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.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
The Richest Man in SOWETO.
What started as a ¨Where do we want to watch the Opening Game?¨, Eric & I were bordering on satying at our hostal & saving up energy for the Arg vs. Nig Match the following day. We were talked into joing a group of miscelaneous foreigners to attend a Fifa Sponsored ¨Fan Zone¨. What we initially envsioned as a mainly tourist attraction with over-priced food & drink turned into something uniquely Sowetan.
We were driven as a surprise 1st to Soccer City for what turned out to be a drop-off point for the hostal manager Mama Fefe. Catching a seperate bus from stadium en route to Soweto stuck in traffic Eric commented, ¨This was a really bad idea!¨
Upon arrival at the Fan Zone, a black sea of mass blowing ¨Vuvuzelas¨, earplugs are a life saver. There was one 30 meter screen for the entire community, somewhere between 30-50 thousand a rough estimate. Some experiences are indescribeable. I´ve never had so many people grab me & then motion, ¨Can I have one, (Foto)?¨ or ¨How´s it?¨. Within the norm of extreme poverty & lack of education of the Black South African, makes up for in sincerity & genuine curiosity. The 1st half I surely thought that Mexico would grab the lead. During halftime I wondered around & snapped pics of kids who had climbed into trees, to atain amore relaxed view of the on TV Screen. There was a magnetic energy that one subconciosly felt would will South Africa to victory. Having traveled the world & comparing to soccer crazed Brasil & Argentina, even a Brasilian friend Tadeu (a Corintians supporter from Sao Paulo) described it as, ¨I´ve never experienced- seen anything like this¨, it was deafening maddness!
As the final whistle blew capping a a 1-1 tie between South Africa & Mexico, the sun had just but all dissapered & the open grass space turned into an even-more joyous mayhem with fireworks, glowing lights, screeching cars, little space to maneouver ,& Kwaito music thumping from every automobile. Crossing a road to catch a Mini Bus out of the Chaos a young boy shouted, ¨Welcome to Fucking Soweto!¨ That struck a strong chord of reality.
As we partitoned a mini-bus to deliver us westerners back to our calm suburb an hostal in Emmarentia, our van driver asked if he could stop for some ¨Juice¨ - Gasoline. The gas station had the open atmosphere of a Kwaito dance fest, & turned into something of a comedic 20 min delay. While wearing earplugs throughout the entire Soweto Experience, I can´t compare the rawéxperience as something other than a complete over-stimulation of energy. While taking over 200 fotos, no photo can truly sum-up the experience of feeling on a humanistic level, the Richest Man in Soweto. People with relatively nothing materialistically, shareing what little they have, wether a hand shake or a South Africa hat. I had a hard time sleeping I for the next 2 days to give an idea of fow intense the energy was.
Somebody old me afterwards that when jumping on the 2nd bus to Soweto a Mexican was so excited to be arriving at the stadium, that he accidently dropped his ticket ubknowingly, a South African picked it up & dissapeared into the mass.
We were driven as a surprise 1st to Soccer City for what turned out to be a drop-off point for the hostal manager Mama Fefe. Catching a seperate bus from stadium en route to Soweto stuck in traffic Eric commented, ¨This was a really bad idea!¨
Upon arrival at the Fan Zone, a black sea of mass blowing ¨Vuvuzelas¨, earplugs are a life saver. There was one 30 meter screen for the entire community, somewhere between 30-50 thousand a rough estimate. Some experiences are indescribeable. I´ve never had so many people grab me & then motion, ¨Can I have one, (Foto)?¨ or ¨How´s it?¨. Within the norm of extreme poverty & lack of education of the Black South African, makes up for in sincerity & genuine curiosity. The 1st half I surely thought that Mexico would grab the lead. During halftime I wondered around & snapped pics of kids who had climbed into trees, to atain amore relaxed view of the on TV Screen. There was a magnetic energy that one subconciosly felt would will South Africa to victory. Having traveled the world & comparing to soccer crazed Brasil & Argentina, even a Brasilian friend Tadeu (a Corintians supporter from Sao Paulo) described it as, ¨I´ve never experienced- seen anything like this¨, it was deafening maddness!
