The FIFA 2010 world cup is edging ever closer and it seems that we are well poised to host what will be nothing short of a global spectacle come June 2010.

 

 

Just recently was the King Senzangakhona stadium opened in Durban, with a magnificent elevated archway and even more magnificent illumination by night. The architectural wonders seem to really be taking shape, and personally it seems that the constructed skeletons of these grand stadia are finally blossoming into something fit to host such an event.

In Cape Town, the Green point stadium is also beginning to take shape. Construction was halted recently as heavy winds hassled progress on the installation of the stadiums enormous glass roof. The winds prevented workers from elevating the structure the required 35 meters above the pitch level to allow for its fitting in. despite these natural hazards, a city spokesman has echoed the smooth running of the project and that no hiccups have been experienced that should see the stadium not ready for its 14^th of December completion date.

Event organisers are keen to have stadiums packed for the entire world cup, ensuring an amazing atmosphere for the duration of the tournament. One thing fans, especially local ones, need to understand is that for an event like this ticket plans need be made in advance. Unlike most of our domestic competitions where tickets are bought on the day or even at the gate, eager hands will sell out stadiums in advance, thus if you don’t plan, you may miss the action. Fifa is urging this message to all soccer fans.

And as far as the controversial speculation for the event has gone so far, not a day has passed without some sort of scandal. With stadiums well on track and all preparations being made to schedule, it seems we must glance the eye of pessimism towards our beloved Bafana Bafana.

Our Boys hold the nations name with them as an unofficial air of credibility to the success of the event. With many local fans fighting for the available allocation of tickets, the continued participation of Bafana Bafana is imperative to maintaining a strong interest in the tournament from the South African Community. We all know how exciting it is when we wake to watch the bokke in a big game, or the proteas chase a victory. The same applies to the bafana, and a second round birth would blow the lid on our sports mad nation.

The last few years have done little to resemble even any chance of such a feat. Changing coaches almost as frequently as Chelsea, one of which was the current Portuguese and former Manchester united right hand man Carlos Quieroz. We have done little to find any consistency and whether it is the constant substitution of managers or a lack of quality on the field, we sadly find ourselves in the headlines more for slandering debate than applauding accolade.

The critical point is this: the quicker bafana bafana’s participation in the world cup comes to an end, the quicker a large portion of the nations support and enthusiasm for the competition dies. Granted, bafana are not the only team worth watching, and I will be as enthused by the likes of Lampard, Messi, Ronaldo and Kaka, that the event will be a rocker for every second for me (and many like me), but you can imagine how much more patriotic support there would be if bafana gel together for a fine cup run. However, the unwritten rule of the world cups to date is that if the host country fails on the pitch, participation dies off the pitch (CNN.com).

But how do we remedy this? As a nation we are nothing short of sports mad, and seem to take things very seriously when our national sides underachieve. Furthermore, soccer is a huge sport in our nation, with our PSL being the richest and most organised league on the continent- thus making failure more confusing and far harder to deal with for the members of our rainbow nation. That being said, it seems that we do not have enough players competing in international leagues where teams are constructed of a base of astonishingly talented foreign players. It is the only test where our players can taste the challenges of real top flight football. This kind of experience seems to be a major stumbling block in our desire for international glory.

Hold the doom and gloom speeches for just one second. Despite all these problems, it seems bafana bafana have finally found the first inkling of momentum under new Brazilian coach Joel Santana. What he lacks in English speaking capability, he has made up with a five match winning streak which was just quashed by the highly rated Chile in a 2-0 defeat last week. This streak included stunning wins against African powerhouses Cameroon and Ghana.

On top of this, players have started to emerge as some real quality, with Orlando Pirates’ Teko Modise headlining our local talent, besides our foreign based starlets Steven Pienaar, Aaron Mokoena and Benni McCarthy. The debate wages on as to whether the aging McCarthy and Mokoena should be considered in the squad over the future prospects of some more youthful talent. However, As noted above, our lack of top flight experience in our squad makes me think that these aging, but highly experienced players are essential to guide bafana towards success in 2010.

Before we get to 2010 however, we face the prospect of challenging ourselves against some of the world’s best in the Confederations Cup to be held from the 14^th to the 28^th of June this year. This competition will showcase the winners of all the global confederations, with Spain and Brazil included in the touring teams, alongside World Champions Italy. If we can get ourselves to truly compete in this event, and qualify for the second round of the competition, we will sow a seed of belief that could be pivotal in our road to 2010 success. When the likes of Torres, Fabregas, Kaka and Robinho step into town in June it will be down to us to push our boys to the goal line.

Before this however, the unofficial countdown to the FIFA 2010 world cup will take place in Durban in May when we play host to an international friendly again England. It will be an amazing opportunity to again test ourselves against ‘real’ opposition of the 2010 standard, while FIFA will invite delegates to assess our progress towards tournament readiness.

As May approaches, we as a nation will start to get ready for a spectacle unlike anything else that has graced our shores to date. Preparation in all sectors is flying ahead at hyper speed and if you blink now you may miss your cut of the action. This could not be truer than with the case for ticket purchases, with tickets going on sale today. Check Fifa.com to register for your little piece of this footballing action.

Viva South Africa 2010… Viva!