almost succeeded in scuppering the building of the stadium in their own narrow interests. I would love to know if Arthur and his mates walked the fan walk or did they actually stick to their principles and stay indoors for the past month ?

Anyway, I wrote all of this, and then pressed some new button on my laptop that deleted it all. So this is just the summary.

Let me finish by pinching myself because, in less than 2 days, I will be attending a World Cup Final. You might attempt to argue that the Olympics, as an entire event, rivals the World Cup in scale. But when it comes to a single sporting event the World Cup Final is untouchable. Think of the biggest event you've ever been to and then multiply it by 100.

I remember being captivated by those old FIFA World Cup documentaries that always showed the early-morning streets of the host city on World Cup Final morning. And I always thought how much I wanted to be there. Ok, in truth, I always imagined a final with Ireland in it but, as fantasies go, the notion of waking up in Johannesburg this Sunday morning is close enough for me. A World Cup Final is still a World Cup Final even if your true favourite isn't there.

Time to savour now. Will report back on Monday. Oranje Boven, Zondag. (Tx Des.)

Letter from South Africa.....July 2010

2010-07-09T20:46:00.000+02:00

This is a letter which a colleague of mine wrote to his uncle in London this week. Sums up the mood quite well I thought........

I thought that I’d take some time out to tell you a bit about what it’s been like having the World Cup in South Africa. The first few months of 2010 were ones that were filled with much indignation as people sent around clippings from British tabloids and the German press peppered with some choice comments from other countries, all amounting to the same thing namely that the 2010 World Cup was not one to attend. Some of the more amusing ones that I read included threats of death by strangulation courtesy of Africa’s fearsome rock pythons, the others – a little more serious – played up threats of social instability, crime, the lack of preparedness by South Africa’s police services and countless other reasons not to come to South Africa.

Last Wednesday I sat in the barber’s alongside a German tourist who commented how his friends thought he was crazy to come. He had travelled the country and was loving his experience. Today our news bulletins carried comments from tourists, all of whom raved about the experiences that they’d had in SA. Their stories all echoed a theme that I have heard echoed in bars, restaurants, in media interviews and overheard on trains namely that everyone who came loved the country, loved its people and were having a great time. My German tourist friend commented that he could not believe how different the country was to what he had been told it would be like. It has been so gratifying to read press from around the world that has been unequivocally complimentary. The sniping and the negativity has disappeared and some have even been gracious enough to be publically apologise for their earlier scepticism. Once again South Africa has proved the world wrong and it has been great to be here whilst we’ve done it in such style.

Some of our more left wing press has moaned that the World Cup is a strictly middle-class experience and to be sure the cost of the tickets has meant that it has been beyond the reach of many South Africans, yet the ivory tower commentators have missed the point. On the opening day of the World Cup, my building was woken up at around 03h00 by the security guard trumpeting on his vuvuzela. When asked why, he shrugged his shoulders and said “The World Cup is here”. We smiled wryly and went back to bed. The entire country has been galvanised by this spirit. Some provincial governments chose to buy thousands of tickets to send poorer South Africans to the games. Some have dismissed this gesture as being of the ‘let the people eat cake’ variety. I disagree, I think that it was an inspired gesture to let all in the country experience what greatness we are capable of when we put our minds to it.

Two days before that our company, together with the Football Association had arranged a ticker tape parade for Bafana Bafana, the national squad. Originally envisaged as a bit of a parade for a few hundred people, it brought Sandton – SA’s financial district – to a halt for a few hours as tens of thousands of people flocked to support their team. All the spectators were dressed in the national kit and blew fiercely on their vuvuzelas. Thato’s firm, a conservative law firm in Sandton, stopped work for a few hours and braaied boerewors. The week before all the partners had learnt the Diski Dance, a complicated dance that was meant to be the SA equivalent of the Mexican Wave. As it turned out the vuvuzela blew away all that stood before it. Be that as it may, the sight of suited lawyers blowing plastic trumpets is probably not one that could be replicated in many countries around the world. Indeed, an Irish colleague of mine kept saying “Only in South Africa is this possible”.

That night the opening concert was held in Soweto. In addition to many global mega-stars, the Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu made a guest appearance. Again, my colleague’s words echoed in my mind – where else on earth would you have a 80-something year old Bishop dancing up and down on stage? Only South Africa! The outpouring of support for Bafana reverberated around the country that night and I eventually gave up trying to sleep and wandered down to Long Street – a mere two blocks from my city loft and the heart of Cape Town’s party district. I sent an sms to multiple friends saying “My God, we might have just have f*(&)@#(d up the world” because wherever I looked was a tourist handing a vuvuzela to a South African asking “How does this work?” For the remainder of the World Cup I have seen the most hilarious vuvu blowing competitions as locals and visitors take each other on to demonstrate their prowess. It seems that no vuvu blow can go unanswered and any innocent blast triggers a cacophony of answering blasts. Vuvuzela blowing has turned out to be a team sport as big and as competitive as the soccer itself. I have no doubt that it is going to echo across the world for years to come.

I have two favourite memories of vuvuzela blowing. My absolute favourite is of Thato’s two year old niece wielding a vuvuzela as long as she is tall and blowing it with complete aplomb. Children throughout the country have taken to it as a way of terrorising and impressing their less competent elders. A close second is of Os du Randt, a Springbok rugby legend attempting it. For a 6 ft 4, 120 kilo man he produced a rather feeble squeak – still he did it in good spirit and, in doing so, encapsulated the spirit that has infused this World Cup – one of being willing to give it a try, to create a smile, to be a little silly, all with aim of making it more fun for all of us.

Last weekend Thato and I were lucky enough to be invited to the Argentina-Mexico game at Soccer City. What a stadium ! Designed to look like a giant calabash it seats over 90,000 spectators. It is a behemoth that dominates the landscape for miles around. It radiates in the rich coppers and browns that define so much of Gauteng’s landscape. Our game experience was seamless, smooth, untroubled, world-class. It was twelve years since I’d been to Soccer City. The transformation was such that it might just as well have been in a different country in a different century. Indeed, it feels in many respects like South Africa has fast-forwarded into a new world. It is now possible for me to hop on a bus a few hundred meters from my flat, be whisked to the airport and arriving in Johannesburg I can catch a train that will have me at my office in central Sandton in a mere 15 minutes. It is like the Heathrow-London connection – only a little cleaner J Indeed one Brit commented ‘you can smell how new the concrete is’. The transport systems are more integrated than they’ve ever been and certainly are now at a level that they are world-class.

Of course the World Cup has had it’s sad moments – the biggest of them caused by Uruguay. First their 3-0 thrashing of Bafana ensured that despite valiant games against France and Mexico we did not advance to the round of 16. Second, and even more devastatingly, was their victory over Ghana. I watched the game with dozens of passionate Africans, most of whom could not hide their tears at the end of the match. It just did not feel fair to lose in such a cynical way. I spent most of Saturday sulking determined to ignore the World Cup, but once again the Pied Piper trumpeting of the vuvuzela was too alluring to resist and I headed out onto the streets. I am so glad that I did. It was a clear winter’s day and tens of thousands of people flocked along the fan walk. Every few hundred meters there were musicians playing South African tunes and the vibrancy was incredible. I walked to the Waterfront were over 150,000 had congregated to watch the game in various venues and then walked back to Greenmarket Square to catch the rest of the game. I guess that’s the joy of a city like Cape Town that you can walk to the stadium in back in about 35 minutes and be surrounded on all sides by gorgeous greenery, mountains and the ocean. It was a special walk and wherever I looked where jubilant fans framed by one of the world’s most beautiful city-scapes.

Tomorrow is the first of the semi-finals. I hope that the Netherlands humiliates Uruguay. I am not alone, there are about 1 billion African who feel the same way. Sunday is the final of the World Cup but hopefully not the end for us. The World Cup has been a success but it is the culmination of 16 years of hard work by South Africans. We are all too often in the headlines for the wrong reasons, because of crime, corruption and stupid statements by silly people.

All of that serves to obscure the enormity of that which we’ve achieved as a nation. Achievements that have accrued over the past decade and a half and have laid the foundations for the success that we’ve achieved over the past 4 weeks. This time around our success was not a miracle. It is a culmination of hard work by dedicated and passionate people. It is the end point of work that took a country that was collapsing under debt with failing infrastructure and teetering at the brink of civil war to a country that can host the biggest media spectacle in the world and do so successfully. More importantly it has done so in a way that is uniquely South African, in a way that has left the world a little more rowdy than it was before but with a lot more joy, a lot more belief in the power of humanity, in power of Africans to shape their own destiny. This has been my World Cup experience.

Love,

Karl

3 July - Cape Town - Argentina vs Germany

2010-07-04T02:05:00.002+02:00

Best Day of the World Cup So Far !

This is easily the largest slideshow we've uploaded so far, but have a look and I hope you'll see why. Today was match day 14 for us and it was by far and away our best experience to date. Forget the football. I don't love the German football team, never have, so the fact that I feel elated at the end of this day just shows what an unbelievable show the Mother City put on today.

This was a remarkable day for Cape Town. I've lived here for 13 years and I have never seen a day like this before. There were 64 000 people inside Cape Town Stadium today but I swear there were 500 000 on the fan walk. People on our train gasped in awe when someone announced that they had a ticket for the match. I reckon that 80% of those on the train were just coming into town to experience the vibe. Just getting on a train was a miracle. In the end the trains didn't even bother stopping at stations because they were just too full.

I have never seen so many smiles and so little irritability, despite some serious queues and crowds. The weather was benign and it would seem that half of Cape Town decided that today was the day to get out and celebrate just how good the people of this country feel about what has gone down over the past 3 weeks.

To think that FIFA were worried about South Africans losing interest after Bafana Bafana were knocked out ! That might be the case when a developed country like Germany or England hosts the World Cup but you simply cannot overestimate what hosting the World Cup has meant to the people of this country. In a blog post written 6 months ago I said that "South Africa was waiting like a neglected child for our chance to shine."

Truth comes in action, not words. Over the last 23 days South Africa has shone like the vibrant and utterly capable country it truly is. Since 19th June I have driven 6500 km's on one of the best road networks in the world; I have slept and dined at world class accommodation facilities; I've successfully posted video, audio and words on the internet from every small town I've been through, and I have seen a police presence like none I've ever witnessed anywhere else in the world.

The success of this World Cup is not that the world has finally seen us for what we are, but rather that we have finally seen ourselves for what we are.

