6 July - Cape Town - Netherlands vs Uruguay

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.)