We waited so long for the Soccer World Cup and now it’s over and Spain are the winners.

The World Cup was so much more than I expected:

The soccer itself might not always have been the best but everything else was.

I’ll remember the World Cup for:
1. The vuvuzela! I decided to embrace the noisemaker and am glad I did.
2. Waka waka, ayoba, Ke Nako and Philip – I mean Feel it, it is here.
3. Excited fans – local and international.
4. The incomparable oracle octopus, Paul. He got ALL his predictions right!
5. England crashing out to Germany.
6. Argentina crashing out to Germany.
7. Cape Town’s fan walk.
8. Fan parks! And the excitement of game days.
9. Being nice to each other.
10. Bafanamania – while it lasted.

And thats that Although we’ll always have memories of us at our very best.

This morning I woke to news that Paul the German Octopus had chosen Spain to win tonight’s Soccer World Cup semi-final game against Germany!   And Paul hasn’t been wrong over the last three weeks or so – not yet anyway. 

Does that octopus not have anything better to do?

At least normal South African programming wasn’t interrupted to break the news, unlike in Germany itself.

Yet you can’t get away from news on that ridiculous octopus’s prediction today.  The Cape Times ran an article, Google News had a few headlines and people were talking about it.

Fortunately for octopuses everywhere I am vegetarian!  Because I’m not particularly liking their species today.

 Germany will just have to defy Paul the Octopus’s prediction and win the match by playing the fantastic soccer they’ve provided so far. 

Although I won’t be putting money on a German win – just in case Paul knows of what he predicts.

One of the most unexpected things for me about the Soccer World Cup is the overseas fans! Many of us expected South Africa to run a decent tournament. We have after all successfully organised rugby and cricket world cups and many other international tournaments.

However nothing prepared us for the fans! They’ve brought colour and excitement to Cape Town. Even more than we usually have.

They’ve enthused us with their excitement.

I have no doubt that soccer had a few new converts during the last few weeks. I enjoyed the soccer even more than I thought possible. And I haven’t missed a WC since 1986 when I had to listen to the final between Argentina and West Germany on medium wave radio!

No one will be able to pursuade me that soccer doesn’t have the best fans in the world. The English, Brazilians, Portuguese and especially the Dutch fans have added even more to already great World Cup experience in Cape Town.

Apparently buoyed by the ‘gees’ shown during Soccer World Cup 2010, there is an initiative to keep the flag flying after the event finishes next Sunday.

I heard this on Capetalk/702 Sunday Breakfast.

There are plans for:

1. A website, www.flytheflag.co.za and with that probably a Facebook page and Twitter account.
2. Advertising initiatives with large brands like Mtn and Vodacom, etc.
3. A competition to find a name for the national flag.
4. A request for people to keep their SA flags flying on cars and at home, for at least a month after the final.

No word on vuvuzela blowing

Basically I don’t think there is any need to artificially drum up ‘gees’.

We’ve had it since 1994!

Sometimes we equate national pride with political views, but that’s rubbish.

We are not only our politics and crime. And whether you’re a cricket, soccer or rugby supporter or not doesn’t make you a patriot.

All that is required of us is to:

1. Be born here or choose to live here
2. respect the laws of our country
3. hold our politicians accountable
4. Be respectful of each other’s differences
5. Speak well of the country of our birth, whether we choose to live here or overseas.

I’ve been proudly South African since 1994 and no World Cup or other flag flying event has anything to do with it.

Not only have the Italians displayed disappointing soccer skills on the field, but they’ve not exactly lived up to expectation in the looks department.  Not to me anyway. 

And Fernando Torrest unfortunately have lost his place on my top 5 list.  With his shorter haircut he looks downright ordinary!

My new list includes Steven Gerrard of England – mainly for taking his shirt off after the first match against USA.  That was hot! to quote Paris Hilton.

There’s no denying Cristiano Ronaldo is hot, with or without his clothes, so he stays too.

Again in no particular order:

kaka - brazil

steven gerrard - england

roque santa cruz - paraguay

cristiano ronaldo - portugal

carlos bocanegra - usa

The Soccer World Cup is finally here and I’m loving every single moment of it.  I’ve even embraced the vuvuzelas…sort of!