Perversely, I almost think that this World Cup really took off for South Africans when Bafana Bafana were knocked out. We were freed of the anxiety of worrying about things we couldn't control, and we were freed up to focus on the things we could control......like making sure stadiums were full, like making foreigners feel welcome, and like making sure that this World Cup will be remembered as the noisiest and most vibrant in history.

Which brings me back to Germany, hosts of the 2006 tournament. It will be a travesty if the nation who so openly criticised the decision to give the 2010 World Cup to South Africa actually wins the damn thing in this country. Please don't forget what Uli Hoeness and Franz Beckenbauer said about our ability to host the event. (You can see what they said in one of my earliest posts back in Jan or Feb of this year.) In effect the message was; Togo team gets attacked at African Cup of Nations in Angola....therefore Africans can't be trusted to organise a World Cup. This, from the country who hosted the most disastrous Olympics of all time in 1972 when 11 Israelis were kidnapped from the Olympic Village (and eventually murdered.)

This is a very good German team who have inflicted defeats of cataclysmic proportions on both England and Argentina but it's also an arrogant team. Captain Philip Lahm had quite a bit to say about how the English had under-prepared for their Bloemfontein match-up. He then went one better by describing South Americans as emotional and bad losers. Nothing like a good racial stereotype when you're trying to play mental games in the build-up to a World Cup Quarter Final. But perhaps the Germans should pay heed to the enormous damage racial stereotypes have played in the sorry history of the country hosting this World Cup. Perhaps they should also pay heed to their own sorry history before throwing racial stereotypes around so casually.

I sincerely hope that Spain turn them over on Wed night. Germany have scored 4 goals on 3 occasions in this World Cup and that fact alone is screaming 'World Champions.' In Spain's favour, however, is the fact that they haven't really caught alight, yet they're in the semi-finals. There's a sense that they could still catch fire , a bit like Italy in 1982. Plus, they did demolish Germany 3-0 in the final of Euro 2008.

However, the most intriguing reworking of World Cup history involves Germany beating Spain on Wed night...and then facing The Netherlands in the final. The 1974 World Cup Final in Munich is legendary mainly because one of the most talented teams ever seen on the world stage (Holland) were beaten by an efficient and workmanlike German team, 2-1. Could 11 July in Johannesburg see the roles reversed ? A highly talented and precocious German team being beaten by a solid, efficient and unspectacular Dutch outfit ?

Only 7 countries have ever won the World Cup. I really hope that, next Sunday, we see an 8th country join that list. There are no more worthy contenders for that honour than Spain or The Netherlands.

29 June - Cape Town - Spain vs Portugal

2010-06-30T21:22:00.000+02:00

Spain To Reign ?

Back to Cape Town to discover that the whole of South Africa has been unable to pull itself away from this World Cup for the past 2 and a half weeks. It has entranced the country more than I could ever have imagined. This has been like December holidays on steroids and a serious national hangover is lying just around the corner. The country breathed a collective sigh of relief this morning at the realisation that there are no games today or tomorrow. At last a chance to sleep !

We've been lucky enough to see Spain's last 3 games live and, like Argentina, they get better each time. Last night in Cape Town was our 10th game in 10 days and what better match-up to mark the occasion than a Round of 16 match between near-neighbours Spain and Portugal. The Portuguese gave them a good run for their money in the first half but Spain's class started to tell in the second half. Great game all round, probably the best we've been to.

Spain have so many players who can create scoring chances even though David Villa has scored 4 of their 5 goals so far. It's surely just a matter of time before the others start to contribute more regularly. Torres and his replacement, Florente, both came mightily close last night while Iniesta always looks likely.

Paraguay will not trouble Spain in the Quarter Final. 3-0 to the Spanish. This will be the first semi-final I've ever seen them in. After all the years of promise it looks like Spain may finally be about to break their World Cup hoodoo.

28 June - Durban - Netherlands vs Slovakia

2010-06-30T20:22:00.000+02:00

10 Out of 10 in Durban

At about 3.15pm on Monday we walked into Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, our 10th World Cup stadium out of 10. Not sure if it was the lack of sleep, the Budweiser or the actual achievement.....but I felt pretty emotional. Only as we sat down did it occur to me that this had been a bit of an epic trip. 6 500 km's of driving in total and all 10 magnificent South African 2010 venues.

Durban's stadium is indeed a magnificent piece of architecture and genuine stand-out but, sorry Durban, here's the verdict; Cape Town is aesthetically the most beautiful stadium of the lot. Perfectly contained and stretching high into the rafters it ensures that the action commands the attention of every one of the 68 000 people watching. Durban's design is truly unique but it just doesn't seem as big as Cape Town from the inside. Also, the open end is a little bit distracting.

The location of Moses Mabhida right by the sea is magnificent. Watching the thousands of Dutch supporters make their walk to the ground along the beachfront was a real highlight.

Just like the Stormers in Cape Town, the sooner the Sharks rugby team move to the new stadium, the better. It's surely just a matter of time.

27 June - Soccer City Joburg - Argentina vs Mexico

2010-06-28T10:57:00.001+02:00

Another Blind Linesman !

They say that great things come to people who wait. Well I am now officially tired of waiting Mr Joseph S Blatter. You had a good laugh at Ireland's expense back in November as you insisted that football didn't need technology but rather needed the drama and excitement of human error and contested decisions. Tell that to the poor linesman who ran the line in Bloemfontein today and made the biggest bloop since....well, since the Thierry Henry handball.

How could he not give that as a goal ? Watching it in full frontal on tv it was obvious that the ball had crossed the line. You could see clearly from the trajectory of the ball that it had crossed the line. How on earth could you miss it Mr Linesman, given that you were side on? If there was any benefit of the doubt it should have gone the attacker's way.

So here we go again. Another major World Cup match significantly influenced by an appalling refereeing error. I don't care that England were shite today, and indeed throughout this entire tournament. For 5 minutes today they were world class and had Germany on the ropes. If that 2nd goal had been allowed there is no way that Germany would have run away with it. They might have won, but it would have been them, and not England, who were forced to go forward and therefore susceptible to the counter attack.

So. while Sepp Blatter paternalistically protects those dinner table and barroom debates, your average football fan fumes ! How difficult is it, Mr Blatter, to install Hawkeye, or whatever device it is that they use at Wimbledon ? One beep, that's all, just one beep and we would have had a fair outcome today. As it is, we thank God that Germany won 4-1 so that we don't have to feel that this World Cup has been prejudiced. But it has been prejudiced, last November in Paris, and again today in Bloemfontein.

Rant over.

What about the game we went to last night ? Argentina really do keep getting better and they really could go all the way...and Messi hasn't even scored yet. As they say, successful people get their timing right.

And yes I do know that their first goal was a mile offside. More reason to start using technology.

Argentina vs Germany is the right match-up for the quarter final, and we're going to see it on Saturday. They have been 2 of the best 3 teams of the tournament so far (the other one being Spain).

Soccer City is an awesome venue, so vast it knocks you sideways. Pitch looking a bit worn though. Looks like Wimbledon Centre Court in week 2. Hope they can sort that out before the final.

Great day with old friends Jen and Claude and their kids yesterday. Took the train to Soccer City. Much better than going by car. Station is right there at the stadium, and the view on the approach is magnificent.

26 June - Rustenburg - Ghana vs USA - Round of 16

2010-06-27T02:55:00.001+02:00

The Battle of The Stars

The Black Stars put one over the Stars and Stripes at Royal Bafokeng tonight. In the process Ghana became only the third African country ever to reach a World Cup Quarter Final. No African team has ever reached the semi final. Friday night at Soccer City is going to be huge. Can Ghana overcome Uruguay and make history ? They can rest assured that 90% of the stadium will be supporting them. It's BaGhana BaGhana from here on in.

The USA did themselves proud once again. The States are a consistent performer at top international level. It was really encouraging to see so many visiting American supporters too. The game has a bright future in USA and I believe they will win the World Cup within the next 50 years.

Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg left us completely underwhelmed. Great game in spite of an atmosphere-less venue. The massive running track around the pitch removes you from the action. Security clearance took for ever and the Park and Ride system was ridiculously slow. Got home at 1am but I can assure you there are many Joburgers getting home at only 3 or 4am after traffic problems out of the stadium.

Consolation for us is that we are staying at a really nice self-catering cottage called Bellevue Kothuis in Rustenburg. Great spot for a family weekend breakaway.

25 June - Pretoria - Spain vs Chile

2010-06-26T09:56:00.005+02:00

What a great evening ! This started out as a game I thought I wouldn't see and ended up with the 3 of us seated in the front row on the halfway line !

Spain vs Chile was always going to be a big clash but with the Spanish now having to win to qualify it had become a match of gargantuan importance for both teams. Lose, and you faced the very real prospect of going. For Spain, as favourites and European Champions, that would have been an unmitigated disaster. For Chile, having won their first 2 games of the tournament, it would have been too much to bear.

A mouth-watering prospect, and I didn't have a ticket ! I had got confused when buying up front and had only got 2. I was prepared to wait outside while my kids watched.... but luck soon intervened in the shape of a kind gentleman who let me have his ticket at face value. Yess.....I was going inside !

Having seen my kids safely to their seats high up in the rafters I set out to find my own seat. As we all know, it's not the destination that matters, it's the journey....and how this journey worked out for me !

Loftus Versfeld is one of the refurbished old stadiums being used in this World Cup and, unlike the new stadiums, it does not process crowds quickly. I took one look at the crowd squeezing into the (only) tunnel leading to my block and realised it was at least a 15-minute wait. Not only that but the crush looked uncomfortable and, possibly, dangerous.

Now, Loftus has one rather odd feature. There is a wide access path that runs the length of the pitch in front of the main stand. The stewards were directing supporters along this path last night to find their seats. So, when I couldn't get to my seat I thought, let me go hang out on that access path until the crush clears and I can take my seat.

That's exactly what I did and, to my amazement, I was allowed to just kind of hang around the halfway line area, right in front of the main stand and virtually at pitch edge. After a few minutes the officials took the covers off the front row of seats to alleviate some overcrowding behind. (I've never understood why they cover the first 1 or 2 rows. You see it at Champions League matches too.)

When someone offers you a front row seat on the halfway line at a World Cup match you take it....so I sat down. Long story short is that I then called Dylan and Shea and told them to come join me. There were seats available and the view was the opposite extreme of what they had at the very top of the main stand. (You can see the difference between their 2 views in the slideshow of pics above.)