As the final whistle blew capping a a 1-1 tie between South Africa & Mexico, the sun had just but all dissapered & the open grass space turned into an even-more joyous mayhem with fireworks, glowing lights, screeching cars, little space to maneouver ,& Kwaito music thumping from every automobile. Crossing a road to catch a Mini Bus out of the Chaos a young boy shouted, ¨Welcome to Fucking Soweto!¨ That struck a strong chord of reality.
As we partitoned a mini-bus to deliver us westerners back to our calm suburb an hostal in Emmarentia, our van driver asked if he could stop for some ¨Juice¨ - Gasoline. The gas station had the open atmosphere of a Kwaito dance fest, & turned into something of a comedic 20 min delay. While wearing earplugs throughout the entire Soweto Experience, I can´t compare the rawéxperience as something other than a complete over-stimulation of energy. While taking over 200 fotos, no photo can truly sum-up the experience of feeling on a humanistic level, the Richest Man in Soweto. People with relatively nothing materialistically, shareing what little they have, wether a hand shake or a South Africa hat. I had a hard time sleeping I for the next 2 days to give an idea of fow intense the energy was.
Somebody old me afterwards that when jumping on the 2nd bus to Soweto a Mexican was so excited to be arriving at the stadium, that he accidently dropped his ticket ubknowingly, a South African picked it up & dissapeared into the mass.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Argentina glides past Canada in warm-up!
Higuain Messi
Tevez
Di María Pastore Jonas Gutiérrez
Mascherano
Heinze Otamendi
Samuel Demichellis Banco: Milito/ Clemente Rodriguez/ Veron/
Romero
O Canada, stick to hockey! The friendly w/ Canada was purposely organized by the AFA, so that the Argentines could have any easy run around & build some confidence before getting on the plane to South Africa. Only, the game went better than many skeptical Argentinians would have expected. The result 5-0 is more or less something expected, however the ball movement & full-on collective effort was some to suggest some serious expectations. The big surprise will be to start the 20 year old slick Pastore. Although marking was non-existent, I picked up on something in Pastore I haven’t seen from an Argentine central midfielder since Aimar in his prime. A distributor who doesn’t need to hog the ball & slow the pace like a Riquelme nor an over anxious long ball passer as Veron can be when unsettled. Pastore showed flashes to be the perfect unknown, w/ a bit of swagger who can find the ball, & within seconds have redistributed it to a player running into open space. Hallelujah! Many analysts suggested Pastore started in place of an injured Messi. I would beg to differ, or at least only hope that Maxi Rodriguez is relegated to the bench so that Messi can run wild on the right side of the pitch which is his strength. Could the coaching staff have been saving some master plan all along? Argentina has some serious potential to be a mad-happy offensive team.
It seems Di Maria is going to be rode like a horse, if something happens to him, there is no-one for the left wing, other than Aguero, or switching over Messi if on top of his game. Palermo was the only player in the friendly vs. Canada who looked like he did not belong when brought on from the fans clamoring, “Paleermo, Paleeeermo!”. Heinze is an extreme liability defensively, yet as long as he plays aggressive attacking, he may be Ok. Clemente Rodriguez would be a more sure fire choice in that position if I were in charge. El resto del equipo me parecio barbero!
Friday, May 21, 2010
100 on Ghana!
Mes amis Futboleurs!
To quote the truest French footballiuer Eric Cantona, "this game is about heart, Hohner, & beauty." The worlds greatest competition on the African soil for a first time. Most of the main-stream media outlets & expert annalists have suggested "There will be no surprises, that the champion will arise from one of the 6 original powerhouses"; England, Germany, Holland, Argentina, Brasil, Spain."
I will give an honest proposal w/ only one African team that can legitimately win the whole enchilada, that team is GHANA. Ivory Coast is full of talent but no spirit after the African Cup of Nations debacle. Even without "El Bison" Michael Essien in the midfield (lost to injury), & wo/ a true killer up front in the attack, I see Ghana to be the most physically imposing & "subestimado" to reckon with. They have some young 20 year-old talent whom performed well during the ACN that the world has yet to take notice of.
