The preview

This is the post from last week...

The mood in South Africa leading up to the start of the World Cup has been phenomenal; everyone is bracing themselves for the spectacle. I arrived in the country a little over three weeks before the kick-off of the tournament and I felt, and definitely witnessed, great enthusiasm on the part South Africans; for being the host nation and also for their national team.

There were concerns about the suitability of South Africa as a host nation in terms of infrastructural and administrative capacity. Rumor had it that Australia was at stand-by to take-over the hosting in the event that South Africa failed to make enough progress toward meeting preparation targets. The successful staging of the 2009 Confederations’ Cup confirmed that the African nation is a deserving host of the world’s most popular event. Coincidentally, the last of the host stadia was handed over to Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, and will stage the opening and final games of this year’s showcase. The 95,000-seater Soccer City is arguably one of the best soccer stadiums in the world, rivaling the famous Wembley located just outside London. It is modeled after the calabash, an African brewing pot, to represent Africa’s identity in this African showpiece. The euphoria is a message to the world that South Africa, and indeed Africa, can stage a successful tournament.
On the other hand, worry about the host national team’s performance has subsided over the past few weeks which have seen South Africa go on a nine-match unbeaten run. Many fans believe this gives the team the much-needed morale and momentum going into the first game against Mexico. The much-added pressure on the team is that no host nation has ever failed to progress to the second round of the tournament. South Africa’s task has not been made any easier because they stand to face former champions France and Uruguay, as well as an enterprising Mexican team.
On June 6th, the South African president officially welcomed the world to South Africa and stressed on the socio-political prospects of the World Cup. In his remarks, Jacob Zuma highlighted the unifying potential that sporting events possess, and highlighted the triumph of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in which a newly-independent and racially-divided South Africa marked a sporting and socio-political success. A country on the verge of a civil war managed to unite and celebrate their oneness via the success of the national rugby team, the Springboks, helped by the vision of global icon Nelson Mandela. The former South African president was responsible for South Africa’s bid campaign on the basis of the re-enactment of the miracle of 1995. This has been the socio-political discourse in the country since 2004 when South Africa won the right to host. In additional, economic prosperity from this historic event is also expected to benefit the economically marginalized populations. It is anticipated that the world cup will contribute immensely to the South African economy. According to a government-sanctioned research by Grant Thornton Consultancy in 2003, the soccer extravaganza will contribute over R21 million ($3 million) to the economy, R7 million ($1 million) in tax revenue and provide close to 150,000 jobs. These economic pay-offs are expected to bridge the income disparity that has persisted since independence. Over the past couple of years, South Africans have staged numerous demonstrations over socio-economic grievances. This culminated in xenophobic attacks on foreigners who are accused of depriving local residents of the already limited opportunities.
Uniting to support a national team is a sporting phenomenon, but how genuine are the socio-political expectations of national unity through economic prosperity? One apparent mistake that politicians are making is equating 2010 to 1995 when, if put under scrutiny, these two points in South Africa’s history are different. 1995 brought hope that was not realized, largely. Although the threats of war subsided, everyone recoiled back to their normal lives: the poor majority in the townships and the affluent in the up-market suburbs, and this socio-economic make-up has remained intact. Johannesburg is an appalling sight; the streets were dirty and crowded. But the view changes upon getting to Sandton: last minute construction, magnificent architecture and you would think this is the main centre of the metropolitan region. Infrastructural development has been directed towards specific parts of the nation, parts that the majority does not even go to on a normal day. Sandton has always been for the high and mighty, inner city Johannesburg for the majority…who is benefiting from the millions of taxpayers’ money gone to WC preparations? Life for the ordinary citizen remains where it was fifteen years ago, and will remain there when the WC is over. The much-advertized Gautrain plies routes from Sandton to O. R. International airport and from the airport to Soccer City Stadium. Although Soccer City is close to Soweto, no one from there will ever want to catch a trip to the airport, let alone to Sandton. What surprised me most however was that the national team decided to have their pre-WC parade in Sandton as well, which is so far away from the home of South African soccer: Soweto! The turnout was phenomenal, over 200,000 people showed up to wish the Bafana Bafana (the Boys) all the best, but the choice of the main celebrations left a lot to be desired. In the supporters’ minds, what is more important now is being there for the team but when all dust has settled, what will happen?
Tomorrow, the South African national soccer team takes to the field to face-off against Mexico in the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the first to be staged on the African continent. The entire nation, if not continent, will be behind their compatriots as they seek to get their campaign off to a good start. Tomorrow nothing else matters: I will be at the official fan park along with thousands of other South Africans. And given the excitement that has gripped the nation, be ready to be blown away by the sound of the vuvuzela. It is 10:30 pm local time and I can hear the vuvuzela blowing outside: The time for Africa has come, SA 2010: Feel It! It is here.