All a bit resourceful I know but, my gosh, sometimes resourcefulness has its pay offs. We were so close to the action and the likes of Iniesta, Villa and Torres. Best of all though was the crowd. We were in amongst a huge contingent of Chile supporters whose exuberance was hardly tempered by the fact that their team was chasing the game for most of the 90 minutes. They simply couldn't sit still.

It was hilarious to watch the headmaster-like, older Afrikaans man who was clearly in charge of security. He must have been a veteran of running the security show at countless big rugby matches here at Loftus, the home of the Blue Bulls. "I know this is soccer" he told the restless Chile supporters, "but just stop it !"

Of course the Chileans got even more exuberant when word filtered through that Switzerland were only drawing against Honduras. At full time, even though Spain had won 2-1 and topped the group, it was Chile who were going through with them.

Perfect result. Perfect night.

Began the day with an interview on Kfm with Ryan O' Connor. have a listen:
http://soundcloud.com/2010roadtrip/02-20100625-074255-walls-trip-25-june-2010

24 June - Polokwane - Paraguay vs New Zealand

2010-06-25T00:58:00.002+02:00

A LITTLE PIECE OF SOCCER HEAVEN IN LIMPOPO

Watch today's video at the foot of this post.

If you're a World Cup fan, chances are you've got an interest in other countries and a taste for travel and adventure. In which case the concourse on the 3rd tier of the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane might be as it is in heaven for the soccer fan visiting South Africa for the World Cup. On one side you've got exotic African bushveld bathed in a slowly setting sun. On the other side you've got a World Cup finals match being played in one of the most interesting stadiums you're ever likely to visit.

Open on 3 sides and with stands rising high into the Limpopo sky this stadium was built with World Cup high drama in mind. Unfortunately for us today was not the day the builder had in mind. Our fourth 0-0 draw out of 8 games. There have been only four 0-0 draws in this World Cup and, yes, we've seen them all.

The result was forgivable purely because the setting was so spectacular and the people of Polokwane are so damn nice. The result was also forgivable because Paraguay needed only a draw to progress to the knock-out round while NZ needed only a draw to not lose. The All Whites could have qualified with a win but their lack of ambition was shocking. They never really tried. I don't know what they were hoping for as they stood around at the final whistle waiting anxiously for the result of the Italy-Slovakia game. The only result that could have saved them from elimination would have been another goalless draw. Even then FIFA would have had to draw lots to see who went through. I wonder if this was how the football world viewed Jack Charlton's Ireland in the 1990's? Plucky but completely unwatchable.

Great day up at Polokwane.The road from Joburg is brilliant, double lane the whole way. In fact, after driving over 3000 km's in the past 5 days I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that South Africa's road network is better than anything I've ever seen in Australia, the US, Ireland or the UK.

The vibe at the game was great as Polokwane celebrated its last World Cup game. The sense of unity among South Africans that we've seen over the past couple of weeks shows no sign of abating. My sense is that it was the hosting of the tournament, more than the rallying behind Bafana, that has been the real driving force behind the wonderful sense of goodwill you can feel all around. Long may it continue !

Watch the video...

23 June - Soccer City Joburg - Germany vs Ghana

2010-06-24T10:08:00.001+02:00

Our first time at Soccer City last night. OMG !!

This place is so worthy of hosting a World Cup Final. I doubt there is any stadium on earth that comes close.Someone sauid to me recently that Soccer City doesn't come across so well on tv. I agree but I can promise you it's a very different story when you're there.

It is just so incredibly vast. The colour added by the Ghanaians and Germans last night really added to the atmosphere. (Yes, I did say Germans and colour in the same sentence !)

We're a little bummed that we won't be seeing England on Saturday, thanks to USA's last-minute winner against Slovenia. But USA vs Ghana is guaranteed to be a great game. Both sides will see this as a golden opportunity to make the Quarter Finals. Both teams have great sets of supporters too. The Ghana fans were raucous last night with their drums and smoking calabashes (see pics while I have never seen so many people from the USA as I have over the past 2 weeks. The soccer world, it is a changing.

22 June - Bloemfontein - South Africa vs France

2010-06-23T01:17:00.003+02:00

GOING OUT WITH PRIDE

That was a hectic day. Full of emotion. Seeing Bafana go out hurts hugely. But at least the French have finally been eliminated...8 months late. I'll let the pictures do the talking for now. Suffice to say that this was head and shoulders the best match we've been to so far.

I was interviewed by Aden Thomas on CapeTalk this morning. Have a listen.

http://soundcloud.com/2010roadtrip/00-20100622-084826-567-cape-talk-1

21 June - Joburg Ellis Park - Spain vs Honduras

2010-06-23T01:09:00.000+02:00

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FANS COME FROM ?

ENJOY TODAY'S SLIDESHOW

Spent Sunday night at a friendly and characterful B&B called Kiara's Guesthouse, run by the very friendly Lulu. Woke up Monday mornning to be informed by Lulu that she had seen us on TV the night before. This was a short insert that SuperSport did on our roadtrip (will post the clip when we get hold of a copy). Lulu's granddaughter, Kiara, had called her and said "look Ouma, the uncle in room 5 is on tv." We felt like celebrities for a couple of hours as a few people in Nelspruit approached us and asked if we were the guys they saw on tv.

Arrived in Joburg about 3 having mistakenly detoured via Pretoria (!). The World Cup buzz is palpable in Joburg. What really struck us is the number of foreign fans walking the streets and shopping centres. I mean genuine foreign fans, not 2nd generation South African immigrants sporting the colours of their grandparents' countries. The streets of Joburg are full of the real thing.... visiting fans speaking Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and American. It's as if most fans waited for the 2nd and 3rd group games to come out. We're starting to see large groups of foreign fans in the stadiums now. New Zealand had a surprisingly large contingent in Nelspruit on Sunday while Ellis Park last night resembled Little Madrid.

Being in Gauteng really brings home the sheer scale of the World Cup.Hosting just one international match with a 60 000 attendance and a few hundred million watching on TV is a major undertaking but doing it every day (sometimes twice a day) requires enormous resources and coordination by the Gauteng authorities. Make no mistake, if you can successfully host a World Cup, then, as a country, you are a force to be reckoned with.

As for last night's game, Spain finally woke up and , having scored 2 brilliant goals, promptly went back to sleep. The Rojos still have their work cut out to make the last 16. Friday night's game against Chile is going to be massive. Spain must win to advance and, if they do, Chile faces the very real prospect of being eliminated despite winning their first two matches. And we thought Bafana were hard done by being eliminated with 4 points.

NOTE: I am desperately looking for 1 extra ticket to the Spain vs Chile match in Pretoria this Friday night.I am willing to part-trade 2 Quarter Final tickets for Soccer City on 2nd July.

Of the 10 stadiums being used for the World Cup 5 are brand new and 5 have been reffurbished.Leaving Ellis Park last night I was reminded of Barack Obama's quote about Sarah Palin: " A pig with lipstick is still a pig." Ellis Park is no pig...but it is an old stadium, despite the cpsmetic uplift. Access is difficult, the concourse is cramped and the seats are on top of each other. It's like stepping back in time after our wonderful experiences at the brand new stadiums. It makes me realise just how much South Africa has already achieved.

The Road To Bloem

2010-06-22T14:11:00.000+02:00

2 HOURS BEFORE KICK-OFF

It's not what it seems. Today is not really about Bafana advancing. It's about the entire country celebrating just how proud we are of the way we have hosted this World Cup.

The road from Joburg to Bloem was amazing today. Hooting, vuvuzelas and flags from every car you passed. What a drive and what memory.

20 June - Nelspruit - Italy vs New Zealand

2010-06-21T00:18:00.002+02:00

AT LAST...WE'VE STRUCK GOALS

ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW..........AND TAKE PART IN OUR WORLD CUP POLL AT THE FOOT OF THIS POST.

There was a real sense of achievement about being at Mbombela Stadium today. Not because this is the most outlying of all 10 World Cup Stadiums (along with Polokwane); not because it had taken us such a very, very long time to get here from Cape Town; but rather because at long last we struck goal(s) !

Clearly we did need to move up-country to see the net bulge. Today we saw it happen twice in a thoroughly entertaining 1-1 shock draw between Italy and New Zealand. We've broken our duck and, because successful people recover quickly, there's no stopping us now, beginning with Spain vs Honduras tomorrow night at Ellis Park. A hatful of goals on the cards there we reckon.

We arrived in Nelspruit at 11.30 this morning, 27 hours after leaving Cape Town, 21 of which were spent in the car. We got up at 12 midnight in Colesberg this morning/ last night and it was always going to be a test of endurance to get to Nelspruit by midday. 1750 kilometres since 9am on Saturday. And all so we could stay in Cape Town on Friday night to see the England vs Algeria match.

Thankfully all went well and we descended into the significantly warmer lowveld with a sense of excitement and relief. Last night in Colesberg was so cold it was obscene. Joburg and surrounds was hardly any better at sunrise this morning with a thick layer of fog blanketing everything.

Nelspruit has always been one of my favourite towns in South Africa. Colourful, sleepy and warm, this is one of those places you always look forward to arriving in. Except that, today, colourful, sleepy and warm Nelspruit was hosting a World Cup Finals match.

Nelspruit did itself proud today. Transport to and from the stadium was ample and great. The fan fest was very well organised if a little under-attended for the lunchtime game. The people we met were fantastic. Thanks to Wayne and Monica, two locals (but total strangers to us) who saw us asking for directions at the park-and-ride centre and quickly whisked us off to our guest house in their own car.

But head and shoulders above everything else was the stadium. Granted, the landscaping outside Mbombela Stadium is not finished and the stadium looks completely surreal from the outside. It really is like a space ship which landed in the middle of the veld and then tried to be all inconspicuous about it. But once inside I guarantee that you will be captivated by this incredibly compact and atmospheric arena. It's a really unique design and takes its visual cues from the nearby Kruger Park. The stadium's external support pillars are shaped like giraffes facing off into the bush. Meanwhile the colour scheme of the seating is pure zebra. It's worth getting to Mbombela stadium a bit early just to see the seating.

On the downside the security coming into the stadium is a bit lax. It's great from the point of view of speed of access but not exactly a deterrent to someone intent on causing trouble.

Still, that's what makes Nelspruit such a pleasure to visit. They don't take life too seriously but they know how to get the job done. The whole operation at Mbombela Stadium is relaxed and makes Cape Town Stadium look very serious.

