Continuing his series on the World Cup, South African sports fanatic Hilton Heydenrych takes a long hard look out of his back door at the madness and the mayhem of the upcoming football circus…

Steven Pienaar - A One-Man Team?

And what of the prospects of the national team, affectionately nicknamed Bafana, Bafana (The Boys, The Boys)?  Since readmission (to world sports) in 1991, there has been an eerily steady decline.

Despite missing out on World Cup qualification in 1994, Bafana entered the world stage in a blaze of glory, winning the African Cup of Nations in 1996. This was followed by a runner-up medal in 1998, 3rd place in 2000, a quarter-final exit in 2002, group elimination in 2004, group elimination without a goal in 2006, group elimination without a win in 2008, and non-qualification in 2010.  Their World Cup campaign has been beset by administrative blunders.  After leading the team to the African Nations triumph in 1996 and World Cup qualification in 1998, Clive Barker was unceremoniously dumped for unknown Frenchman Phillipe Troussier three months before the big event. No-one was surprised when the team was routed 3-0 by France in the opening game, and failed to make the second round, despite a face-saving draw against Denmark.  In 2002, lo and behold, the South African Football Association (Safa), made the same mistake, firing Carlos Queiroz only months before the Cup and installing local power-broker (and former football hero) Jomo Sono as coach.  Despite the official malaise, the young Bafana came heart-breakingly close to emerging from the group-phase, with a draw against Paraguay, a win over Slovenia and a rollicking 3-2 loss to Spain, resulting in a fewer-goals-scored tie-break exit. Despite the disappointment, everyone was bullish that this team of youngsters would be world-beaters by 2006. 

Instead, a further procession of mediocre coaching appointments led to non-qualification – and, if it weren’t for automatic qualification as hosts, the same fate would have befallen the current bunch.  The potential embarrassment of a host-team flop led to government intervention in 2006 and, to great fanfare (and the considerable outlay of cash), Carlos Alberto Perreira (mastermind of Brazil’s successful 1994 campaign) was appointed coach.

 Only a year later, however, the dream was in tatters as Perreira resigned (for “personal reasons” – apparently his wife’s illness, but who believed that?) and the hapless Joel Santaña took over, presiding over the AFCON non-qualification humiliation.  It seemed that (despite a temporary revival at the Confederations Cup) the decline would continue forever.

So, is there anything positive to report?

After the last run of defeats under Santaña, Safa could take it no more, and with much supplication (and, no doubt, an even larger cash offer) managed to persuade Perreira to return.  So he is back (fortunately more than six months before the commencement of World Cup action – as long a period of continuity as one can hope for with Safa).  And in this amazingly short time, partly through his persona, partly through a judicious choice of opposition – Brazilian club-sides, no-hopers (Thailand), formerly-respectable non-qualifiers (Bulgaria, Colombia) and bottom-tier qualifiers (Japan) – he has rekindled the hopes of a grateful nation.  And as the squad has been whittled down to 30 (with the final 23 to be announced today), new names – Bongani Khumalo, Siyabonga Sangweni, Thanduyise Khuboni – are discussed in increasingly excited tones as people dare to believe again.  Sure, everyone knows that the team’s chances depend heavily on the form of Steven Pienaar (recently crowned Everton player-of-the-year) but who can help squeezing their eyes tight shut and imagining some of that new talent glowing on the world stage.

And that mood is now being echoed in other spheres.  The stadiums are all finished; the airports look like they’ll be ready in time, including the brand, spanking new King Shaka International in KwaZulu-Natal – the first new international airport on the continent in decades (Global warming, what’s that?); shiny new buses have started plying their routes;  the Gautrain will commence a partial service on 8 June (three days before the start of the tournament – hold your breath); and fan-parks and fan-walk routes are taking shape at breathtaking speed.

King Shaka International Airport, Durban

Ticket-issue started in April and nothing makes folk feel warm inside, and dispels the doubts that this thing is really going to happen, like a batch of glossy over-sized tickets popping out the machine [Now I even know which seats I’m going to be sitting in – that lottery-winning message wasn’t a fake!].