This will also be the first time in over 50 years that Germany will not reach the Final 8, aside from the Ballack injury, purely based on intuition & a lack of player production over the last 4 years. The best team in Europe when the time is right will be Holland. England's life-line is 99% dependent on Rooney as he could steal the show. If not, England will go home early again & along w/ an always crack under the pressure Espana. It's absurd to believe the 4-1 Vegas odds on Spain, when they were beat in South Africa last year by Los Estados Unidos.
Algeria is going to give the Los EEUU more problems in their final group game than most could imagine, again dependent upon Majid Bougherra being healthy for Algeria, (there is always danger when the best player on the pitch is playing for the opposing team). Even the Gringo poster boy Donovan commented after the Lottery draw in December in regards to Algeria, "We don't know a lot about them." Geez, the right wing sports media is going to have a field-day replaying clips of an Algeria extra-time goal w/ a screaming arab commentator "Allaaaahhhh, alllaaahh..." to steal 3 points & knock out the US, agaaain! The complacent US attitude, which suggests US Soccer is on a rise is farcical Nike Marketing Scheme!
Algeria, Paraguay, Chile &; Cameroon could show some serious heart, but realistically quarterfinals at best for either team. Spain is going home at the hands of whomever they have to face from the group of death, either Portugal or Ivory Coast.
All though the world might not get to see an overweight Samba Ronnie dance around the ball this June, Brasil are still loaded & for the first time in their history are more dominant defensively than offensively. When it counts Luis "Fabuloso" Fabiano is a killer, & was the most dominant Player who missed out on the last 2006 World Cup in preference to Adriano. Along w/ another German Bundesliga Killer named Grafiti, I think they will be the revelation of the World Cup scoring 5-6 a pair. There are some serious question marks in Dunga's call ups, including some questionable players in the starting 11, most notably a skinny Ramires, however there are enough players to follow a defensive counter attack minded scheme. Although Samba Ronnie should be there over the likes of Robinho or a designated bench sitter like Josue or Kleberson.
Argentina is a true leap of fate. I've been reiterating it on a daily basis for over a year know that Argentina will magically come together & somehow play collectively, hmmm! It's really embarrassing that the Argentine Football Federation but it's cup in the hands of a coach w/ no tactical measure. Everything is a question mark! Having watched Veron play masterfully last year for Estudiantes & to win the Copa Libertadores, he was out of air at the 80 min mark in both games. Veron can't play 90 mins at the world cup level anymore & if he were to be injured, at 36 a very likely possibility, who is going to distribute the ball? A 20 year old Pastore? The wing defenders for Argentina could pose to be the biggest embarrassment, I can see the 1st 20 mins in Joburg, sitting in the stands, & Heinze being roasted for an early 1-0 Nigeria lead. This might actually be the best thing that can happen to Argentina to give them a chance, immediate relegation to the bench! There are various conspiracies, one being that Heinze's brother is a travel agent & that his brother has helped Marado to pocket some money years back & that is the reason he's consistently called up with about for 4-5 other dodgy selections. Until he performs on the big stage, I will not even mention the name of the little, "Magic Man" who plays for Barca.
So many questions so much anticipation. The only lasting advice I can give to all in these tough economic times is to wager a small sum on Ghana, on some sights 80/1 Vegas odds I believe 50/1.
At this preliminary stage I would Favor in the following order, Brasil, Holand (a 1st timer),England (dependent on Rooney), Argentina, & Ghana. Unless Spain really holds together, I don't see any of the lesser teams standing a shot. As Fifa loves to flash old black & white footage & over-exagerate a silly golden age of pre 1950 world cups. Ghana is the only team, that with a 10o wager, could yield a $5,000-8,000 return. Before 1957 independence, Ghana was known as the Gold Coast.
In this market, I wish as people have said for years, invest in GOLD! BLACK GOLD STARS!
To quote the truest French footballiuer Eric Cantona, "this game is about heart, Hohner, & beauty." The worlds greatest competition on the African soil for a first time. Most of the main-stream media outlets & expert annalists have suggested "There will be no surprises, that the champion will arise from one of the 6 original powerhouses"; England, Germany, Holland, Argentina, Brasil, Spain."