So we've struck goals and our goalless draw duck is broken. However, as Dylan pointed out, we have yet to see a team win a game ......or lose one for that matter. 4 games.....4 draws. What odds a 5th between Spain and Honduras tomorrow night ? Non-existent, I would suggest.

18 June - Cape Town - England vs Algeria

2010-06-19T20:45:00.003+02:00

'GOALLESS AND GRUMPY'

ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW. WILL HOPEFULLY POST THE VIDEO TOMORROW.

Something is very wrong with England. This is a team that qualified for the World Cup in style, winning their first nine games in a manner that rightly established them as one of the favourites to lift the trophy in July. How long ago those days seem now.

Apart from the first 20 minutes against the USA, England have been shocking. Completely lacking in penetration, this England team brings to mind the image of trying to knock in a nail with a hamster. Rooney looks like he’d rather be somewhere else. He just doesn’t look fully committed in the 50/50 challenges. It’s almost as if he is afraid of aggravating his recent injury. Gerrard looks as ineffectual as he has done all season for Liverpool and, despite having two years to prepare for this tournament, Capello still can’t decide on his strikeforce combination. It all contributed to a dismal England performance last night and a pretty dismal game all round.

Maybe we’re just taking it out on England because they were supposed to break our duck of going to see goalless draws. This must be some kind of record. Of the 23 games played in Fifa 2010 South Africa so far, 3 have been goalless. Guess which 3 games we’ve been to? That’s 4 and a half hours of World Cup football without seeing a single goal. Thank God we’ve got another 13 games left to see. There’s got to be at least 1 goal in there.

All a bit of a shame, really, because the atmosphere at Cape Town Stadium last night was unbelievable.

20 000 visiting English supporters created a sea of white and red in this stunning arena. A couple of thousand highly energetic Algerian supporters played their part too.

It was a great day all round yesterday in Cape Town. This is exactly how I imagined it would be during the World Cup; thousands of fans filling the streets and the senses being assailed by wave after wave of sound and colour.

This was my 7 year-old (Megan)’s first and last World Cup 2010 game, and it was quite a treat for me to have all 3 of my kids by my side last night. Megan put her head in my lap out of sheer boredom after about 20 minutes of the game. I suspect most people in the stadium would have done the same if they could have been sure of not getting slapped in the face by the person sitting next to them. Megan eventually perked up when I informed her that there were only 5 minutes left. We could all identify with that.

However, if World Cup history is anything to go by, this may yet turn out to be a great tournament for England. When England reached the quarter-final in 1986 and the semi-final in 1990 they did so after an atrocious first 2 games. In 86 England had just 1 point after 2 games, while in 90 they had 2, the same position they find themselves in this morning. The omens get even better for England when you consider that in both 86 and 90 they drew their second group game 0-0 (vs Morocco in 1986 and vs Netherlands in 1990). One of the great truths of the World Cup is that the winners very often start slowly. Italy are experts at this. The hare and tortoise theory is confirmed if you look at how, in the past, teams like Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain have started like a house on fire only to fall spectacularly in the early knockout stages. Argentina could be the hare in 2010.

That’s the bright side. The dark side is that England look appalling and I’m not sure I can see them turning it around in time to save themselves.

**We’re writing this about 20km the other side of Laingsburg. We left Cape Town about 3 hours ago, on the way to Nelspruit. While driving through Worcester, it occurred to us that we are following in the footsteps of our forefathers who, in the late 19^th century, travelled north from the Cape in search of gold. Here we are, in the early 21^st century, travelling north from the Cape in search of goals.

15 June - Port Elizabeth - Ivory Coast vs Portugal

2010-06-16T20:00:00.010+02:00

ENJOY THE VIDEO. SLIDESHOW AT FOOT OF THIS POST.

Note: Ok, can we just ignore that result tonight against Uruguay. It's the worst nightmare for Bafana Bafana. Who knows what can still happen against France but qualification for the 2nd round is not looking too good right now. However, this is still our World Cup and I suppose nobody can take that away from us. Sigh....... let's get back to the roadtrip.

After a hectic weekend of watching soccer and hosting soccer parties it was time to hit the road for the first time. We were on our way to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth to watch the much anticipated Group of Death clash between Ivory Coast and Portugal.

The sheer scale of the logistics involved in our 2010 roadtrip really hit us with this trip. Up at 2am on Tuesday morning and on the road by 3am in our brightly decorated car (for which, by the way, we still have no name).

Pulled over by a convoy of flashing police cars within an hour of leaving Cape Town to be informed that we had no back lights. Drove the rest of the 5 hour trip to Knysna in the dark with our hazard lights flashing. True soccer fan dedication.

Knysna is playing host to the French and Danish teams while its near neighbour, George, is a base for the Japanese team. Both towns have gone all out to welcome their guests; there are almost as many Danish and French flags on the streets of Knysna as there are South African flags. The word from the locals is that the Danish have been model house guests, opening some of their training sessions to the public and just generally being accessible. The French, on the other hand, have been like a snooty aunt who comes to stay, gets irritated by the children and closets herself away in her bedroom. The French team's bedroom is the tres upmarket golf resort of Pezula.

It was a very quick stop in Knysna to pick up our cousins, Joe and Justin, and their parents, Andy and Lynn. Then it was on to Port Elizabeth, a further 3 hour drive.

Stopping for 'pad kos' (literally road food) on the road to PE.

It seemed like the whole of Cape Town’s Portuguese community was on the road with us and this was borne out later inside the stadium. This could have been a home game for Portugal.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a most beautiful structure situated in a rather grim part of town. Its exquisite sunflower design contrasts sharply with its grey industrial environment.

There was nothing rough about this wonderful occasion. We were blown away by everything; the organisation, the friendliness of the stadium staff, the ease of access to the stadium and to the food/drink and toilet facilities, not to mention the fact that we were on the highway back to Knysna within 45 minutes of the final whistle. But most of all, we were blown away by the atmosphere. I’ve been to hundreds of matches over the years, but I have to say that the atmosphere at this match was something I’ve never experienced before. Riotous colour and deafening sound against the backdrop of a vibrant rhythm provided by a group of about 60 Ivorians, swaying and clacking some clacky things with precision timing .

The football was pretty exciting too, even though we witnessed our second straight goalless draw. As goalless draws go, this was about as good as it gets.

This match was where we saw the concept of an African World Cup come to life. The reception Didier Drogba received when he came on was enormous. Drogba has repeatedly spoken of how important this World Cup is to him, because it’s the first to be held in Africa. You could just see him responding to the setting yesterday as he actively encouraged the crowd to get behind the Ivorians. He was ecstatic at the final whistle despite his team only drawing after being the better side on the day. His delight stems from the fact that this very useful African team look like playing a big part in this African World Cup.

For Dylan and I Port Elizabeth was like a practice roadtrip and we’ve used it to test out our cameras, our video equipment and our speed of posting.

But most of all, we’ve used it to practice having the time of our lives on our impending 2010 roadtrip.

SLIDESHOW

11 June - Opening Day - It all begins here

2010-06-16T10:53:00.013+02:00

ENJOY THE VIDEO. SLIDESHOW AT FOOT OF THIS POST.

What a day ! What a week !

This country hasn't stopped rocking since Friday afternoon. (Which is why this post is a few days late !) Everyone is now a committed soccer fan ! Spectacular opening ceremony, spectacular opening goal from Siphiwe Tshabalala which literally had the whole country in a state of hysteria.......even if it was only for 20 minutes.

This day lived up to everything we hoped for for so long.

Cape Town looked and sounded magnificent. When you live in the suburbs and you're woken by the sounds of cars hooting and vuvuzelas blowing then you know something special is brewing. The fan mile was amazing and the stadium was something else. Cape Town Stadium looks magnificent from the outside but when you walk inside and see it full, lit up and about to host a World Cup match it will take your breath away.

Only one low point. My workplace had a big sweepstakes draw. Quite a big prize at stake. We all gathered together to make the draw just before shutting the office to head off and watch the opening game. Was anything ever more predictable than me drawing France. Ugghh !

SLIDESHOW

15 Hours To Go !

2010-06-11T01:32:00.003+02:00

Here's a pic of Cape Town Stadium taken by Dylan from the top of Table Mountain at 5pm this afternoon, less than 1 day before kick-off of the 2010 World Cup.

If the tournament is half as good as the build-up has been then we're in for a treat.

Wednesday was mind-numbing. Over 200 000 fans out on the streets of Joburg.....just to wish the team well. These pics are courtesy of some of my work colleagues, including Peter Khunong and Ken Molefe.

It's not just here that the buzz is building. These pics below were sent to me by Alan Palmer from London. He reckons England is the best place for atmosphere during a World Cup. Alan will be watching at a public outdoor venue on Saturday night when England open up against USA.

Alan and his son had planned to do a roadtrip in SA, just like we're doing, but couldn't make it in the end. He contacted the radio station I work for in Cape Town.....and now Dylan and I will be collecting match programmes as I go to help Alan add to his collection of more than 10 000.

P.S. Is that a vuvuzela I see in that English garden ???

Knysna in the Southern Cape is hosting both France (someone had to I suppose) and Denmark.On Sunday past the citizens of Knysna came out to welcome the teams to their town. Pics from Andy Stoker.

Send pics of the vibe where you are to jwalls@primedia.co.za

"Yoh"....Just another regular week in SA.....

2010-06-11T00:55:00.000+02:00

Less than 16 hours to go. I simply cannot believe it. Literally years and years of waiting is almost over. 32 years waiting to go to a live World Cup match (since watching my first finals on tv in 1978). 14 years waiting for South Africa to host the Finals (since our first, failed, bid was announced in around 1996). 6 years waiting for SA 2010 to kick off (since we were awarded this tournament).

Today feels like Christmas Eve when I was a kid....except that this time there will only be one Christmas Day in my lifetime.

I'm not going to blog properly tonight. I've got too much to organise for tomorrow. So I'm introducing a guest column. Paulo Dias is a colleague of mine with a fine turn of phrase. He's also a soccer-mad Portuguese South African who, I suspect, has also been counting down the last 6 years day by day.

P.S.......At noon tomorrow I will walk the fan mile with my kids and sister Colette and her husband Pat from Ireland. We'll watch the opening ceremony and Bafana game from a pub opposite the stadium. Then at 8.30pm it's Uruguay vs France.

Here's Paulo's article.............

"Yoh"

I am not one for soliloquy, prose or haiku – I like to keep it to the point, but please allow for me to wax lyrical and tell you about the week I’ve had.

