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World Cup could fall flat if South Africa carry on losing
South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup is supposed to be a watershed for the world game and the African continent, an opportunity to emphasise the international flavour of the game and at the same time give an under privileged continent a chance to prove its potential and bask in the world spotlight.
To that end South Africa is a flurry of construction as new stadiums go up along with hotels, rail and road projects and a myriad of other infrastructure improvements.
But the most important building project should be the country’s football team, who have been to two previous World Cups but have never shown the ability to be truly considered among Africa’s real soccer superpowers.
South Africa won the African Nations Cup 12 years ago, when they hosted the tournament, reached the final two years later and were third in 2000. But it has been a downhill spiral ever since and on Saturday the team were effectively eliminated from the qualifiers for the 2010 Nations Cup finals in Angola.
A home loss to Nigeria left Bafana Bafana with four points from five matches in their group and all but mathematically out of contention. It will end a run of appearances at seven successive Nations Cup tournaments.
It is a massive embarrassment for the country that in the year in which they host the World Cup, they will not be among the 16 best African sides in the Nations Cup fields.
Did you know that Bafana bafana means `Boy Boy`…it is more likely to read as boy oh boy in 2010. The South Africans are already proclaiming their victory as World Cup Winners of 2010 within their own media outlets. They are due for a very big surprise, who wants to see the likes of Brazil in their group?…15-0 anyone?
The South Africans also, mistakenly, believe that this World Cup will be a massive windfall for the country, but who is going to pay for all the derelict hotels, and all the other derelict buildings left behind when the World Cup goes to Brazil or Argentina, and everyone goes home?
The level of football within South Afria is , roughly, on a par with the Blue Square League in England, or Scottish Division 3…I have seen far better pub teams than their supposed `top` teams…if the National Team is to contain any of those players, then I pity them. They have no skill, no ability and no fitness, against professional players, they will fall apart.