2010 world cup news-2

  
2010 world cup is progressing well in South Africa. To see the match scores  so far click here .  

The outcome of the inaugural match of South Africa vs. Mexico, a 1-1 draw, was a glorious moment in the history of South Africa and its national team Bafana Bafana.

Bafana Bafana's all the time failure in the last two years that caused its two head coaches to resign from their jobs, had caused people to doubt  its ability to take the nation through the world cup 2010. Not long after the 2010 world cup award to South Africa at the World Trade Centre in Zurich in 2006, Carlos Alberto Parreira was hired as head coach to build up Bafana for 2010 on a monthly salary of US $ 227, 000 (approx. INR.10,215,000). Parreira who coached his national Brazilian team had taken it to victory in 1994 world cap.


In April 2008, after a series of non-performance by Bafana he had to leave for Brazil to take care of his ill wife. His post was soon filled by Joel Santhana, another Brazilian coach. 


In October 2009, Parriera returned to his old post he left an year ago, when Santana resigned from his job after another series of losses to South Africa in its build up to 2010.  


Parriere took the national team to undergo a sophisticated one month training that lasted from March to April 2010 in the state-of-the-art Traffic Sports Training Centre outside Sao Paulo in Brazil, known as Desportivo Brazil. 


At the end of the training at the center, which is linked to Manchester United and clubs in Brazil and the United States, the team emerged with a new found vigour and confidence.
 
By11 June 2010, they were all things in the past. In the afternoon of that day when Bafana Bafana emerged out into the soccer city stadium, Johannesburg, holding hands with little boys and girls in red and yellow, to the piercing din of vuvzealas blown by the ninety five thousand capacity spectators, to play against Mexico, the nation held its breath not in doubt but in hope and unity.


The calabash stadium looked mellowed in the yellow, the colour of the bafana bafana jersy worn by its supporters.  The Mexican red was vibrant too but it drowned in the yellow shine.  

During the match and its buildup that reached fever pitch at least since a month ago, in everything the supporters wore, carried and performed-the t-shirt, jersy, shawl, cap, spectacles, head gear, hair, face mask, face paint, vuvuzela, singing, dancing, drinking and all forms of merrymaking- there was an ambitious and dedicated uniformity, as a sign of their undivided support to their team.  It was amazing how all colour and races merged into one in that support.  Their four years' hard work culminated in showcasing before the rest of the world their 1GOAL to muffle the doom sayers. Though their team did not win what Bafana Bafana achieved did their nation proud. 


The excitement of the 2010 opening however was marred by the absence of former president Mr. Mandela due to loosing one of his great grand daughter, 13 year old Zenani. The car in which she was returning home from the world cup's opening concert the previous night at the Orlando stadium, Soweto, crashed, killing her. One family member according to the news papers' report was arrested for drunken driving.  

Loosing lives of South Africans on their roads to the same offence is on the increase.  Unless individuals take responsibility to their own life and wellbeing there is very little a nation can do to safe guard its citizens from such tragic deaths. 


Together with the nation, me and my family express our deepest condolences to the Mandela family.


Will continue....