On Saturday, I watched the USA and Australia play a friendly match at the stadium I play soccer. They defended the same goals I do and ran the same side of the pitch I do. It blows my mind that players who cost upwards of R100 million even used the same toilets that I do.

Sunday I joined 10 000 Portuguese on the side of the road to Magaliesburg in the hope that we’d catch a glimpse of the Portugal team bus. I saw a grown woman cry when the bus passed her. God knows how she would have reacted if she had been as lucky as me and 1999 other Porras to get into the team training session where people applauded Ronaldo stretching as much as they would have cheered a hat-trick.

On Monday I played indoor soccer as usual. The games can be quite tense and agro, but this Monday there was a sense of camaraderie amongst everyone. Late tackles were greeted with “no worries brother”, where normally they are greeted with fists.

On Tuesday I joined 30 000 Portuguese – of which I was only related to half of them – at a frikken cricket ground to watch Portugal play for the first time on African soil. It’s also the 1^st time I’ve seen them live and it was more special for me as I watched with my dad.

Growing up my father would bring home betamax tapes of euro and world cup qualifying games a week after they had been played and we would watch them together. This was the start of my love affair with football and the Portuguese team.

My dad won’t be traveling to the Portugal games with me – he reckons he’s past that stage in his life where he wants to queue with” rubbernecks who think they’re Ronaldo, blowing dis shtoopid vuvu-rubbish” – so he bought himself the biggest TV I have ever seen.

On Wednesday is when it started getting really nuts. My 1 brother-in-law – pay attention there are a few of them – calls me to tell me how he had dinner with the Portuguese team after Tuesday’s game. We then all know what happened yesterday afternoon. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life and seeing the Bafana players dancing on top of the bus showed how much it means to them. You can be sure that when their bodies are saying no more, they’ll think of that moment and find that extra something that gets them through the game.

Wednesday evening I was on my way to Orlando stadium to be part of the dress rehearsal for the Kick off concert. On the way, my other brother in law phones me to say that he met Arsene Wenger. At this rate, my 3^rd brother in law – who is on crutches after breaking his ankle after a savage stair attack – is going to have Ronaldo law hands upon him and cure him of all that ails him – Hallelujah!!!

So I get to Orlando Stadium to find a full American crew and 5 south Africans huddling in the corner feeling like strangers in our own country.

Let me tell you about yanks – they decide what they want the last minute and then expect it 5 minutes ago.

So there I was – 11pm in Orlando stadium, having coffe with John Legend and waiting for the BEP to finish their run through – I call them BEP now because we’re tight.

What I’m getting to, is that embrace every crazy moment the next 4 weeks are going to throw at you, encourage everyone you meet to do the same.

And take lots of photos.

Make sure your thermal jacket has place to store your sunscreen.

And remember, always wear your sunscreen.

You will never get this chance again so Live it, carry the brand with you and just enjoy.

Because no matter who lifts that trophy on July 11, South Africa has already won the World Cup.

Enjoy the football everyone and don’t ask me to explain offsides to you.

Boks For Bafana

2010-06-09T02:09:00.002+02:00

I love where I work. Today I was lucky enough to see the rugby world champions as they visited our radio station to wish their South African soccer counterparts well for World Cup 2010.This Springbok team are something special and to see them in person was a privilege. Less than 3 years ago this very team and their inspirational captain, John Smit, united the country in a way not seen since 1995.

And here he was today doing it again, but this time in honour of the South African soccer team. It's a measure of how important rugby is in this country, perhaps not in terms of the numbers who actually follow
it, but certainly in terms of its massive cultural and political significance. We saw it in Soweto for the Super 14 Final 2 weeks ago, and we saw it again today. Rugby may not be the number 1 choice of the majority but it wields influence far beyond its support base.

It is important to all South Africans that the Springboks should take time out to wish Bafana Bafana well. After all, this is a team who has won a world cup, and even if they were competing against 20 nations rather than 200, winning a world cup is still a major achievement.

John Smit is a class act and he would be at home in any leadership role, not just in sport. I looked at this man today, at his calm and focused demeanour, and recognised that he has a role to play in the development of South Africa, beyond the sporting domain.

But for now it was enough to hear his words of encouragement to Bafana, his advice to feed off the positive mood in the country. He's been through a few down periods as Springbok captain
so he understands the power of public opinion. Ride it while you've got it and make it work for you...........that's how I read his message to Bafana today.

Who's Bringing the Gees ?

2010-06-05T23:31:00.018+02:00

Less than 6 days to go and the gees is palpable. For the Irish among you let me explain. Gees is an Afrikaans word meaning vibe or spirit, and pronounced "gheese." Believe me, there is plenty of gees around at the moment. I suspect that if the Irish players had known just how much gees there was going to be be in South Africa they would have tied Thierry Henry's hands behind his back before the match started.

The gees can be felt all over town, in fact all over the country. Cars sporting flags and wing mirror socks; buildings draped in the flags of the 32 participating countries; people of all ages and colours wearing Bafana Bafana shirts. We visited the V&;A Waterfront today with my sister Colette and her husband Pat (visiting from Ireland) and the atmosphere was crackling. In fact a large crowd was watching South Africa's final warm-up match against Denmark on a big outdoor screen. It is going to be absolutely electric come Friday. You want to watch the opening game (SA vs Mexico) in a crowd just for the atmosphere, but finding a venue with space might be a problem. Foreign fans can already be seen walking around the Waterfront and a massive ferris wheel 60% of the size of the London Eye has been erected to add to the fun.

The highway approaching Joburg airport has been festooned with flags and is guaranteed to induce goosebumps in arriving supporters. In fact goosebumps are in evidence everywhere. There is only one topic of conversation in town this week and the sense that we are about to live through something enormous is tangible.

For the past 6 years we've been hoping that the atmosphere would be like this. It's surpassing our best expectations. Roll on Friday. Roll on the next 5 weeks.

2010 World Cup arrives...... at a rugby match in Soweto

2010-05-30T22:32:00.015+02:00

When South Africa was awarded the 2010 World Cup back in May 2004 there were 2217 days to go to kick off. Now there are 11.

Dylan and I have counted down every one of those days. Over the course of the last 2206 days South Africa has had 3 different Presidents and 7 or 8 different First Ladies.

Over the same period we've seen 5 brand new stadiums rise from the dust. We’ve seen highways constructed and bridges built. We’ve fended off an endless stream of negativity, peddled by sections of the German and British media (not to mention a lot of South Africans).

Award-winning journalism from The Daily Star

We are 11 days away from kick-off and that negativity has got nowhere left to go. The initial apathy shown by locals toward buying tickets has been replaced with a mad frenzy. A year ago there were no ticket queues. Now we’ve had to bring in riot police in to control the queues.

Fans queue for World Cup tickets

When South Africa was awarded the 2010 World Cup back in May 2004 there were 2217 days to go to kick off. Now there are 11. Over that time we’ve seen 7 different Champions League Finals and 7 different FA Cup Finals. All the other trophies and medals have been handed out. The next tournament is the big one, the one we’ve been waiting 6 years for.

On the very day South Africa was awarded the 2010 World Cup, in fact just 2 hours before the announcement was made, our Cape Town rugby team, the Stormers, were beaten by the Crusaders in the semi final of the Super 12. Dylan and I watched both events that Saturday morning at a pub called Rascals. I remember at the time being struck by the divide between rugby and soccer supporters in the pub. Put another way, you’d have been hard presssed that day to find a rugby supporter excited by the prospect of our staging the biggest sporting event on earth.

Fast forward 6 years to yesterday afternoon and the final of this year’s Super 14. The Stormers went one better this time and took on the all-conquering Blue Bulls in this southern hemisphere decider. The Bulls’ home ground in Pretoria is one of the 10 World Cup venues. To ensure a pristine pitch come June it was agreed to play no rugby there for a full month before. The Bulls had to find an alternative venue to stage both their semi final and the final. The Bulls, a team with the staunchest of Afrikaans heritages, chose Orlando Stadium in the heart of Soweto.

Orlando Stadium in Soweto

This stadium is a stone’s throw from the Hector Pieterson memorial, commemorating the Soweto uprising in June 1976. Many of the police who opened fire on Petersen and his fellow students were white Afrikaners. It is highly likely that many of them were supporters of the Blue Bulls (or Northern Transvaal as they were officially known back then).

A dying Hector Pieterson is carried by Mbuyiso Makhubo

Yesterday was a remarkable day and the images will live with us a long time. The vuvuzela has not, up to now, been a welcome guest at South African rugby grounds but the phenomenal noise created yesterday by 40 000 rugby fans would have done justice to the a Pirates-Chiefs Soweto derby.

The 2010 World Cup is here. It arrived yesterday afternoon at a rugby match in Soweto. This tournament will carry the whole nation and it will do so in a highly emotional way. If you think the singing of the national anthem at Orlando Stadium yesterday was spectacular then fasten your seatbelt for Soccer City on 11 June. 94 000 people will pack out another stadium in Soweto, vuvuzelas in hand. When they stand to sing the national anthem you will know for certain that this remarkable country’s time has come.

Cape Town Stadium and Thierry Henry - video

2010-05-25T23:28:00.000+02:00

The closer I get to kick-off the sadder I get about Ireland not being here. I thought I'd be over Thierry Henry by now but instead it's worse. Can't wait for 11 June at Cape Town Stadium and a chance to vent at the French !

Map Of Our Roadtrip

2010-05-21T13:38:00.033+02:00

View Our 2010 Road Trip in a larger map

Each green man represents a match. 16 matches in total. Click on the green man for further details.

Here's our itinerary. Check out the 360 degree views of each stadium (only Cape Town loaded so far).

11 June   Cape Town France vs Uruguay
360 view http://worldcupstadiums.in3sixty.com/stadiums/cape-town/
15 June Port Elizabeth I Coast vs Portugal
18 June   Cape Town England vs Algeria
20 June   Nelspruit Italy vs Nz
21 June   Joburg Spain vs Honduras
22 June   Bloemfontein South Africa vs France
23 June Soweto Germany vs Ghana
24 June   Polokwane Paraguay vs New Zealand
25 June   Pretoria Spain vs Chile
26 June   Rustenburg Round of 16 - 1C vs 2D
27 June   Soweto Round of 16 - 1B vs 2A
28 Jun     Durban Round of 16 - 1E vs 2F
29 June   Cape Town Round of 16 - 1H vs 2G
03 July    Cape Town Quarter Final 3
06 July    Cape Town Semi Final 1
11 July    Soweto Final

Dry Run for the World Cup - at Stormers Rugby

2010-05-21T13:17:00.001+02:00

We need to hone our video skills ahead of our roadtrip. Remember, our plan is to post a video each night with highlights of the day.

