South Africa

The World Cup has finally made it to Africa. Months of preparation, construction, anticipation and saving up for months on end to be able to queue for hours to buy that gloriously elusive World Cup ticket have all been part and parcel of this wondrous occasion, unfortunately the opportunity to go down in the history books as being the first host nation to fail to make it through the group stages of the competition looms over the heads of the South African team.

Bafana Bafana are not intending to go quietly though with the noise created by home supporters decimals above other European crowds, helped by the sound of the vuvuzela an instrument that FIFA had attempted to ban. It wouldn’t be African football without the vuvuzela and it wouldn’t be African football if the noise bared any resemblance to the action that took place on the field.

Naturally with South Africa hosting the tournament there is no need for them to qualify. If this were the case they certainly would not be partaking, which would be absolute travesty. No doubt they will up their game on home soil and prove the doubters wrong.

Form though has been haphazard for Bafana Bafana with a Confederations Cup 4th place finish coming with a failure to qualify for the African Cup of Nations. A lack of competitive matches in the run up to the tournament means that direct form cannot be easily assessed. Having only scored one goal in seven matches in late 2009 though is a major concern.

To their advantage South Africa do have a very experienced manager guiding them through the tournament. Carlos Alberto Parreria has taken Brazil to World Cup glory in 1994, whilst also taking charge of Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia in 1982, 1990 and 1998 respectively. Hopefully his management can be proved pivotal in creating an atmosphere that is not only intent on winning, but actually does so.

With most of South Africa’s national side playing in the domestic league of South Africa, three men in particular will be focused on to carry their team into the second round of the tournament. South Africa’s captain is Portsmouth’s Aaron Mokoena, the bedrock of the Bafana Bafana defence. His recent play has been questioned, but with 100caps to his name his experience at the back will be vital.

Leading the golden charge to the golden boot which will aid progression from the group is failing Premier League striker Benni McCarthy. The West Ham forward may not have reached the dizzy heights that were consistently expected of him but he is still South Africa’s main hope up front. The country’s highest ever goal-scorer has notched up 31 goals in 78 caps. He will need to find the net a couple more times this summer to help his nation advance.

South Africa do boast one truly world-class player, his name is Steven Pienaar. Another tremendous season at Everton has meant that expectation is high on him to perform this summer. His speed, trickery and great technical ability have turned him into a creator and even a finisher. His form will be the key to their success.

Critics are worried that Group A will prove too difficult a task to overcome for Bafana Bafana, yet realistically, the group is not as hard as it could have been. Admittedly, France, Mexico and Uruguay are all very capable, with talent throughout each side. However, Mexico have looked susceptible at the back and Uruguay only just scraped through qualification. France also used every limb to get to South Africa, looking disorientated along the way. Whether they will be on top form come June is to be seen.

Therefore, it maybe that South Africa have a better chance of progressing from the group than previously thought. In Itumeleng Khune they have a great shot-stopper. Whereas Siboniso Gaxa will be a maverick up and down the right-wing. Kagisho Dikgacoi provides a big physical presence in midfield, whilst Teka Modise contrasts this nicely by possessing classy technical ability. On the opposing wing to Pienaar, Siphiwe Tshabalala provides not only a great name, but an eccentric style, being known for sensational goals and sensational misses. And McCarthy’s partner Bernard Parker has started to add goals to his game.

So all in all, this could be another World Cup where the home nation shocks all but delights every neutral in the world, by advancing into the latter stages of the tournament, spurred on by the glamour that the World Cup brings. For everyone’s sake at the World Cup, let’s hope this is the case, we don’t want the locals to get violent now do we.