I will give an honest proposal w/ only one African team that can legitimately win the whole enchilada, that team is GHANA. Ivory Coast is full of talent but no spirit after the African Cup of Nations debacle. Even without "El Bison" Michael Essien in the midfield (lost to injury), & wo/ a true killer up front in the attack, I see Ghana to be the most physically imposing & "subestimado" to reckon with. They have some young 20 year-old talent whom performed well during the ACN that the world has yet to take notice of.
This will also be the first time in over 50 years that Germany will not reach the Final 8, aside from the Ballack injury, purely based on intuition & a lack of player production over the last 4 years. The best team in Europe when the time is right will be Holland. England's life-line is 99% dependent on Rooney as he could steal the show. If not, England will go home early again & along w/ an always crack under the pressure Espana. It's absurd to believe the 4-1 Vegas odds on Spain, when they were beat in South Africa last year by Los Estados Unidos.
Algeria is going to give the Los EEUU more problems in their final group game than most could imagine, again dependent upon Majid Bougherra being healthy for Algeria, (there is always danger when the best player on the pitch is playing for the opposing team). Even the Gringo poster boy Donovan commented after the Lottery draw in December in regards to Algeria, "We don't know a lot about them." Geez, the right wing sports media is going to have a field-day replaying clips of an Algeria extra-time goal w/ a screaming arab commentator "Allaaaahhhh, alllaaahh..." to steal 3 points & knock out the US, agaaain! The complacent US attitude, which suggests US Soccer is on a rise is farcical Nike Marketing Scheme!
Algeria, Paraguay, Chile &; Cameroon could show some serious heart, but realistically quarterfinals at best for either team. Spain is going home at the hands of whomever they have to face from the group of death, either Portugal or Ivory Coast.
All though the world might not get to see an overweight Samba Ronnie dance around the ball this June, Brasil are still loaded & for the first time in their history are more dominant defensively than offensively. When it counts Luis "Fabuloso" Fabiano is a killer, & was the most dominant Player who missed out on the last 2006 World Cup in preference to Adriano. Along w/ another German Bundesliga Killer named Grafiti, I think they will be the revelation of the World Cup scoring 5-6 a pair. There are some serious question marks in Dunga's call ups, including some questionable players in the starting 11, most notably a skinny Ramires, however there are enough players to follow a defensive counter attack minded scheme. Although Samba Ronnie should be there over the likes of Robinho or a designated bench sitter like Josue or Kleberson.
Argentina is a true leap of fate. I've been reiterating it on a daily basis for over a year know that Argentina will magically come together & somehow play collectively, hmmm! It's really embarrassing that the Argentine Football Federation but it's cup in the hands of a coach w/ no tactical measure. Everything is a question mark! Having watched Veron play masterfully last year for Estudiantes & to win the Copa Libertadores, he was out of air at the 80 min mark in both games. Veron can't play 90 mins at the world cup level anymore & if he were to be injured, at 36 a very likely possibility, who is going to distribute the ball? A 20 year old Pastore? The wing defenders for Argentina could pose to be the biggest embarrassment, I can see the 1st 20 mins in Joburg, sitting in the stands, & Heinze being roasted for an early 1-0 Nigeria lead. This might actually be the best thing that can happen to Argentina to give them a chance, immediate relegation to the bench! There are various conspiracies, one being that Heinze's brother is a travel agent & that his brother has helped Marado to pocket some money years back & that is the reason he's consistently called up with about for 4-5 other dodgy selections. Until he performs on the big stage, I will not even mention the name of the little, "Magic Man" who plays for Barca.
So many questions so much anticipation. The only lasting advice I can give to all in these tough economic times is to wager a small sum on Ghana, on some sights 80/1 Vegas odds I believe 50/1.
At this preliminary stage I would Favor in the following order, Brasil, Holand (a 1st timer),England (dependent on Rooney), Argentina, & Ghana. Unless Spain really holds together, I don't see any of the lesser teams standing a shot. As Fifa loves to flash old black & white footage & over-exagerate a silly golden age of pre 1950 world cups. Ghana is the only team, that with a 10o wager, could yield a $5,000-8,000 return. Before 1957 independence, Ghana was known as the Gold Coast.
In this market, I wish as people have said for years, invest in GOLD! BLACK GOLD STARS!
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