To get some practice we headed off to Newlands last Saturday for the crucial Super 14 match between the Stormers and the Bulls. What do you think?

A True Sporting Rivalry

2010-04-27T23:42:00.017+02:00

For non-family members.......this post is about a great football rivalry between my family and our cousins, the Lairds. It was started by my father, Desmond Walls, and my uncle, Bobby Laird.We had 5 boys (Dezy, Kevin, Peter, Paddy and myself) as did the Lairds (Bob, Eamonn, Davey, Harry and Brendan).What could be simpler or more innocent than a football match every time these two dynasties got together ? Right !

At the age of 9 I knew that there were only 3 sporting rivalries that really mattered: Dublin against Kerry; Ireland against England; and The Walls against The Lairds.

On a scale of importance The Walls against The Lairds was way out in front. Losing to Kerry or England was awful enough but at least you knew there’d be a chance for revenge within the next 12 months. Losing to the Lairds was pure, raw pain and the worst part was knowing that you probably wouldn’t play them again for another 10 years.

My father wasn’t outmanoeuvred at much but I reckon Bobby Laird had him for breakfast when together they conceived this harebrained scheme all those years ago. “I’ve got a few sons,” said my father, “check with Clare if you want exact numbers…..and you’ve got 5 sons. What could be more natural than a regular match-up with you and me as captains?”

My father knew that his superior fitness and manic drive would ensure a Walls victory 9 times out of 10……and he was right in those early days. But Bobby Laird was clearly a shrewd man. He had foresight. “Those Walls boys have talent” he thought to himself “but there isn’t an honest toiler among them. They all want to be the creative one running the show. Musicians, photographers and feckin’ bloggers the whole lot of them! Give us 10 years and we’ll be walking this match every time.”

Both teams being introduced to President DeValera the day before the 1969 match.

Now my eldest brother, Dezy, never heard Bobby having that thought, but he arrived at a similar conclusion. Unfortunately for us Dezy arrived at this conclusion after the Lairds had beaten us 16 times in a row;

“We used to win the early ones because we were older and our father was younger .... then they found our Achilles heel.” says Dez. “Get the Walls arguing among themselves and you have them. For some reason (once our natural leader was gone) we could never put anyone in charge. If Roy Keane had been a Walls he'd have had to walk out saying anarchy is self defeating.”

If Roy Keane had been a Walls brother-in-law he would have been lucky to get a game….maybe in goal. We used to rope in our brothers-in-law because we knew we weren’t good enough on our own. Ciaran and Joe were quite useful outfield players. Then we’d make them goalie because they were the only ones we could convince. We Walls brothers were far too important to go in goal. The ironic thing is that the Lairds had a brother-in-law called Felix. Now if ever a name earmarked you to play goalie it has to be Felix. You know like, ‘Felix reacted instantly and leapt feline-like to tip over another piledriver from Paddy.’ But I don’t think the Lairds ever put Felix in goal. They were nice to their brothers-in-law.

Can you believe I found a picture of Felix ?? Tx Clare.

By the time I was 9 I was already steeped in the Walls /Laird tradition. I’d never played in a Walls-Lairds game, I’d never even seen one, but I was ready to lay down my young life to help put one over those... those... Clontarfians. Dezy was still hurting from the previous 12 defeats but this time he was determined to right a great wrong. The match was scheduled for February 1977 but Dezy started plotting some 6 months earlier.

Throughout the long winter of 1976/ 77 we would wake early to train on Dollymount Strand, virtually in the shadow of the Laird homestead. This was a masterstroke on Dezy’s part. He knew it was only a matter of time before Uncle Bobby decided to walk the dog on the beach at 6.30am on a cold November morning. How Bobby’s heart would sink when he saw this determined group of athletes……Dezy playing in his tweed jacket and nylon slacks, Paddy lighting a fag, John puffing on his inhaler, and David Walls, well, just talking a lot.

'Dezy, why do I always have to get the ball back when it goes in the sea ?

Dezy should perhaps have suspected that all was not well simply by looking at the ages of his beach trainees…15, 13 and 9. The adults… Kevin, Peter and Ciaran… were tucked up in bed. (Actually I think Kevin was in Canada but he was probably still tucked up in bed.)

You’ve probably guessed by now that the Walls didn’t win the match in February 1977. Dezy didn’t quite pull it off. But I’ll tell you what he did do. He gave me one of the great memories of my young life. I was a 9-year old soccer nut and for me that game was more important than the FA Cup Final. I’d never been so nervous or excited about anything. There must have been 100 sisters, cousins and aunties on the sidelines at St Anne’s Park that day. It wasn’t just about the day itself though. It was the 6 months of endless tactical scheming over post-dinner coffee in Carrickbrack House. It was the heated arguments. It was the unheated early morning sessions on Dollymount Strand. It was doing something with your 4 brothers, something that our father had started and we were carrying on.

Snoopy, getting ready to chair the tactics meeting in the kitchen of Carrickbrack House.

At 9 years old it was natural to assume that there’d be many more Lairds games. In fact I can only remember one more, in the summer of 1986 which, much to everyone’s amazement, the Walls lost. It was a good occasion but, in truth, nothing could ever have compared with that first game for me.

So now, please make sure that the Lairds get to read this because there are 2 things I want to say. Firstly, please everybody add your memories to this, especially from the early days when Daddy and Bobby were involved.

The Lairds....still celebrating victory over the Walls after all these years. From left; Marie, Davey, Eamonn and Bob.

And secondly, there must surely be enough soccer-playing grandkids on both sides for us to rekindle this tradition for the next generation? Given the greater numbers on the Walls side, clearly we must have the better team, a team that will win 9 times out of 10...

THE ULTIMATE QUIZ FOR THE ULTIMATE WORLD CUP ANORAK*

2010-04-23T01:14:00.000+02:00

*ANORAK: UK disapproving a boring person who is too interested in the details of a hobby and finds it difficult to meet and spend time with other people (Cambridge Dictionaries Online)

This was inspired by a chat I had today with the Head Copywriter at the radio station where I work. She has been asked to come up with 125 World Cup quiz questions for a promotion we’re running next month. My World Cup anorak-ness could barely contain itself as I spluttered; “only 125 ?”
Bobby Moore and Pele 1970

I was only warming up when I enquired if she knew which team captain was arrested en route to defending their World Cup title in 1970. I was starting to hit my stride when I asked her to identify the defender who was so tragically murdered just days after his own goal saw Colombia eliminated from the 1994 World Cup. But I was netting a spectacular winner when I asked her to name the dog who recovered the stolen World Cup trophy in England in 1966.

That fiercely unfocused look she gave me is a look which apprentice World Cup Anoraks often mistake for boredom. How much they have yet to learn !

Fear not World Cup Anoraks, ye are safe here. Neither your name or your score will be made public (Eoin Brennan...6). You will rather retire to your favourite dark corner and ponder on your ranking:

0 - 2 ………You probably have a real life !

3 - 4……….You used to have a real life !

5 - 6……….You know someone who has a real life !

HERE”S THE QUIZ:

1930 – URUGUAY

Over 200 countries entered the 2010 World Cup. Two years of qualifying tournaments reduced that number to 32, the number of countries who will contest the Finals in South Africa, beginning on 11 June 2010. Back in 1930 there was no need for qualifying tournaments. Numerous withdrawals meant that only a small number of countries pitched up in Uruguay to contest the very first World Cup Finals.

The first World Cup Finals, in Uruguay in 1930, was contested by how many teams ?

(a)     8
(b)    18
(c)     13

1934 - ITALY

Uruguay failed to defend their crown in 1934, miffed at the number of European countries who had given them a miss in 1930. Mussolini misused the World Cup in much the same way as Hitler did the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Enough said. Italy won.

Moving on. Here’s the question……the beaten finalists are one of 3 countries who have lost 2 World Cup Finals but never been crowned world champions. The other 2 countries are Hungary and Netherlands. So, who lost the 1934 World Cup Final to Italy (as well as the 1962 Final to Brazil) ?
(a)    France
(b)   Chile
(c)    Czechoslovakia

1938 – France

This time the Italians gave the fascist salute before their Quarter Final game. They went on to win the tournament. The Italians may have won 4 World Cups, but how proud can they really be about the first 2 ?

Vittorio Pozzo and his 2nd World Cup

The question is:

Italy perform well close to home. They have won 4 World Cups and all 4 have been won in Europe. We’ve just learned about the World Cups they won in Italy and France. The other 2 World Cups they won were in;

   (a) Germany and Spain
   (b) Germany and France
(c)    England and Germany

1950 – Brazil

The 1950 World Cup in Brazil was a chaotic affair. Not surprising when you consider that the world was desperately trying to put itself back together after the destruction of World War 2. It was remarkable that the tournament survived. It was even more remarkable that the World Cup trophy survived. I’ve read conflicting reports of who the hero was that kept the trophy out of the clutches of the gold-digging Nazis.

Some say it was Ottorino Barassi, general secretary of the Italian federation (remember, the Italians were holders of the trophy.) Others say it was Jules Rimet himself, the man who came up with concept of the World Cup. What is not in dispute is that the World Cup spent the Second World War hidden under a bed, we’re just not quite sure if it was Otto’s bed or Jules’ bed.

Look what I found under the bed...

FIFA clearly believed that Jules was the saviour as the World Cup trophy was renamed the Jules Rimet trophy prior to the tournament.

Reading old reports of Brazil 1950 gives you a hint of what it is the Eurocentric critics of SA 2010 are afraid of. The 13 teams who played in the 1950 finals had to travel vast distances to play their group matches. Same story for SA 2010…but we might just be ok as we have a couple of jet planes lying around to help speed things up.

Then there were the stadiums. Brazil built the world’s largest stadium, the Maracana, for the 1950 tournament. Well they started building it for the 1950 tournament. They didn’t actually finish building it until everyone had gone home. South Africa has built 5 new stadiums from scratch for 2010. 3 or 4 years ago it was assumed we wouldn’t finish them on time. In the end we had them all ready to go with more time to spare than Germany did in 2006.