Since there’s nothing I can do about them, I’ve learnt to pretty much ignore vuvuzelas droning on in the background.   However, if you want to see me staking a claim to the dreaded vuvuzela, try banning them! 

As for the rest of the World Cup…OMW!  We’ve had some exhilirating games, starting with the first one which had Bafana Bafana draw with Mexico.  A great result for us, seeing how woeful the team was, until recently.  The spirit at the game and around the country was infectious. 

I feel sorry for people who chose not to embrace the World Cup.

The next big game, USA vs England, was another exciting game.  England is my least favourite team and Steven Gerrard my favourite player in the tourament. Yeah, that makes sense! NOT!

So I was happy for Gerrard that he scored, and Glen Johnson, another Liverpool player, had a good game.  But the result worked out just great (as far as I’m concerned).

My other favourite team besides Bafana Bafana is Germany.  So I was delighted with the way the took apart the Australians on Sunday night.  The fact that it was Australia on the losing side just made the victory sweeter.  Those same Aussies who tried to steal our World Cup!

By the way, can you even imagine what it would have been like to have the World Cup in boring, bland Australia?

Tonight it’s the Italians at Green Point.  Just try imagining those Italians soaked with Cape Town rain! Sigh!

We won’t have to wait too long for that

What can I say, I love me some soccer! 

Let me start by saying it was a very tough decision to come up with just 5 hot soccer players.  In the Italian side alone they probably have 20 out of their 23 who could model on the ramps of Milan. 

And they’re in no particular order.  But you might see a bit of Liverpool bias. 

claudio marchisio - italy

steven gerrard - england

fabio cannavoro - italy

fernando torres - spain

cristiano ronaldo - portugal

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe I’m just being contrary as usual, but I don’t understand this whole story about wearing a Bafana Bafana jersey to show your support for our national soccer team at the World Cup.

What on earth is that all about?

Firstly I will not wear any team sport jersey.  I’m a fan of the Stormers, Liverpool, WP, Cobras and of all SA National team sports – however I see no reason to let everyone know.

As disappointing as my team might sometimes get (Liverpool!), I still support them – including Bafana.

I am also a patriotic South African am in 100%  support of the soccer World Cup being held in our city and country and will be shouting myself hoarse in June/July supporting Bafana.

However…

My walking buddy and her colleagues all received Bafana t-shirts to wear on Fridays and some of my colleagues bought their own and have worn them to the office. 

Even parliamentarians received free shirts (as if they need any more free stuff).

I just don’t get it. 

If you, as an individual choose to wear a jersey at home or to a sports match, then good and well. But why must we all act like peas in a pod?

I’ve fought hard to show my individuality – even if I’m the only one in SA not wearing a Bafana jersey on a Friday, so be it!

Up until the latest allegations of theft from the Eqyptian and Brazillian soccer teams, the only controversy was caused by those damn vuvuzelas.

So we go from one national scourge to potentially another. Crime!

The story of course is not all that cut and dried. 

Egypt soccer team management claims they were robbed of around R19 000 from their hotel rooms and Saturday night.

We might want to keep in mind that Egypt surprisingly lost to the USA on Sunday after beating World Champions Italy last week.

Sources however told the weekend media a different story. 

They claimed the Egyptians entertained prostitutes in their hotel rooms and paid them with the missing money.

Which the Egyptians are denying.

With crime being quite rambant around these parts and boys being boys, neither story seems unlikely.

Police apparently are investigating.

Can we expect the Protea Hotel, Wanderers to have security cameras on the floor to that particular hotel?

Whatever the truth of that story, the Brazilians are claiming to have been robbed of a jacket and some money.

If you were going to claim robbery in any country, South Africa would probably be a first choice candidate.

Since South Africa is such an easy target to make claims of criminal activity, maybe hotels should be thinking of putting up security cameras in their lobbies.

It’s easy to blame crime to hide indiscretions – no one here bats an eyelash for common theft when we have more serious crimes every day.