South Africa had a very impressive run during World Cup warm-up matches, which included a surprising win against Denmark. Therefore, the soccer-crazed fans of this host nation could be forgiven their great expectations that their team would perform well when the matches really counted.
Alas, this was not to be. For after playing Mexico to a less than thrilling tie (1-1) in its first match last Friday, South Africa was shut out (3-0) in humiliating fashion by Uruguay in its second match yesterday.
This means that it has effectively been kicked out of this year’s World Cup. Because with only one group match left to play against France, one of the favorites to win the World Cup, chances are nil to none that South Africa will earn enough points to advance to the next round.
And if things play out this way, Bafana Bafana will suffer the international shame of becoming the first host nation to be eliminated in the first round of play.
(Only the two top teams from each of the eight groups (A to H) advance to the round of sixteen. And those two teams in South Africa’s Group A are likely to be France and Uruguay.)
So much for the Mandela-inspired fairytale….
Meanwhile, South Africans appear to be the only ones who have no problem with the monotonous blaring of vuvuzelas that are drowning out the cheers and jeers that normally imbue matches with their adversarial pathos. Reports are that they also make it impossible for players and coaches to communicate on the pitch and have even caused hundreds of people to suffer permanent hearing loss.
Moreover, the sound of these vuvezelas has become such a disquieting nuisance for fans watching via television around the world that some broadcasters (like the BBC) have begun filtering it out.
Despite all this, political correctness in international sport is such that FIFA, soccer’s governing body, has refused all calls to ban them, citing a fear of catering to Western prejudice against this South African heritage.
I have always said that Africa has a different rhythm, a different sound… I don’t see banning the music traditions of fans in their own country.
(FIFA president Sepp Blatter, NBC Sports, June 14, 2010)
Never mind that vuvuzelas are no more a part of the music tradition of South Africa than the Macarena (remember that nuisance?) was a part of the dance tradition of the United States.
This is why I’m still hoping that South African officials will ban them, not only because they rob soccer of its character as a spectator sport but also because they pose such a health hazard to fans in the stands – even if some of them are too possessed of jingoistic pride to admit it.
NOTE: Other opening-round matches include perennial favorites Argentina and Brazil winning in impressive fashion, Germany winning in blitzkrieg fashion (shutting out Australia 4-0), Spain, the prohibitive favorite to win this year, losing in a shocker to upstart Switzerland, and, alas, my pick, Cameroon, losing in an upset to Japan. Indeed, besides South Africa’s discouraging performance, it does not bode well that Ghana is the only African team to win a match so far.
Related commentaries:
The World Cup – South Africa
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