Brazil 1950 was also hit by a spate of withdrawals. Turkey and Scotland both withdrew after qualifying. Portugal were offered Scotland’s place but refused. Then France, who had failed to qualify, were offered Turkey’s place. This was the first example of France’s tendency to qualify for World Cups in rather unorthodox circumstances. At least the France of 1950 had the decency to turn down FIFA’s offer, something the French desperadoes of 2010 could have learned from.

There are a couple of other parallels between Brazil 1950 and SA 2010. Of the 13 countries who played in the 1950 finals, all but 1 will be playing in South Africa. In 1950 Italy were drawn in the same group as Paraguay, Spain the same group as Chile and, most famous of all, England were drawn in the same group as the United States. All of these match-ups will be repeated in June. The England vs USA match in Rustenburg on 12 June will surely summon up the ghost of Larry Gaetjens, the USA striker responsible for, still, the biggest upset in World Cup history…..USA 1 England 0.

USA team which beat England in Belo Horizonte in 1950 World Cup

1950 was the only time in 19 World Cup tournaments where there was no actual World Cup Final. Instead, the 4 group winners advanced to another league format with the country topping that table being crowned World Cup winners.

Whoever at FIFA decided to do without a Final must have spent the rest of their days giving thanks that the concluding league game between Brazil and Uruguay was effectively a Final. It certainly wouldn’t happen in today’s marketing-oriented FIFA. While the Olympic Games may give the World Cup a genuine run for its money as the world’s biggest sporting event, the actual World Cup Final is by far the biggest single sporting event on planet earth. The Olympics has no grand climax, no one moment that the preceding 2 weeks have been building up to.

But every 4 years, on one Sunday, 2 billion people around the world will be doing exactly the same thing at exactly the same time. Almost every country on earth enters the World Cup (more than 200). Now, over 90 minutes on one Sunday, 2 billion people will tune in to see the last 2 countries battle it out. It’s the most blindingly brilliant idea, and it’s down to its pure simplicity.

What 2 billion people will be focusing on on Sunday 11 July

Quite how an organisation as bureaucratic as FIFA owns a concept as simple as the World Cup is a great mystery. In fact there’s a strong argument for the phrase ‘FIFA World Cup’ to be reclassified as an oxymoron.

Enough of this gay banter……………here’s the question;

The 1950 World Cup “Final” attracted a world record crowd of
(a)                199 854
(b)               220 042
(c)                179 521

P.S. Uruguay beat Brazil 2-1 in that ‘Final.’ Brazil only needed a draw but got all over-confident when leading 1-0 early in the second half. Brazil had been overwhelming favourites and numerous suicides were reported in Rio that night as a direct result of the outcome of the game.

Uruguay celebrate becoming world champions in 1950.

1954 – Switzerland

I got quite carried away with Brazil 1950, so we’re going to time manage Switzerland 1954 and ensure an efficient account of the 5^th FIFA World Cup.

In essence, Hungary were head and shoulders above everyone else but got out-manoeuvred by the crafty West Germans, playing in their first World Cup since the end of the war. The Germans had sent out a deliberately weakened team in the group game against the Magnificent Magyars (Hungary). They lost 8-3 but managed to crock Hungary’s star player, Ferenc Puskas in the process. When the same 2 teams met up again in the Final, Germany were at full strength but Puskas was not. The 3-2 victory for West Germany was almost as big a shock as Uruguay beating Brazil 4 years earlier.

Germany celebrate victory in 1954

Very efficient time management John. Well done. Now the question please;

The infamous ‘Battle of Berne” quarter final saw 3 players sent off and a mass dressing room brawl after the game. Which 2 teams were playing ?;

(a)    Hungary and Uruguay
(b)   Brazil and Uruguay
(c)    Hungary and Brazil

1958 – Sweden

Pele blows the world away ! At 17 years old Pele took this World Cup by storm. His Brazil team improved as the tournament went on, scoring 5 against France in the semi-finals and then another 5 against hosts Sweden in the Final. Pele was the youngest player ever to appear in a World Cup Finals until Norman Whiteside of Northern Ireland took that record in Spain 1982.

Attendances had been sparse throughout the tournament but the Swedes picked up their game and started filling the stadiums as their own team progressed all the way to the Final.

Your question;

Sweden 1958 saw a new record for the number of goals in a World Cup final tournament by one player. That record was set by Just Fontaine of France and still stands to this today. Fontaine scored how many goals in Sweden 1958;

(a)    9
(b)   12
(c)    13

Just Fontaine

ANSWERS:

- 1930.........(C) 13

- 1934.........(C) Czechoslovakia

- 1938.........(a) Germany and Spain

- 1950.........(a) 199 854

- 1954.........(c) Hungary and Brazil

- 1958......... (c) 13

Part 2 to follow soon……………

U2, Soweto Gospel Choir and World Cup 2010

2010-04-14T22:38:00.000+02:00

Sports broadcaster ESPN has been making use of U2 to promote their coverage of South Africa 2010. Check out the video below as well as the following 2 posts. Great stuff !

Soweto Gospel Choir

Not only that but U2 have now collaborated with the award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir to record music which will be used in a series of inserts on South Africa. These inserts will be broadcast on ESPN throughout the World Cup.

U2 'Streets Have No Name'...Robben Island.....ESPN TV Commercial

2010-04-14T22:28:00.000+02:00

Great ad promoting ESPN's coverage of South Africa 2010 World Cup.

U2 'One' and 2006 World Cup

2010-04-14T22:23:00.000+02:00

If you're one of those folk who are struggling to understand what all the hype is about....check this out, from Germany 2006.

Get The Big Picture

2010-04-02T22:33:00.000+02:00

Somewhere along the line a whole host of South Africans have missed the point about World Cup 2010.

Alicia Keys in concert

It seems that our local music industry is up in arms because only 3 South African acts have been included in the line-up for the big World Cup concert to be held on the eve of kick-off (10 June) at Orlando Stadium. Outrage has been expressed by, among others, local music legend Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse as well as Minister of Arts and Culture Lulu Xingwana. The Creative Workers’ Union (CWUSA) has gone further by demanding that 80% of participants in all 2010 World Cup cultural events should be South African.

Sipho 'Hotstix' Mabuse

Never one to miss out on a good argument, COSATU has now weighed in with a call for “all its members to support CWUSA's rolling mass action to protest against this plan.” Spokesperson Patrick Craven said they agreed with CWUSA’s assertion that “this event (the World Cup) is an African World Cup and it’s for Africa.”

For 10 points.....is this (a) a COSATU protest during the 2010 World Cup or (b) a crowd of patriotic South Koreans supporting their country during the 2002 World Cup ?

This World Cup may be in Africa, and it will indeed benefit Africa………….but it is not FOR Africa. The World Cup is FOR the world. That’s the point of it. That’s why it is such an honour for us to host it. More than any other event the World Cup involves the whole world and unites the whole world. That whole world has chosen us to organise this event, not to own it.

I’m not sure where this message got lost. When Danny Jordaan and FIFA spoke about this being an African World Cup they meant it would have an African setting, an African flavour, not that it would be exclusively African. While we’re at it why don’t we insist that 80% of the teams playing in the finals be African ?

So let’s imagine that CWUSA get their way and the line-up for the World Cup concert is 80% African. What’s that going to do the tv audience figures? Would you have tuned in to the 2006 World Cup concert if it featured 80% German acts?

I mean, really, who wants to see the Black Eyed peas live ?

But CWUSA would rather have 80% African artists and attract only 20% of the potential worldwide tv audience. It’s small picture thinking on a grand scale.

Here’s the big picture. On 12 July

South Africa

will be the darling of the world. We will have hosted the most successful, most vibrant event the globe has ever seen. The entire world will have been captivated by our spirit, by our people, by our organisational ability. Around the world people will be clamouring for South African products, be it our vuvuzelas, our wine or our music.

If I were a paid-up member of CWUSA this is what I would demand of them; help me capitalise on the pro-South African mood around the world. Help me find gigs in London, in Berlin, in Tokyo. Help me get my records played on radio stations around the world in July and August 2010.

Likewise the tourism, accommodation and airline industries. Instead of worrying about what business didn’t come your way in June 2010 rather get out there and take advantage of the positive global sentiment towards

South Africa

that will exist on 12 July 2010.

Look at Germany 2006. That tournament transformed how the world viewed that country. From dour and anal to fun-loving and united in 4 short weeks. It had nothing to do with the million who actually visited the country for the World Cup. It had everything to do with how the other 2 billion people watching on tv perceived the country.

Germany 2006

If I were an exporter of South African fruit, or wine, I would have displays booked in Sainsbury’s, Tesco’s and their equivalents around the world for Monday 12 July.

If I were SA Tourism, or SAA, or Kulula I would make Monday 12 July the first day of my biggest ever overseas advertising campaign.

If I were a South African musician I would ask CWUSA to stop focusing on 10 June and start focusing on 12 July.

An Irishman supporting England in 2010

2010-03-27T18:35:00.000+02:00

You might as well say that de Valera was a Protestant or that Brian ‘O Driscoll eats quiche. As an Irishman, admitting that you are going to support England in the World Cup is about as heretical as it gets. It’s about as unthinkable as the Pope suggesting that paedophile priests actually be prosecuted.

But that’s what I’m doing. I’m supporting England.

Ok, there’s a caveat. I’m assuming that my no.1 choice, South Africa, won’t do a South Korea and reach the semi-finals. Plus, I’ve got the luxury of being an objective observer, freed of the gut-wrenching tension of following Ireland, thanks to the favourite plaything of Thierry Henry (his left hand).

In Ireland the idea of supporting England in a World Cup is about as palatable as a grapefruit the morning after a skinful of Guinness. We’re a nation that rates victory over England as possibly more important than ever actually winning a tournament. It’s 1916 all over again every time we take the field.

Listen, there’s a lot to be said for it. As a nation we really did take it in the eye from the English for centuries. When we did finally break free of their oppression it was not with an epic injury-time winner that transformed everything. It was rather with an ongoing mid-table struggle that eventually led to stability and a place in Europe. We lacked that decisive moment of victory, that result that said we had won and they had lost. Which is why it feels so good when we turn them over at Croker, Lansdowne Road or, even better, Twickenham.

Ireland vs England at Croke Park in 2007

Beating England feels good. It’s part of the Irish DNA. But then comes the really odd part. You’ve just watched Ireland beat England at Lansdowne Road and you’re celebrating with a pint. You’ve discussed the game and you feel euphoric, but within half an hour you’re arguing about the Man U/ Liverpool game the following Sunday.

