Category: world cup 2010

Vuvuzela update

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Sense has finally prevailed and FIFA has made its judgement on the ‘noisy’ vuvuzela issue which has been upsetting people who don’t want their South African football served with a side order of atmosphere.

FIFA have no plans to ban or stop fans from blowing noisy vuvuzelas at the Confederations Cup or next June when South Africa host the 2010 World Cup finals.
That was the word from FIFA president Sepp Blatter speaking at a special media briefing ahead of the crunch Confederations Cup Group A clash between Bafana and New Zealand at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Wednesday night.

In reply to a fed up journalist who complained about the “terrible noise” that the unique South African vuvuzelas make and suggested that they should be banned, the FIFA president smiled and said he agreed that the “trumpet” used by local fans was a noisy instrument.
“But,” he added, “That is what African and South Africa football is all about – noise, excitement, dancing, shouting and enjoyment. This is a celebration.”

Wow. Blatter talking complete sense. Incredible. He needs to chat to Julius. They can learn together.

bafana_bafana
Julius. Excited.

Of course, we still have some locals in denial over the actual World Cup – still under the impression that a Plan B or Plan C will come into effect and move it to Australia or England – so I think there may be some difficulties with getting the “Vuvuzelas are OK” message across.
But as I said in my earlier post on this issue, the vuvuzela is set to become the trademark of the World Cup next year. They were there when SA was awarded to World Cup in Zurich back in May 2004  and they will be blowing all the way to the final in July next year.

So if you don’t like them: sorry for you.

* along with a huge amount of over-reporting of any negative issue with a possible sensationalist angle.

Shhh!

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The world has ended.

Or so it would seem if you were to tune into Cape Talk today. Whities from all races – anxious not to miss the ‘soccer’ bandwagon – have tuned into the Confederations Cup and are upset by several issues:

1. The rules of the game,
2. The way the black people in the crowd booed the white bloke playing for SA and
3. The noise of the trumpets – called ‘vuvuzelas’.

Of course the ball is round, not like a proper ball, which is oval. And the goal posts stop at the crossbar instead of making a giant H shape. Weird. And the players don’t use their hands. And they’re allowed to pass forward. Weirder.

The white bloke playing for SA is Matthew Booth. ‘BOOOOOOOTH!’ shout his adoring fans when he has the ball, prompting desperately misconstrued allegations of racism from the uneducated paler quarter of Cape Town.

Finally, the vuvuzela issue. ‘We don’t do that at rugby, so it can’t be right!’
Oh please.
The vuvuzela is to SA football what the braai is to the Afrikaner. And you are ruining your desperate attempts to be trendy by watching football by trying to change it. Ain’t happening. The vuvuzela will be the trademark of the 2010 World Cup.

Here’s a newsflash! Just because you weren’t watching doesn’t mean that football didn’t exist. In fact, it was getting along quite happily before you turned up and started moaning.

Want to stop the irritating noise that’s spoiling it for everybody? THEN STOP WHINING!

A3 v A4

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Mainly for my foreign visitors and those dwindling numbers of locals who persist in suggesting that South Africa won’t be able to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup because of… “stuff”; an excellent set of photos from Rob Gilmour taken from a helicopter* over the Green Point Stadium.

gps

Exactly 365 days from now, I will be in there with 69,069 others, watching the all-important A3 v A4 clash. A win in this first game is vital, given that A1 and A2 have already played in Jo’burg a little earlier and there was a result of some description. It’s 9:22pm CAT, just into half time after an action-packed first half and I will currently be queuing for an overpriced boerie roll and some pissy american beer.

FIFA 2010 World Cup match schedule | Green Point Stadium Webcams | Cape Town Tourism 2010 site

* either that or he’s really tall…

Wrong way around

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Hello.

This week, I am mainly attending a course in the Cape Winelands and therefore will be pretty scarce for the next couple of days. Expect quota photos and not too much writing. I had a rather controversial post about the BNP in the UK lined up – not controversial because I want to be controversial, but because I was actually going to document the fact that I don’t agree with the general opinion on the events of this last week.

I actually thought that the “sad day for British democracy” was not when two members of the BNP were elected to the European parliament, but when eggs were thrown at a democratically elected MEP and he was assaulted and prevented from speaking in public by a violent mob. The former was actually the perfect example of democracy at work. The latter is inexcusable – whatever the views and policies of the individuals involved.
Sadly, the mainstream media don’t dare to voice that opinion for fear of alienating viewers and readers. I find that most of my readers are pretty much already alienated anyway, as this comment from Jo Hein indicates. Tinfoil hat required.

Anyway – I’d love to continue on that one, but because of my commitments elsewhere, comment approval and replies are going to be a little tardier than usual. Man at work. Please expect delays.

Cape Town has been stunningly beautiful this past few days, calm, warm and bathed in winter sunshine. Three years ago, we also had blue skies, but it was windier, as this Sea Point quota photo shows.

qqqw

And of course , it’s exactly one year to the kick off of the World Cup in South Africa. But that’s up in Jo’burg and will be completely unaffected by the prevailing meteorological conditions in Cape Town.

For my Exclusive Benefit…

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Incoming email:

Dear Mr 6000

Your unique ticket request reference is 6000****7

Further to your application for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Tickets, your Ticket request has been entered into the Random Selection Draw and processed by the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Ticketing Centre (the “FWCTC”).

 

We are delighted to inform you that the Tickets shown below (and also as reflected within your FIFA.com customer account) have now been reserved by the FWCTC for your exclusive benefit.

That’s right – for my exclusive benefit. Not anyone else’s.

 

I managed to secure tickets for six of the games at the stunningly beautiful Green Point Stadium in Cape Town.
Well, thank you very much Uncle Sepp. I can hardly wait – especially for the much-anticipated Match 30 G4 v G2 on the 21st June at 1330. That should be a blast, since I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for G4.

 

Trouble is, I can already see one of two things happening. Either the whole thing is going to be cancelled because of travel restrictions due to swine flu (Sepp Blatter and his cronies being especially vulnerable) or, in a more likely scenario, we’re all going to be completely dead anyway – leaving us more than slightly out of pocket unless we work  for FIFA.

 

How are Mexico doing in their qualifying group, anyway?