Tranquil Tshwane

Somehow the Arg vs. Nig experience was not nearly as extravagant as I had fantasized. It was wonderful to be seated 3rd row right near the corner flag to view the match in its entirety. However there was mild disillusionment that the Nigerian faithful were not stronger represented. In many ways if not for the obnoxious Vuvuzelas, it was nearly a home field advantage for the Argentineans who are apparently 10,000 represented. (That not including second parties like myself who feel a stronger attachment to Argentine national team than the US, hence add an extra 5-10 thousand).
A Nigerian friend suggested that there are over 1 million Nigerians living in South Africa, so where’s the national pride & support? Whereas the Nigerian football was at average at best,(Aside from the goal keeping),it was the same for their fan support.
Contrary to West Africa’s most populous nation Nigeria lacking a continuity & unity when time for battle, the recent powerhouse in Ghana showed its true colors! Arriving in Pretoria Sunday at noon taxied from Jo-burg by our Taxi driver JUSTICE, we dropped the bags & headed straight for the stadium within walking distance. Pretoria/Tshwane is a sigh of relief from a paranoid & congestion ridden Johannesburg. For starters the 44,000 capacity stadium has a much more intimate feel than the larger more publicized stadiums.
There were some serious question marks for both Serbia & Ghana going into the match. Still, there was a glowing pride in the Ghanaians & assured self confidence that they would win, lacking in the Nigerian faithful & further debacle demonstrated by Cameroun with a pitiful performance losing 1-0 against Japon. A Ghanaian woman was being interviewed outside the stadium 1 hour before game-time by Ghanaian TV, “I’m sure we’re going to win, as Ghanaians we always take the lead for Africa, we have other players to replace Essien, we are going to triumph, I am sure of it!”
The energy in the stadium was majority Ghanaian support. Luckily Eric & I were seated right behind the Serbian Ultras. There was an incident I found very disturbing at the beginning of the match. The Serbian Ultras were joyously jumping up & down chanting, while most S. African locals seated near us were demanding they sit down & be quiet. I’m not sure if this comes from the British influence of, sit politely like a gentleman & mind your gin & tonic while viewing cricket. I myself tried to be suggestive of a stand & join in on the raucous model.
The match was fairly open & definitely physical, this guy Kevin Prince Boateng was a monster in the central midfield for Ghana. His demeanor suggested he was running the team, a German born citizen, who had attained a Ghanaian nationalization right before the cup, & thus far has been the most influential player in the first round of games. It was great to see Ghana win, however I was a little perturbed at the exalting celebration of beating an average Serbian side when the motive should be to go deep in the tournament.

While the easy response to, “Wow! How exciting is it to be there?” is a ,“Yeah it’s amazing”, there are many frustrating elements about the structure of the tournament , it’s hard to know where to begin.

1.Street food is near non-existent! Rather, relegated far away from any walking distance of stadiums & fan zones. Thus, one is left with (Broswerger Sausages to eat) & to drink Coke or Budweiser, that’s it!

2.Knock off merchandise/ gear for the real fan is also non-existent, “This is Africa!” Who is going to afford $80 for official jersey prices, the same value of entry to a match, totally absurd!

3.Why millions of dollars to build stadiums of which some are only hosting 3 matches. Then, ensure that the stadium is half-empty because FIFA is only thinking about profit. Why are the tickets not given away last minute to local kids to ensure that the stadiums are full? Isn’t that what the world cup is supposed to be about?

4.There is something wrong with the balls! After watching most of the first 10 matches, something is wrong with so many top- class players blasting the ball 20 meters wide or way over goal. No goals from deep outside shots! Aside from the Cristiano Ronaldo Rocket that hit the post yesterday, take note! What a game that was, Ivory Coast really blew their chances, It looked as if they didn’t want to win, with the lack of finishing & last minute not taking the corner kick in time!

5.The Vuvuzelas may sound cool on your TV set back home giving this bee-hive sound effect, or suggesting an intense stadium atmosphere. However they are an awful ignorant man’s muzzle. They are damaging to ears & mute out the drumming, singing & chanting of the “real fans” who travel across the world to rep their countries. I won’t even begin with the music, 90% of tourists will leave South Africa in a few weeks & have no idea, or never been told or listened to Kwaito music. I can say it’s those small moments in a moving vehicle listening to melodic Kwaito, where I feel alive here in South Africa.


6.The gloom of disillusionment on many Black South African laborer faces. Many knowingly are contracted for a month & will be unemployed as soon as the tournament ends. Speaking with an Algerian, (The Algerian camp 1,600 strong is stationed in Pretoria.), ”You can see they are marginalized & disempowered”

7.The South African National Soccer team is playing for something really massive! I see them already facing Argentina in the round of 16 already at this early juncture.