Most Irishmen supported an English club team before they supported the Republic of Ireland. Most Irishmen will put their lives on hold to watch their English teams play in a cup final. Most Irishmen have sons who wear English club shirts.

It’s a peculiar scenario but not peculiar to Ireland. In Cape Town the city comes to a virtual standstill when Man Utd play Liverpool. The difference is that these people will support

England

when Bafana Bafana get knocked out of World Cup 2010.

Man Utd fans in Cape Town

Not so in Ireland. There it’ll be ABE (Anyone But England) and all the better if another ‘Hand of God’ goal knocks them out. Did any of you Irish notice how much support we got from English fans over the Thierry Henry incident ? Do any of you remember the glee we felt when Maradona did the same to England in 1986 ?

Supporting English clubs but hating the English presents a bit of a dilemma. Faced with the choice of going to watch Shamrock Rovers on a cold and dark Sunday afternoon or tuning in to Arsenal vs Chelsea in the comfort of your living room, I know what I’d do. But there are Irish people who have made the difficult choice and I salute them. My nephews, Eoin & Nick Brennan, used to be Blackburn supporters but they have now publicly denounced their support of English club football and currently travel the length and breadth of the country supporting Shelbourne in the Irish second division. Out of the frying pan I would say !

Eoin, Nick & some of their mates practice for the Berlin Gay Pride March.

But at least these two have the integrity to back up their sentiments with action. When they go to Croke Park to support Ireland you sense that they deserve to be there. They’ve earned the right to hope that England get beaten by

USA

on 12 June in Rustenburg.

I admire them. I don’t admire the Irishmen who would have donned their Man Utd shirts on 22 May and prayed that Wayne Rooney deliver them a 4^th European Cup, yet 3 weeks later prayed that the same Rooney gets sent off as England are humiliated by Algeria.

Like most Irishmen I’ve grown up on English club football. My weekends can still be made or broken by the Leeds result. English football has inspired and transfixed me for 33 years. That’s a debt I need to repay.

The reason I fell in love with English football !

Which is why I fervently hope that if Aaron Mokoena can’t pick up the World Cup at Soccer City on 11 July, the man who does so will be Rio Ferdinand.

Note

We seem to be destined to follow

England

on our World Cup road trip. We have England vs Algeria in Cape Town on 18 June. Should

England

top their group we have their Round of 16 match in Rustenburg on 26 June. If they win their Quarter Final we then have them in Cape Town for the semi-final on 6 July. Then on to Soccer City in Soweto for the Final on 11 July.

City Of Goals

2010-03-11T00:50:00.000+02:00

If Cape Town is the laid back sophisticate, beautiful to look at but not always easy to connect with, then Joburg is the brash energetic one, a bit rough around the edges, but big on personality and brimming with sex appeal.

Joburg is a strange city. Aesthetically it’s a disaster. Mine dumps instead of mountains, a couple of manky streams running through it, and sprawling suburbs with about as much character as a FIFA official explaining the World Cup ticketing system. Joburg is the largest city in the world not situated on a river, lake or coastline. This is a gold rush town. That’s the only reason it exists.

A river or coastline would have been quite handy to transport the gold but Joburg had to make do with building roads…..a lot of them. Nobody likes an empty road, so the next step was to build houses on those roads…..a lot of them. Joburg is only 124 years old, a teenager in city terms. A teenager raised on a diet of slap chips and Coke if the sprawl is anything to go by.

When your looks are that bad you have no choice but to rely on your personality. For a city, that means your people. Joburg is the only city I know whose charm emanates purely from its citizens. To make a place like Joburg seem charming they must be pretty special people.

They are. This is a place where your background and your school matter less than what you have to say around the braai. It’s a place where people look you in the eye when they do business, no hard feelings, no regrets. But it’s also a place where you can meet someone for the first time on a Thursday and be lifelong friends by Saturday.

Joburgers are sharp, they’re resourceful, they’re funny and they’re warm….and they’ve built the most magnificent stadium I’ve ever seen.

Primedia Broadcasting staff

On Monday I was lucky enough to visit Soccer City along with the rest of my colleagues at Primedia Broadcasting. Soccer City is the site of 8 games including the final, the opening game and a couple of snorters like Brazil vs Ivory Coast and Germany vs Ghana.

Inside the dressing rooms

Soccer City is so Joburg! Distinctly rough around the edges. Not just the neighbourhood in which it sits but also the approaches, the concourse and the car parks, all of which are some way off the finished article. But Soccer City is a true Joburger. If you can get past the jagged façade and into the heart you’ll be blown away.

The scale of this stadium is magnificent. 94 000 seats within spitting distance of the action, all housed inside an African Pot, a calabash set in a ‘pit of fire’ (the surrounding perimeter gate). Standing in the centre of the pitch what strikes you most is the way the sound is contained within the pot and amplified. Bafana Bafana defender Matthew Booth knew what he was talking about when he said he didn’t envy any team taking on 90 000 vuvuzelas at Soccer City.

John Robbie, David O' Sullivan and Aki Anastasiou

John Robbie, our morning show host on Talk Radio 702 and rugby pundit, told me that the Soccer City pitch has been adapted to accommodate rugby. We all know that the Springboks are virtually unbeatable at Ellis Park with 60 000 heaving, pulsing Joburgers roaring them on. God help the All Blacks when they have 94 000 Springbok supporters baying in the cauldron of the African Pot.

But that’s for another time. For now, God help the Mexicans when they enter the calabash at 4pm on Fri 11^th June. Welcome to Joburg, amigos.

Watch the video: The only Irishman likely to score a goal in 2010 at the World Cup Final venue

There's a Stadium Growing Outside My Window (updated version)

2010-02-01T22:10:00.001+02:00

With the help of my sister Siobhan I updated this post and submitted it to The Irish Times for publication in An Irishman's Diary. Here's hoping! It's got more of an Irish feel now and sums up how I felt after Thierry Henry's infamous "instinctive reaction."

NOW WATCH THE VIDEO: (tx to Colin Cullis for all the graphics.)

I've always wanted to live beside a major sports stadium. I don't know what it is about big stadia but they've always done it for me. My first visit to any major stadium is imprinted on my mind. As a kid it was Dalymount Park, Croke Park and Lansdowne Road. I can recall the game, the weather, the sounds and the smells. In the 1970's the smell was always likely to be of cigarettes and wee and each stadium had a unique feel to it that was impossible to replicate.

Dublin capture the All Ireland at Croke Park 1976

Even today I get a thrill when I pass a major stadium. The best part about circling Heathrow is to see how many you can pick out from the sky. Craven Cottage, Stamford Bridge and Griffin Park (major?) are a given, but I've spotted those three, plus Wembley, Twickenham and The Oval in one holding pattern. In my student life I've lived within walking distance of Upton Park and Loftus Road. The challenge was to see how close to Saturday 3pm you could get before walking nonchalantly out your front door and still have time to buy a programme and a burger before kick-off.

As the years passed and I settled in South Africa, it soon became apparent that my life's progress would be measured in terms of how close to a major stadium I got to live. In Joburg I could just about hear the Rolling Stones playing at Ellis Park through my living room window. But that paled by comparison when I moved to Cape Town where I could sit on my patio and listen to Rod Stewart, Lionel Richie or the Indian Premier League from Newlands cricket ground. My living room was lit bright by the floodlights and the roar of the crowd rendered the two-second TV broadcast delay irrelevant.

Newlands cricket ground

This past year I have discovered the ultimate place to live. Unfortunately it's where I work. When I look out my office window I am privileged to see Table Mountain and the CapeTown Waterfront, but right smack bang in front of me is a vision the likes of which only a stadium junkie can truly appreciate. It’s called Cape Town Stadium.

Let me tell you now that this will be the abiding icon of World Cup 2010. And far beyond 2010 this is a place where any sportsperson or musician worth their salt will want to play.

Through my office window I've watched this giant rise from the earth. It’s a thing of beauty. From whatever point you sit in this stadium you will feel that you are actually playing with Kaka, Messi and Torres, and you’ll be close enough to shake the left hand of Thierry Henry.

My family at the construction site with the grandson of Robert Sobukwe, a legendary anti-apartheid activist.

It may have cost twice its original price tag to complete (a bone of contention to many Capetonians) but this place is going to repay that investment over and over again.

I visited Sydney last year and was secretly delighted when my tour guide told me that the Opera House exceeded budget by something like 1000%, took 12 years longer to build than planned, and was roundly ridiculed by most Sydneysiders. Today the Opera House probably brings in as much revenue to Sydney in one day as it cost to build.

When the final whistle goes in the World Cup Semi Final on 6th July 2010, Cape Town Stadium will already be an icon recognised around the world.

Of course the ultimate stadium needs the ultimate team to play in it and, for me that was to be Ireland. That was the whole point. From the moment South Africa was awarded the World Cup back in 2004 this was pure destiny. Ireland would miss out on Germany 2006 and Euro 2008 as a kind of purgatory designed to make our appearance at South Africa 2010 even more ordained. For God’s sake weren’t we building an entire stadium for them? Why wouldn’t they come?

Like the whole of Ireland I sat stupefied as the events of November 18th unfolded at Stade De France. But the tears only flowed some 12 hours later when I took a lunchtime drive and pulled up at Cape Town Stadium. We had built it, why weren’t they coming?

In Ireland you’ll be able to avoid the World Cup simply by skipping the sports page. In South Africa 2010 is not a year, it is the World Cup. We’ve been waiting like a neglected child for this chance to shine. So, any prospect of my calmly accepting Ireland’s fate and moving on is denied to me. It’s in my face every single day.

Plan B swings into action. I’m a devoted soccer fan and the kind of boring person who can tell you every World Cup winner, losing finalist and host nation since 1930. I’ve always wanted to go to a World Cup. Which is why when South Africa was awarded the World Cup in 2004, I told my then 9 year old son that we would take a road trip in 2010 to follow the event. I never got to the World Cup. It had come to me.

Six years later my son is a confident 15 year old, as excited about our road trip as I am. 16 matches, including the Final. 10 games in 10 days taking in all 10 stadiums. My 13 year old daughter is going to join us for half the games. The ultimate World Cup football fan’s dream.

Where does our road trip start ? At Cape Town Stadium of course, on June 11th. And guess who’s playing? France. We built it and look who came? I asked my kids if they’d be embarrassed if I wore an Ireland shirt and booed Thierry Henry. They said they wouldn’t mind at all.